The Influence of Employer Branding on College Students' Willingness to Apply: Exploring Social Media as a Moderator

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the influence of employer branding on the willingness to apply for a job at a startup company, using social media as a moderating variable. The respondents of this research are 409 third-year students from the top 10 universities in Indonesia. This study employs a quantitative method with a purposive sampling approach. It utilizes surveys and data analysis through PLS-SEM. The findings of this study indicate that five indicators of employer branding, namely interest value, social value, economic value, development value, and application value, have a significant impact on job application intention. Furthermore, the study also reveals that social media does not directly influence these aspects of employer branding, except application value. This research is expected to provide insights and a foundation regarding the impact of employer branding and the use of social media on job application intention for relevant companies. Keywords: employer branding, social media, willingness to apply, start-up