How the interplay of social media usage and online reviews generate intention to apply for a job vacancy: an employer branding-based agenda

Purpose This study aims to explain the relationship between employer branding, social media, online reviews and intention to apply for a job vacancy (IAJV), which organizations should ponder upon while designing branding campaigns. Design/methodology/approach The sample belongs to 385 final-year management graduates and postgraduates enrolled in central universities in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The dual mediation model is tested by regression and PROCESS macro. Findings Out of five employer branding dimensions, three (corporate social responsibility, healthy work atmosphere and training and development) were found to be significant predictors of IAJV. On the other hand, the dimensions of compensation and benefits and work-life balance did not influence candidates’ intention to apply for a job. The findings indicate that social recruiting could act as an effective tool for leveraging an organization’s image as an employer and could communicate unique brand values to the target market. Moreover, review whether positive, negative or neutral attributes could help job seekers affirm and reaffirm employer branding attributes before applying for a job. Originality/value Studies in social media and employer branding areas lag far behind in practice, and the present research attempts to fill this research gap. A further contribution of this research work will be to assess the role of reviews for a meaningful analysis of potential employees’ intentions to apply in an organization.