A mixed-methods approach for the relationship between organizational attributes, reputation, employer brand and intention to apply for a job vacancy

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the direct effect of organizational reputation (OR), employer brand (EB) and organizational attributes (OA) on the intention to apply for a job vacancy (IAJV); further, it examined the mediating effect of employer brand in the OA-IAJV relationship while taking into consideration the moderating effect of organizational reputation.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method approach was employed, with ten in-depth interviews followed by a questionnaire with additional 356 job seekers in Cairo and Giza cities; the sample includes both fresh graduates and experienced job applicants in the job market. The qualitative analysis confirmed that some respondents use organizational reputation as a signal of its performance. The path analysis technique tests the research hypotheses using a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe findings revealed that the most influential variable in the intention to apply is organizational attributes, followed by organizational reputation and finally employer brand. There is a significant relationship between organizational attributes and intention to apply for a job vacancy via employer brand. In addition, the results indicate a noteworthy moderating impact of organizational reputation on the association between employer brand intentions to apply for a job and the relationship between organizational attributes and intention to apply for a job opening.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study contributes to the understanding of the direct and indirect effects of organizational reputation and organizational attributes on intention to apply through the mediating role of the employer brand. This research opens new avenues for recruitment research, considering the moderating effect of organizational reputation on strengthening the impact of the independent variables on the intention to apply and the interaction between the variables affecting the intention. Further, this study focuses on the needs of the job applicants when perceiving the organizational factors and identifies which signals can generate the intention to apply according to the signaling theory.