Examining cross-cultural and individual differences in predicting employer reputation as a driver of employer attraction

Abstract

This study explores cross-cultural and individual differences in predicting employer reputation as a driver of organizational attraction. Controlling for occupational and generational differences, this study examines the importance of employer reputation when choosing an employer among graduate engineering students in nine countries. At the cultural level, the impact of two cultural syndromes of individualism vs collectivism and verticalness vs horizontalness is examined. At the individual level, the influence of their needs for power and achievement is examined. Results suggest that, at the cultural level, collectivism and, at the individual level, need for power and achievement are related to the importance attached to employer reputation. In practice, companies should consider crafting their recruitment message to fit the cultural norms of the country where they are recruiting and also encourage their recruiting staff members to tailor their messages to fit the candidates they are trying to attract.