The Role of Information Sources on Perceptions of Corporate Reputation and Intention to Pursue Employment

Abstract

The present study explores how companies disseminate messages regarding their reputation for corporate social responsibility from three different sources (newspaper articles, official company website, and social media) to achieve early recruitment goals. Examining potential employees' intentions to pursue employment and attraction toward a company reveals that the two different types of corporate social responsibility messages, environmental and charitable, are perceived to be equally effective in influencing the potential applicants' intention to pursue employment or their attraction toward the organization. Prospective applicants who learn of the corporate social responsibility message from social media tend to be more attracted to the organization and possess a higher intention to pursue employment than if they obtain the information from a company's official website. However, when trustworthiness is considered, prospective applicants who trust information from the company's official website are more likely to apply for a job vacancy.