Gender-fair language and diversity labels in German job ads impacting job attraction: findings from two experimental studies

Purpose This study aims to analyze how employer branding strategies, specifically the use of gender-fair language and diversity indicators related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersexual, +additional identities (LGBTQI+) inclusion affect the attraction of potential job candidates to organizations. These elements serve as signals conveying a company’s values, helping to shape its image to prospective employees. While prior research has examined employer branding strategies broadly, there is a lack of evidence on the impacts of combined gendered language and LGBTQI+ indicators in job descriptions. This study addresses this gap by investigating how these strategies interact to influence candidate attraction, focusing on the interplay between gendered language and LGBTQI+ inclusiveness signals with the use of employer labels. Design/methodology/approach We conducted two randomized between-subjects experimental (online) vignette studies with German participants and assessed organizational and job attraction as dependent variables. In Experiment 1 (N = 164), we used a three (diversity language: generic masculinum, binary gendered and inclusive gendered) X two (LGBTQI+ label: yes vs no) design and in experiment 2 (N = 475) as replication and extension a three (diversity language) X three (label: none vs rainbow heart vs LGBTQI+) design. Findings Our data indicate that for the German respondents’ job descriptions with inclusive gendered (with a gender-star *) language, it is perceived as less attractive compared to the generic male and female forms mixed. Based on congruence theory, we show that if an LGBTQI+ label is present, this negative effect is mitigated. Furthermore, incorporating a label showed significantly better performance than just using any LGBTQI+-related visuals that are not accredited. Originality/value Our study addresses a key research gap by exploring the combined influence of gender-fair language and LGBTQI+ diversity indicators on job candidate attraction. While previous research has examined these factors in isolation, our study uniquely analyzed their intersection and impact on organizational attractiveness within a German context.