Antecedents of employer image of the organization: conceptualization and scale development

Purpose This paper aims to conceptualize and present a psychometric scale to measure the antecedents of the employer image of an organization. The paper also tests its impact on the applicant’s intent to join. Design/methodology/approach A literature review was conducted to identify factors impacting the employer's image during the recruitment process. Further, a qualitative approach was undertaken to explore the observations of job applicants during the recruitment process. The emergent themes from the literature review and qualitative study were consolidated. Next, the Delphi technique was used to develop the scale items, and the validity and reliability were established. At last, the employer image’s impact on the applicant’s intent to join was tested. Findings The study resulted in four broad factors of the “antecedents of the employer image” scale: primary information sources, verbal factors, non-verbal factors, and contextual factors. The exploratory and confirmatory tests yielded satisfactory statistical results, establishing the scale's validity and reliability. The “employer image” had a positive impact on the applicant’s intent to join the organization. Originality/value This study is the first of its kind to develop a scale measuring the “antecedents of the employer image” based on an applicant-centric view. It shall serve as a ready-to-go tool for practitioners to analyze the applicant’s observations and reduce their drop-out from the recruitment process.