Ethical signals attract job seekers when backed by representative leadership

Purpose Labor shortages in the hospitality industry have intensified reliance on online recruitment strategies, making diversity cues a critical signal to potential employees. This study aims to examine how diversity cues in hospitality recruitment influence applicants’ intent to apply. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts an exploratory mixed-methods design across three studies. Study 1 used focus groups with 12 job seekers to explore perceptions of diversity cues. Study 2 (n = 291) examined relationships among diversity beliefs, endorsed diversity rationales and applicant intentions using survey data. Study 3 (n = 187) experimentally manipulated leadership diversity levels (3%, 23%, 53%) and message rationale (moral vs instrumental). Findings Job seekers preferred morally framed diversity cues over instrumental ones and perceived superficial messaging as insincere. Although endorsing an instrumental rationale was unexpectedly associated with higher application intentions in the survey study, experimental results showed that moral messaging paired with higher leadership diversity increased organizational attractiveness, whereas instrumental messaging reduced perceived mobility as leadership diversity increased. Practical implications Hospitality organizations should prioritize authentic, morally grounded diversity communications to strengthen employer attractiveness and perceived advancement opportunities. Superficial or instrumental messaging may undermine organizational attractiveness and limit application intentions. Originality/value This study advances hospitality recruitment research by integrating signaling theory with organizational legitimacy theory to show how diversity cues shape applicants’ perceptions and behavioral intentions. It provides a multi-method examination of authenticity in diversity signaling, offering insights into how organizations can effectively signal inclusivity in competitive hospitality labor markets.