Establishing the dimensions, sources and value of job seekers' employer knowledge during recruitment

This paper applies marketing concepts to the recruitment research literature in order to develop the concept of employer knowledge, or the beliefs that a job seeker holds about a potential employer. Job seekers' employer knowledge creates value for an organization because it determines how they pursue and process information about the organization, whether they accept jobs with the organization, what they expect from the organization as new employees, and whether they purchase products and services from the firm in the future. Drawing on the marketing literature, this paper: (1) differentiates the dimensions of employer knowledge, (2) describes the sources of employer knowledge and how these information sources are processed by job seekers, and (3) describes how and why job seekers' employer knowledge represents a valuable asset to organizations. The discussion illustrates the implications of the model for recruitment researchers and managers, and suggests new perspectives and research directions that emerge from integrating of marketing and recruiting literatures.