How to become an employer of choice: transforming employer brand associations into employer first-choice brands

Being a first-choice brand is a valuable asset for an organisation, both for remaining competitive and for attracting potential employees. Despite the considerable research available on linking brand associations to employer brand attractiveness, research on how to become an employer of choice is limited. This article addresses the research gap by investigating employer brand associations that predict status as an employer first-choice brand (FCBe), and by determining how these associations are transferred into preference. Research was based on university students’ evaluations of employer brand associations and identification of their FCBe. Results indicate that work content and work culture of employer brand associations are drivers of being an FCBe, with no support found for effects of salary, advancement opportunities, location or organisational reputation. Importantly, employer brand emotions emerged as a full mediator in the model, indicating that for an FCBe, work content and work culture need to be linked to emotions. These results suggest that only if employer brand associations lead to positive employer brand emotions can an FCBe be established. This study contributes to the literature by being the first to investigate drivers of employer first-choice brand, and to identify employer brand emotions as essential for establishing an FCBe.