The Impact of National and Individual Characteristics on Students’ Employer Choice
Lena Christiaans, Marion Buettgen

Abstract
A powerful employer image is claimed to contribute to sustainable competitive advantage by attracting highly skilled employees. However, previous research considers employer image in a domestic context only, although international companies increasingly face the challenge of recruiting employees worldwide. In order to understand the impact of different cultural backgrounds and demographics on job seekers’ perceptions of what constitutes an attractive employer, we conduct a multilevel analysis incorporating 90,944 students from 18 countries. Even though between-country differences result not as large as expected, we find significant influence of national culture and economic development on students’ importance ratings regarding the key employer image facets promotion opportunities and professional development. Our findings provide managers and researchers with insights on the degree of standardization versus adaption of the employer brand in a pan-European context.

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