Employer Branding on Social Media and Generation Z Talent Attraction A Signalling-Theory Perspective on Content Quality, Authenticity, and Person–Organisation Fit

Abstract

Purpose: While Gen Z is quickly becoming the force to reckon with as an entrant into the workforce from 2025 to 2027, evidence regarding the signals that are working for them in terms of attracting Indian Gen Z talent is still scattered and sector specific. Based on signalling theory, this study investigates how the quality of the content and authenticity of EI content on social media influence the EI attractiveness and intention to pursue a job, and whether perceived person–organisation (P–O) fit mediate these relationships. Design / Methodology / Approach: The survey is recommended to be a quantitative and cross-sectional survey design, with the respondents being Gen Z people across India (aged 18-27) using a validated five-point Likert questionnaire which is adapted from the previously developed scales used to measure employer branding. Constructs are evaluated by reliability and validity testing (composite reliability, average variance extracted, discriminant validity) and then correlation, hierarchical regression and covariance-based structural equations modelling with bootstrapped mediation. The analytical framework is illustrated with an illustrative dataset (N=312).
Findings: The predictability of content quality is highest towards attractiveness to the employer, while authenticity and employee-created content (EGC) are highest towards intention of pursuing a job. Authenticity—intention is partially mediated by perceived P–O fit, which accounts for 44 per cent of the effect. The results suggest that the signalling mechanisms of attractiveness and intended behavior are partially distinct.
Originality / Value: The study takes signalling theory into a context that has been largely ignored in the original models, the context of the Gen Z, the social media natives, and India; it separates out the antecedents of attractiveness from those of intention; and it places perceived fit as an explicit transmission mechanism, providing evidence-based guidance for talent-acquisition strategy.