Negative word-of-mouth and applicant attraction: The role of employer brand equity

Word-of-mouth (WOM) is a valued source of employment information for job seekers. Given mixed prior research findings, we do not yet understand when and why negative WOM affects applicant decision-making. Building on signaling theory and brand equity literature, we propose that the strength of the negative signal provided by negative WOM varies depending on applicants' knowledge of an employer and its image and reputation, conceptualized as...