Response to a crisis and applicant attraction: Signaling employer brand personality and organizational trust through warm and competent COVID‐19 responses

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates how organizations' response to a crisis such as the COVID‐19 pandemic affects their employer attractiveness. Based on signaling theory, we argue that a COVID‐19 response can signal an organization's employer brand personality, positively affecting applicant attraction. We conducted two experimental studies with employed and unemployed UK participants through Prolific Academic. Both studies indicate that a warm COVID‐19 response leads to the highest employer attractiveness and job pursuit intentions, although a competent response was still more attractive than no response. Moreover, applicants use the warm and competent responses as signals of organizational warmth and competence respectively, building higher organizational trust. Limited support for the moderating role of applicants' personality was found. Implications during and beyond COVID‐19 are discussed. Practitioner points a. What is currently known about the topic of your study;The COVID‐19 pandemic compelled organizations to respond. An organization's communication can signal its employer brand personality. Employer brand personality can be evaluated based on warmth and competence.b. What your paper adds to this;Communicating a response to COVID‐19 can help in attracting applicants. A COVID‐19 response can signal organizational warmth and competence. A warm or competent response to a crisis can increase applicants' trust. Limited support for the moderating role of applicants' personality was found.c. The implications of your study findings for practitioners;Respond to crises such as COVID‐19 to enhance applicant attraction and trust. Share attractive COVID‐19 responses on the company website or through press. Build applicants' trust, in times of crisis, through warm or competent messages. Emphasize warmth in the COVID‐19 response to attract applicants and motivate them to apply.