Personal Quaterly 1/2022

10 SCHWERPUNKT _INTERVIEW PERSONALquarterly 01 / 22 credibility. Also, it is very important that people never feel ob- liged to spread word-of-mouth or post an employer review. As is the case in many work contexts, the self-determination theory applies here. Make sure that employees feel that it is their own choice whether and how to be an ambassador (autonomy), ex- plain how they can help the organization, value their help, and emphasize connectedness and common goals (relatedness), and make sure they have all the necessary information, means, and skills to do so (competence). PERSONALquarterly: Are there any measures that employers can take to minimize the damage caused by negative employer re- views? Which advices would you give practitioners that respond to negative employer reviews? Greet van Hoye: As I said before, the best thing is obviously to try to avoid negative employer reviews as much as possible by engaging in authentic employer branding and by soliciting and addressing early feedback within the company. When negative employer reviews do appear, follow them up as quickly as pos- sible. Research shows that when negative reviews accumulate and demonstrate consensus among reviewers, it is very hard for the company to change the resulting negative impact on applicant attraction. So monitor reviews closely and scrutinize the content of negative reviews. Some studies suggest that a professional and constructive company response can help to mitigate the negative impact of negative reviews, but more research is needed to clarify which type of response is most effective in which situation. If the content of the review is exag- gerated, taken out of context, or simply not true, a denying (yet professional!) company response providing counterevidence seems most effective and can help to reduce review credibility and increase company trustworthiness. Finally, it might help to actively encourage jobseekers to get in touch with the or- ganization and, even better, with current employees to verify themselves whether the reviews are true or not: by asking any question they might have or experiencing the organization itself, for instance during an event or internship. This might be appropriate when the organization has improved its employer brand, but older negative reviews still exist. PERSONALquarterly: When taking a look into the future, what are the main challenges associated with employer reviews and, more generally, Third Party Employment Branding? How can practitioners prepare and what questions should future research answer? Greet van Hoye: As already said, we need more research on ac- tual reviews, their impact on actual application behavior, and how to deal with negative reviews. With the abundance of third party employment information available on the internet, we need to evaluate what the credibility of various types and platforms is, and how this relates to applicant attraction. Also, as more and more companies become aware of third party em- ployment branding and start to accumulate positive reviews and best employer certificates, their signaling and distinctive power is likely to diminish. That is why I believe that good and authentic internal employer branding that turns your employees into spontaneous ambassadors will always remain most important. LITERATUR This chapter provides a general overview of third-party employment branding and discusses its various forms and characteristics: Dineen, B. R./Van Hoye, G./Lievens, F./Rosokha, L. M. (2019): Third party employment branding: What are its signaling dimensions, mechanisms, and sources? In: Buckley, M. R./Wheeler, A. R./Baur, J. E./Halbesleben, J. R. B. (Eds.): Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, Volume 37 (pp. 173-226). Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi. org/10.1108/S0742-730120190000037006 The articles below specifically focus on online employer reviews and other forms of word-of-mouth about employers: Carpentier, M./Van Hoye, G. (2021): Managing organizational attractiveness after a negative employer review: Company response strategies and review consensus. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30, 274- 291. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2020.1718748 Stockman, S./Van Hoye, G./da Motta Veiga, S. (2020): Negative word- of-mouth and applicant attraction: The role of employer brand equity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 118, Article 103368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jvb.2019.103368 Stockman, S./Van Hoye, G./Van Hooft, E. A. J. (2020): How can hospitals engage their current employees in the recruitment of qualified nurses? A re- ferral bonus and self-determination perspective. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76, 2971-2981. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14498 Van Hoye, G./Weijters, B./Lievens, F./Stockman, S. (2016): Social influ- ences in recruitment: When is word-of-mouth most effective? International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 24, 42-53. https://doi.org/10.1111/ ijsa.12128 Van Hoye, G./Lievens, F. (2009): Tapping the grapevine: A closer look at word-of-mouth as a recruitment source. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 341-352. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014066