Essays on the strategic role of message consistency in employer branding and omni-channel-recruiting

Moradi, Ben

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URN:	urn:nbn:de:bsz:180-madoc-709551
Document Type:	Doctoral dissertation
Year of publication:	2025
Place of publication:	Mannheim
University:	Universität Mannheim
Evaluator:	Prof. Dr. Florian Stahl
Date of oral examination:	2025
Publication language:	English
Institution:	Business School > Quantitatives Marketing und Konsumentenverhalten (Stahl 2013-)
Subject:	330 Economics
Keywords (English):	message consistency , omni-channel-recruiting , corporate communication , time-to-hire
Abstract:	Amid intensifying talent competition, this dissertation investigates how message consistency shapes employer branding and recruitment. Essay 1 maps omnichannel communication for 118 firms across five industries (about 19,400 texts from websites, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Glassdoor) using Transformer-based measures of semantic consistency and cultural signals. It documents substantial within-channel and cross-channel inconsistencies, with systematic variation by platform and industry. Essay 2 combines an online experiment (N = 510) and a field study of 1,056,696 job ads. Consistency levels were manipulated across website, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor texts. Low consistency reliably worsened symbolic employer brand image and attractiveness, while high consistency showed diminishing returns and effects moderated by prior brand image. Using MPNet-based semantic metrics, higher within-ad and across-ad consistency predicted shorter time-to-hire, controlling for job and firm factors. The work reframes consistency as a calibrated, context-dependent lever for employer branding and recruiting efficiency.