Abstract

Attraction and retention of talented resources are crucial to the success of the organizations. The purpose of this study is to develop a real and ideal employer scale. For real employers we mean organizations that are currently working in the market while the ideal ones are hypothetical employers which reflect the candidate's choice. More specifically, this study aims at assessing the core dimensions and the attractiveness factors referring to both real and ideal employers. A sample of one thousand six hundred and five Italian students and new graduates was collected. A principal component analysis was carried out in order to identify the core dimensions of the real and ideal employer for each construct. Results are discussed with reference to international scientific literature on employer branding.