Abstract:

Higher education institutions (HEIs) exist in a world that continuously and increasingly operates across autonomous and sovereign borders. It is undeniable that HEIs are feeling the global challenges. Over the last decade, HEIs around the world are facing many challenges in terms of achieving effective teaching, learning, assessment and curriculum. Of course, every institution aims to attract the best faculty and students on a global scale. Social Media have taken over our everyday lives, not just for individuals but also for companies, and, as a result of the growing reliance on Social Media and the internet for information, the presence of online job offers has become a key tool for recruiting new employees. This study intended to analyze the importance of the presence of Social Media as a dimension of Employer Attractiveness, and also if this presence is, in any way, influenced by the generational variable. An exploratory and comparative study was carried out, involving 118 subjects aged between 20 and 66 years old, and to measure the variables, the Employer Attractiveness scale and the items related to the Social Media of the Employer Attractiveness scale were used. It was possible to see what factors employers should focus on in their Employer Branding strategies given what candidates value when looking for a potential employer and how important each factor is for the Generation X and Generation Y. Social Media are not a determining dimension of Employer Attractiveness but have proven to be an important and growing trend in their relevance to potential candidates for a company. Considerations are made about the implications of this study for HEIs in terms of attracting and retaining students and professors.

Keywords:

Employer Branding, Employer Attractiveness, Social Media, Higher Education, Human Resources.