This research investigates applicants’ preferences in employer choice to identify relevant components of employer image that are best to be communicated in employer branding. Based on the instrumental–symbolic attribute framework assumptions about the relative importance of the organizational characteristics salary, location, flexibility of working hours, task attractiveness, prestige, innovativeness, and corporate social responsibility (CSR), and their interrelations were tested in an empirical setting. Additionally, interindividual differences in career ambition were investigated as a moderating variable. To measure the actual decision behavior of N = 136 ongoing university graduates, Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint (ACBC) Analysis was used. Based on the respondents’ preferences, the importance of each attribute was calculated and set in relation to one another. The results show that moderate attractive instrumental organization attributes form a precondition for symbolic attributes to become relevant at all. There is no evidence for a compensating relationship between instrumental and symbolic attribute classes. Career ambition shows some effects, especially on two-way interactions between instrumental and symbolic attributes. The innovative use of conjoint analysis in the instrumental–symbolic framework allowed to further investigate trade-off effects of attribute classes in the employer decision. The findings provide additional information on relevant elements of employer image and give suggestions for employer branding researchers and practitioners.

这项研究调查了申请人在雇主选择中的偏好，以确定最适合在雇主品牌中传达的雇主形象的相关组成部分。基于工具-符号属性框架假设组织特征工资、地点、工作时间的灵活性、任务吸引力、声望、创新性和企业社会责任 (CSR) 的相对重要性，以及它们之间的相互关系在实证设置中进行了测试. 此外，职业抱负的个体差异作为调节变量进行了调查。衡量N的实际决策行为 = 136 名在读大学毕业生，使用基于自适应选择的联合 (ACBC) 分析。根据受访者的偏好，计算每个属性的重要性并将其设置为相互关联。结果表明，适度有吸引力的工具组织属性构成了符号属性变得相关的先决条件。没有证据表明工具属性类和符号属性类之间存在补偿关系。职业抱负显示出一些影响，特别是在工具性和象征性属性之间的双向相互作用上。在工具符号框架中联合分析的创新使用允许进一步研究属性类别在雇主决策中的权衡效果。