Why and When Ethical Leadership Signals Enhance Employer Attractiveness

Abstract: Ethical leadership by supervisors can act as moral signal, communicating a moral culture to applicants. Signaling this culture through business networks can influence trust in the leader and employer attractiveness in prehiring. Based on social identity theory and signaling theory, we introduce verbal uncertainty and moral identity as boundary conditions. We conducted a preregistered 2 × 2 randomized experimental study with 488 participants. Results confirm a mediation of ethical leadership signals on employer attractiveness via trust in the leader. While verbal uncertainty and symbolized moral identity had direct effects on trust, internalized moral identity moderated the effect of ethical leadership signals on trust in the leader. Future research should incorporate the breadth of employer branding (EB) communication on social media.