Yes — an employer’s image measurably shapes who applies, and the evidence is meta-analytic, not anecdotal. In a review of 667 coefficients from 71 studies, Chapman et al. (2005, Journal of Applied Psychology) found that applicant attraction is predicted by job and organisation characteristics, recruiter behaviour, perceptions of the recruiting process, perceived fit, and hiring expectancies. In economic terms, an employer’s reputation acts as a signal (Spence’s 1973 signalling theory): candidates infer unobservable qualities of the workplace from the credible signals a company sends. Employer branding is therefore not cosmetic — it changes the applicant pool.