<![CDATA[This study examines whether corporate reputation mediates the effect of employer branding on job application intention toward Indonesian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) among final-year students and fresh graduates in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted with 100 respondents selected through purposive non-probability sampling. Eligible respondents were final-year students enrolled at universities in Yogyakarta or graduates who had completed their degrees within the preceding 12 months. Data were collected through an online questionnaire in 2025 and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling with SmartPLS 4.1.0.9. Employer branding had a positive effect on job application intention (β = 0.272, t = 2.080, p = 0.038) and corporate reputation (β = 0.789, t = 16.266, p < 0.001). Corporate reputation also positively affected job application intention (β = 0.492, t = 3.675, p < 0.001) and significantly mediated the employer branding-job application intention relationship (indirect β = 0.388, t = 3.611, p < 0.001). Because the direct and indirect effects remained significant and had the same direction, corporate reputation functioned as a complementary partial mediator; the indirect pathway accounted for approximately 58.8% of the total effect. The model explained 62.3% of the variance in corporate reputation and 52.7% of the variance in job application intention. The findings show that employer branding attracts young talent not only directly but also by strengthening the perceived reputation of SOEs. Theoretically, the study refines signaling theory by demonstrating that employer-controlled messages and socially validated reputation operate as distinct but complementary signals in early career decision-making.]]>
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