Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is one of the hot new buzzwords in the job search process. Candidates with a conscience want to work for a company that is doing something to improve the world. Not too long ago, good CSR practices were confined to larger-sized employers with strong PR teams. You heard about such practices at organizations such as Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia and Starbucks. Now, even small to medium-sized companies are finding ways to be accountable to their communities both socially and environmentally.

A recent Global Workplace Study by management consultants Towers Perrin revealed that an organization’s stature in the community and company’s reputation for social responsibility were among the top 10 drivers for engaging employees and making them feel good about where they work. Another survey, this one by Kenexa Research Institute, reported that workers who rated their firms as having strong CSR cultures were found to have more favorable views of their company’s ability to motivate people to work hard and put in extra effort on the job.

So, the debate grows as to whether CSR truly has an impact on candidates as they move along in their career paths. As an employment professional I believe that it does and I encourage employers to outline their CSR platforms as recruitment tools for a candidate’s consideration in the hiring process. As I continue to interact regularly with job seekers I find that more and more of them believe their employer has a social responsibility to its workforce, customer base and the marketplace where it lives. Creating programs that embrace volunteerism and ethical responsibility for even the smallest of companies builds employee involvement that goes far beyond a daily job description. These contributions can range from supporting local causes to enforcing green workplace initiatives to making major contributions to improving the human social condition. Whatever they are, they do matter.

Organizations that wish to compete in the war for talent, especially when hiring the Millennial generation (individuals born after 1979), must consider CSR as a recruitment and retention tool to attract and engage their workforce. Just as in consumer products, we know that people remain loyal to brands that help them define their role and outlook of society. How can we not have that same expectation of our employers? Employees of all generations want environmental, social and cultural accountability.

The 2006 Cone Millennial Cause Study issued by Cone Inc., an organization engaged in building brand trust, showed that this age group-78 million strong-believe that it is their responsibility to make the world a better place and that 78 percent of them believe their employer has an obligation to join them in this effort. More importantly, they said they were prepared to reward or punish a company based on its commitment to social causes. Fifty-six percent of them said they would refuse to work for an irresponsible corporation.

My advice to companies eager to build a workforce comprised of best of breed talent is to make good corporate citizenship a priority. An organization’s most valuable asset is its people, and CSR might just be the difference between workforce excellence and workforce mediocrity.

Nancy Schuman is a vice president at Lloyd Staffing, headquartered in Melville, and is the author of seven how-to books on career guidance and job-search techniques. Lloyd Staffing offers temporary, contract and full-time employment services on a regional and national basis. Send your career-related questions tojobadvice@lloydstaffing.com.