Attracting bright young recruits has been the focus of HR professionals at the world’s largest companies for well over a decade now. It’s been the subject of flashy magazine articles that look at Google’s free lunches and Apple’s compensation plans and the cool factor of working for Facebook (the impending mega IPO there helps). There’s also hope for smaller firms looking to stay competitive in the talent wars: using social media for internal communications.

According to a new study by APCO Worldwide and Gagen MacDonald, employees really, really LIKE employers who have implemented social tools to upgrade their internal comms. So much so that 58% said they would prefer to work for a company that uses ISM (internal social media) and 86% said they would gladly refer others to work for this company as well.

The study mentions that wikis, blogs and Facebook-like platforms are quickly challenging the intranet as the preferred communications platform, continuing a trend that began a few years ago on the enterprise side. One of the most interesting findings of the report is what aspect of ISM is most valued. Quality content – accurate, pertinent and timely information – still rules the day. The second most valued aspect is the feedback/dialogue/collaboration component.

Here’s the rest of the study, presented in infographic form: