You have heard the reasons for and against using social media in all aspects of your business. I am fortunate to be part of an organization that embraces innovation and emerging technology but, in the world of social media implementation, this is not always the case. Companies are often hindered by a cumbersome approval process, a “keeping up with the Joneses” marketing approach or an inability to push proper initiatives through the decision process.

After garnering inspiration from Sean Nicholson’s outstanding post, 10 Surefire Reasons NOT to Start a Corporate or Product Blog, I decided address the social media naysayers. Here are 10 reasons why “HR professionals and recruiters should avoid social media.” In the comments below, share more reasons for and against the use of social media in our space.

1. You’re a Global Company That Does Not Want to Maintain a Uniform, Worldwide Corporate Culture.

As an organization’s global footprint increases so does its need to effectively communicate and maintain its unique corporate culture. Deloitte Consulting has created D-Street. D-Street is the company’s intranet which functions like a customized melding of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Employees maintain strong lines of communication through creating personal interest groups and sharing business-related news. Deloitte’s intranet runs on a supped up version of Sharepoint. Any HR representative can find an inexpensive platform with similar functionality. I recommend Yammer, Tgthr, Chatter or, a personal favorite of mine for smaller teams, Posterous Spaces which is free.

2. You Want to Ensure That Leadership Has no Casual Interaction With Staff to Preserve an Unblemished (& Uncomfortable) Hierarchy.

AGS encourages our recruiters to use Twitter (see the #TeamAGS and #TeamISW hashtags). Pete Sweeney, who at that point had just started, interacted with AGS CMO, Bruce Morton. Bruce and Pete shared a few tweets on emerging industry trends. This got our new hire some great visibility with leadership! Furthermore, social media is an efficient way to keep in close contact with applicants before, during and after the application process. Also, it keeps you top of mind as a quality employer in the eyes of the candidate pool.

3. You are Strongly Opposed to Employer Branding.

Proper use of social media creates a dialogue between your company and candidates. Social media allows employers to broadcast their unique employer branding message across various channels. NBC, whose employer brand proposition is “A Universe of Opportunity,” has a consistent look and feel to all of their communications. For employment opportunities, they have a dedicated website, Facebook page, Twitter handle and LinkedIn account. NBC incorporates their consumer brands into their Twitter communications to enhance and strengthen the value of their messaging. If your company has a strong consumer presence, this can be leveraged. For additional resources and insights on employer branding, check out Renegade HR’s blog.

4. You Want to Ignore the Fact That Your Employees & Clients Are Already Talking About You on Social Media.

If you are part of a large organization, chances are that there is already chatter on social media about your employer brand, products or services. If you currently do not have any “listening station” set up, you will more than likely be surprised by the results. Rule number 1 of branding is that your brand is not what you say it is, it is what the market says it is. Social media, for the first time, allows you the opportunity to see what people are saying about your employer brand, products and services and use this information to inform your strategies moving forward.

5. You Are Actively Trying to Attract Talent That is Social Media Un-Savvy.

Our company’s president was surprised that, at our first meeting, I inquired about his gardening hobby. How did I know that? I researched him using social media. Do you think that top talent isn’t researching your company’s staff? Think again! Tools such as Glassdoor make this extremely easy. Further, LinkedIn is a living list of your company’s staff. Changing positions is an emotional decision. Knowing who you may potentially be working with can be a mammoth factor in determining your next career move.

6. HR Reps Don’t Have the Time to Research Candidates.

The development of one’s personal brand is becoming of increasing importance. Top talent has already discovered that one of the best ways to promote your personal brand is through the use of social media. HR representatives and recruiters can use tools such as Rapportive to research this wealth of information to determine if potential candidates are a fit with the culture of the organization for which they are recruiting.  Michael Haberman, on his outstanding blog Omega HR Solutions, writes about how HR leaders are crowdsourcing social media to help write new job descriptions.

7. You Don’t Care to Learn About Other Emerging Technologies That Can Help You Streamline Your Business and Save You Time and Money.

New technologies that can streamline every aspect of what you do are constantly being developed. It is almost a full time job to keep track of them. Recently, I was looking for a new calendar tool that would help my team with communications. I posted in the Social Media Success Summit LinkedIn Group, and, among other helpful responses, Greg Bardwell chimed in and suggested DivyHQ, a stand out calendar tool that my team is currently investigating. 

8. Your Corporate Culture Strictly Prohibits Recruiters From Using Social Media. 

We hope not! An astonishing 91-percent of recruiters are using social media to screen applicants. Mashable reports that 89-percent of companies use social media for sourcing candidates. Arguably, the most popular social media platform with recruiters is LinkedIn. Regardless, there are a host of other very powerful social media tools and platforms that recruiters can leverage. These tools help recruiters to shrink the top of the funnel and deliver top-quality candidates with increasing speed.    

9. You Have no Time to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy.

According to Content is Marketing Currency, an e-book by Marketing Interactions’ CEO Adrath Albee, 90 percent of B2B buyers prefer to consume information online. Producing compelling and relevant thought leadership is essential to differentiating your company from your competitors and gaining visibility with potential clients. Social media is a necessary piece to effectively deliver this content to your target audience.

10. Search Engine Optimization is for the Birds.

Last year, both Google and Bing confirmed that links shared on social media factor into search engine results. Exactly how much, some SEO professionals are still debating. However, given the fact that Google+ shows up in search rankings can be a tell tale sign of how Google will be drawing upon the social space to weigh in on their results. Furthermore, using social media, in general, exponentially grows your online footprint. If you are reaching your targeted audience with relevant content, you are more likely to enjoy the viral benefits of these technologies. For those of you who are just beginning to explore this space, click here for a great beginner’s resource.

Share your reasons now for or against using social media for HR and recruitment.