Though some media reports say things have been slowing down lately for Second Life, a number of companies see fertile recruiting grounds amidst the virtual world's landscapes.

EMC Corp. was one of several tier-one technology firms that took the plunge last year and experimented with virtual job fairs in Second Life. As a result, 600 job seekers sent their resumes to the the Hopkinton, Mass.-based company, which developers information infrastructure solutions. The test resulted in at least two hires - a Java systems engineer specialist and a budget controller.

Despite the youth of the medium and the less-than-enterprise quality of the technology, EMC executives believe virtual job recruiting will become a key avenue to helping them find talent. "It's still in the early stages and it's experimental, but I'm an advocate for this tool," says Polly Pearson, EMC's vice president for employment brand and strategy engagement. "You basically can have a career fair that hits the whole planet."

A number of notable companies - including Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, EMC, Verizon, eBay, U.S. Cellular and Sodexho Alliance SA - put virtual job fairs to the test last May and August, when the recruitment-advertising firm TMP Worldwide hosted Second Life events. Louis Vong, TMP Worldwide's vice president of interactive strategy, allows the events were seen as early steps "This was more of a branding exercise," he says.

"Meetings" in the virtual world aren't meant to replace face-to-face interviews, but serve as a low-cost way for companies to make contact with job seekers on a global scale. Last year, TMP Worldwide's Paris office held three virtual job fairs, and is now planning a fourth. Vong believes the use of Second Life as a recruiting tool should accelerate when its technology moves from being application-based to browser-based. "When the technology gets better is when the floodgates will open," he says.

How it Works

Typically, a company organizes its career fair and publicizes it to attract job seekers. Candidates are directed to a microsite where they can learn about the event and the jobs available, sign up, and upload their resume. If a resume matches an employer's needs, the job-seeker is sent an invitation to the event.

After EMC participated in the August event, the company went solo to hold a second job fair within Second Life in October. Publicity surrounding the first job fair brought in 200 resumes, which led to 27 interviews. Although about half of those were invited in for second meetings, no one was hired. The October job fair generated 400 resumes, 30 interviews, about 20 second interviews, and the two hires. 

Many companies still are in the "research and development" phase for virtual job fairs, observes EMC's Pearson. However, she sees the medium as a new frontier worth keeping an eye on. "We had expected a North American audience (in our Second Life career fairs), but we had people show up from Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom," she says. "It's a relationship accelerator. That is the one thing I love about the medium is the speed of it ... and the reach."

She's not alone. "Our Asia-Pacific office can't get involved in this fast enough," she says.

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