Virtual Worlds Forum

Employers are experimenting with Second Life to screen prospective job candidates. Last month Recruitment-advertising firm TMP Worldwide Advertising & Communications hosted a virtual job fair with employers such as Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Verizon Communications.TMP says it will host another virtual job fair in August. Why? "Connecting with job seekers on sites they use regularly is more effective than traditional recruitment methods, especially with younger job seekers," says Dave Lefkow, CEO of talentspark, consulting firm that advises companies on the use of technology in recruitment. In addition there is a PR element. Second Life, which is far less well-known than Facebook or MySpace, had 431,000 unique visitors in May, according to Web-tracking firm comScore. But the employers who have used it for recruitment have had significant benefit out of the buzz they've generated and it shows job hunters they are innovative.