Second Life Job Fair Brings Real Work

Avatars interview for real life jobs at hosted jobs fairs in the virtual world.

Second Life might be a world of avatars, but it’s also a place that seems more and more to be an analogue for the real world, with gambling, commerce,and even job fairs.   Yes, real world companies are trawling for employees on Second Life. TMP Worldwide Advertising & Communications has already hosted twojob fairs in the virtual world, and companies like Accenture, GE Money and U.S.Cellular attended, interviewing literally hundreds of avatars for jobs.  

That’s doesn’t mean it’s been wildly successful yet. To date there’s been one confirmed hire: hire: food and services management company Sodexho found a new executive chef at the May job fair.

Chef Ray Giordano, 39, said that he spent a day learning to navigate in Second Life.

"My kids were standing behind me laughing," he said.

In many ways, with more and more corporations setting up shop in Second Life, job fairs are a natural extension of the process. A fair in August brought 150 applicants from all over the globevying for interviews with one company. The good news is that 20 of them were viable job candidates.