Very virtual job fairs

Remember in 1999 when "virtual job fairs" were all the rage?

An enterprising job board or recruitment advertising agency would set up a website, employers would pay for space to advertise their jobs on the website as well as put up special profile pages and people would apply. By and large, these were just a big waste of money for the companies that participated. Employers were still one of many companies vying for the same job seekers' attention and only the best brands who participated got all the candidates. There was nothing even close to resembling a job fair, where you might get immediate access to hiring managers or have a more personal interaction than submitting your resume into a black hole - it was just an expensive duplicate of a standard application process, with the same black hole and same candidate frustrations.

Smarter employers eventually ditched the concept of virtual job fairs, figuring out ways to drive traffic to their own career sites, where they had a captive audience, could engage people with their brands and get the same (if not more) applicants for less money.

With the much higher levels of interactivity now available on the web in virtual worlds like Second Life there's new hope that a virtual job fair can provide a lot of the same reciprocal benefits that an in-person job fair does. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to see TMP Worldwide experimenting with the concepts of networking, hiring events and virtual meeting places in Second Life with a new initiative called TMP Island.

According to a recent press release:

Second Life is a 3-D online virtual world, currently inhabited by roughly 3.4 million residents who have the ability to engage in various forms of personal interaction and commerce.

Already, major corporations are showing interest. T-Mobile, for one, has been impressed by the potential benefits TMP can offer through Second Life. “At T-Mobile we're always looking for innovative ways to reach top talent," said Judy Wright, senior program manager, employer branding for T-Mobile. "We're very excited about the possibilities TMP Island will offer, and we believe we’ll be able to connect with our candidate pool in a distinct way that is as entertaining as it is informative."

“TMP Island represents the future of employment recruiting,” said Russell Miyaki, VP, national interactive creative director, TMP Worldwide. “To reach a new generation of employees, successful recruiters will need to employ sophisticated, innovative technologies that extend their reach and demonstrate that they are smart and tech-savvy. TMP Island on Second Life is a great solution.”

TMP expects a number of notable events to take place on TMP Island throughout 2007, beginning in the first half of the year.

“Virtual worlds like Second Life will allow for brand immersion like never before, from showcasing a company’s capabilities in a dynamic environment, to getting a better understanding of a candidate’s creativity, to the benefits of networking in real-time from disparate locations,” said Louis Vong, VP, interactive strategy, TMP Worldwide. ”TMP Island will provide our clients with a multitude of capabilities—and we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible.”

The highest returns on new media and advertising are usually generated by the early adopters (for example, online job boards in 1997 were much cheaper than it is now and you didn't have such a crowded playing field), so I would encourage you to explore this promising recruiting environment soon with your agency or on your own before more companies jump in with both feet.

More information on the TMP Island initiative can be found here and you can learn more about Second Life by visiting this page on Wikipedia. Hats off to TMP and my old friends Russell Miyaki and Louis Vong for being the first recruitment advertising agency (at least as far as I know) to move forward with this kind of ambitious, forward-thinking initiative. I look forward to hearing more about the upcoming events and seeing more companies adopt and experiment with this virtual world.

Comments

[Chad Sowash]

Ok, let me get this straight, the virtual career fairs (VCF) of yester-year were a total bust, but SL could possibly lead the VCF through a revival that would bring actual ROI? IF you're an early adopter that is..?? I like a dreamer, but you're reaching Dave. Personally, I would like to say hats-off to JWT who is actually pulling tangible results from SEM(r), although I would like to note, for the sake of this blog post, I believe they are quite lacking in the SL island ownership department...

[Dave Lefkow]

Chad -

My head's not in the clouds on this.

I do believe that virtual career events in SL have the potential to be a big hit because there are more interactive elements - i.e. you could get to know the people vs. just what's on their resumes, which you couldn't get before in the old model of virtual job fairs. The problem is that when tons of companies jump on board, the likelihood of this being effective could decrease and there could be a much less personal process that evolves down the road. The trick to get a high ROI is to ensure that the audience is on target for your recruiting needs.

I'm also not saying that the only way to get a high ROI is through a virtual career fair in SL - I highly suggest that companies explore other ways to interact with this audience.

And yes, hats off to JWT or anyone else who is helping drive employers to use SEM (also an under-utilized and highly effective source - I just had a conversation with a company about this yesterday) and quantifying results. Would love to learn more about what they're doing - if anyone with JWT reads this blog, please reach out to me at dave@talentsparkcreative.com. Thanks!

[Aleister Kronos]

I think you need to rein in a bit on SL expectations. For the right jobs it might be suitable now: creative media posts (see Australian company Hyro for example)and multimedia IT professionals. However, for widescale recruitment use, I am 99% sure you'd find it disappointing, at least for the foreseeable future. That said, the capital outlay is low, so it may be worth a punt - if only for promotional purposes.

An important consideration is that SL is a peculiar environment, in which it is difficult to attract and retain the attention of your target group. Many companies have already created virtual ghost towns, trying to appeal to SLers.

It is also a very immature, unstable environment that has appeal for early adopters, but is simply not ready for the mass market. It will get there, provided Linden Labs get the right help and don't implode under the current pressures. But it is not there now.

However, don't let the above put you off! Despite the above, I'm enthusiastic about the potential for SL, and believe it represents the first faltering steps in the next generation of internet. I'm not alone in this - IBM have the same view.

[jacob]

Recently, i am thinking about the feasibility of keeping a virtual assistant on the job, if the economy decides to slow down a bit. If you see concept of marketraise you may hired a Virtual Assistant.i have hired virtual assistance from marketraise in January of 2008. It has now been a few months since then. I want to share some thoughts I have about having a Virtual Personal Assistant during a slower economy.

[Jemma Bates]

Thanks for the article Dave. Jacob the advantage of having a Virtual Assistant is that you don't have to keep them on if times get tough - have them carry out work for you only as you require it, and at a negotiated price.

[George]

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George,

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