Virtual silliness in job recruiting

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–use Second Life as an interviewing platform when (and only when) it makes sense. (Sidebar: it likely makes less sense now than it ever did, with companies leaving the boxy confines of the virtual world.)

Via Valleywag, a post on an “interactive job fair” in SL. Clicking through to the story from NPR, I laughed out loud when I read things like:

“Glitches result in walking through windows instead of doors or having a momentary lack of clothing, for example.”

And:

“Software engineer [name]…waited in a virtual lobby for Hewlett-Packard with a teddy bear and an angel, alongside a guy in a suit with a laptop. [...]“

And:

“[...] He mistakenly handed a greeter a beer instead of his resume.”

The NPR piece then follows with an interview, stating that even though the format is different, “some of the same rules apply to virtual job interviews as those in the real world.”

Thankfully, the consultant NPR interviewed clarified that an interview in SL isn’t a substitute for an in-person interview. One would hope. I’ve never shown up for an interview and accidentally come in through the window sans clothing, nor have I handed anyone a beer instead of my resume.

It still feels gimmicky to me, unless there is a component of the job in question that requires knowledge and skills related to online virtual worlds.