Problems with virtual job interviews are common. If an employer is targeting an older or less tech savvy group of candidates, it is unlikely that those candidates will be found in large numbers in a virtual world. Even younger and more tech savvy candidates and recruiters can find the environment difficult to use, especially if they’re newbies or if their computers are not fast enough or don’t have enough memory. Candidates and recruiters alike start off with avatars which are clothed but in a very non-descript fashion. Talking is conducted by typing in a manner which is quite similar to instant messaging.

Some recruiters and candidates spend hour upon hour clothing their avatars, hardly a task that is likely to be as productive as attending informational interviews or otherwise networking. And once in the interview, goofs are common such as failing to sit properly in a chair, not knowing how to shake hands, pulling out of your virtual pocket a can of beer and handing it to a recruiter rather than your resume, keeping track of who is talking, and worse. A Bain & Co. partner’s avatar inexplicably slumped over in the middle of an interview, leading others in the room to assume that he was sleeping. Other avatars have been known to float around rather than standing or sitting as the real candidate surely would in a real world interview.

So given all the hassles and glitches, why bother? Because your very presence sends a powerful messages to the Millennial candidates you most want to recruit. Rather than forcing them through a recruiting process designed by and for Baby Boomers, your willingness and even eagerness to participate in a Second Life virtual career fair sends the message to the candidates that you understand that their needs and wants are different from those of Baby Boomers and that if they choose to work for your organization that you will be cognizant of these generational differences and work to make the workplace a fun and productive place for these young adults. The goof by Bain’s partner may have been embarrassing to the partner, but it was unlikely to do any damage to their brand. After all, Bain was there, not its competitors, and candidates who have just spent hours trying to figure out how to pull out a resume will understand that the partner was trying his hardest and that his heart and soul were in the right place. Perhaps not his mouse, but his heart and soul.

In addition to the powerful branding that results from participating in job interviews in virtual worlds, there are also some real world advantages. Although the cost can be in the tens of thousands of dollars, that’s often cheaper than flying out one or more recruiters to another city, putting them up in a hotel, and paying for a booth at a career fair. The recruiters can also be more productive as they can spend more time at their desks rather than in airports. Because of these time saving advantages, it is also more likely that executives will participate – hence the participation by the Bain partner.

For TMP’s virtual career fair in Second Life, 749 job seekers requested interviews, the employers granted 209 interviews, and 150 interviews were actually conducted. These are numbers which would be laughable to many real world career fair companies, but you don’t hear them laughing. They know that as technology and the skills of recruiters and candidates continue to improve, more and more employers will turn to virtual career fairs and job interviews instead of real world career fairs. But will employers abandon traditional job interviews in favor of virtual job interviews? No. As long as people are working together they will want to meet face-to-face with the people they may hire. I see virtual career fairs and job interviews as gradually replacing some but not all traditional career fairs, initial telephone interviews, and other screening interviews.

So add some memory to your computer, practice your virtual skills, put on your best virtual suit, get a gleaming virtual shoe shine, and go meet some great, real people.