Kelly Services has helped place a Second Life resident in a real-life job, one of the first companies embarking on the brave new frontier of recruiting to do so.
Rev. Brenda Munroe had a calling for a new career opportunity after nearly four years as the rector of a small, rural parish in Florida. So, she decided to venture on to Kelly Services Island, the staffing company’s virtual community within Second Life.
Her avatar, known as “Hildeguard Psaltery” in Second Life, bumped into “Hooligan Dollinger,” known in real life as Dave Fenech, the senior director of eBusiness Solutions at Kelly Services.
She inquired about securing a part-time job opportunity while she sought a permanent clergy position in Atlanta.
Proficient in computer sciences, including help desk, database reporting, and website development, Rev. Monroe was referred to one of Kelly’s Atlanta branches, where she was assigned to work for a leading U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases in Atlanta.
Kelly Services Island is somewhat similar to TMP Island, virtual land owned by TMP Worldwide. Last month TMP hosted its first virtual job fair, attracting eBay, HP, Microsoft, Sodexho, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
Fortune magazine recently hailed staffing initiatives in the three-dimensional, online world as the “most radical dotcom 2.0 recruitment wave” happening in virtual reality.