Until now, the one thing you could never say about immersive, 3-D cyberworlds is that if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. Bain & Co., a global consultancy, said Wednesday that it intends to start recruiting for summer interns in Second Life, a virtual world with nearly five million residents.
Some of Bain’s recruits may be relieved to know that opportunities exist in the real world, too.
Why recruit in Second Life? Because the bright minds Bain covets aren’t hanging out at gyms, libraries or discos. Apparently, some of the really clever students create avatars to attend classes for them while they spend their days and nights roaming Second Life. Among the myriad things to do in Second Life: watch movies, build a dream home, fall in love, try a new career, go back to school – in short – become an entirely different person.
Not surprisingly, Bain is stoked about this idea and bought some real estate in Second Life. (Yes, you and your company can own a piece of the cyber-rock, too.) ”The three-dimensional Internet clearly presents great potential,” said Bill Neuenfeldt, head of Bain’s global schools recruiting program and a partner in Bain’s global media practice. “But the true test of success or failure for the virtual world will be whether it can … advance a key business process such as talent recruiting.”
Someday, business strategy will be implemented in virtual reality first before it is unleashed in the real world.
Regrettably, I am not the target market for these internships. Attaining wealth, power and status in Second Life holds a certain artificial appeal to me.
