There’s no doubt about it, executive recruiting is changing with the times. Technology has altered the face of the profession and recruiters, like myself, have had to adapt. While change is never easy, most of the technology that has taken recruiting by storm is helpful. I don’t know any recruiters who aren’t using LinkedIn to find candidates. Many are now using Facebook more and more, in lieu of keeping that networking solely personal. And we’ve all heard about the force that is Twitter. But Second Life, now that’s a venue I hadn’t envisioned would really take off.

For those who aren’t familiar with Second Life, it is not a social network like the others. It’s a virtual world. Users access this world via the internet and create an avatar that interacts with other users. It’s an opportunity for users to have…you guessed it, a second life. In this digitized version of the world, they can look like, do, or be anything they want. You can imagine the (oft seedy) possibilities this carries with it.

Putting my judgements aside, I recognize that it is a tool that can be used in business, with some companies using it to carry out conferences and training programs instead of  conference calls or webinars. Many educational benefits have been found by institutions including language learning. But not until fairly recently has it really been actively used for recruiting.

Last fall, Missouri hired a state employee that it “met” with during a job fair in the virtual realm. The initial meeting was followed up by a real “first life” interview of course, but the first impression was made via the web. And get this, the candidate who got thee job as a developer for the Department of Natural Resources showed up to the event, and I quote, “as a tiny cat with a red bow tie on and expressed interest,” said Dan Ross,  Missouri CIO.

It would seem that the placement gas worked well, but there’s something strange to me (and I think probably to most) not only about your first handshake with a potential employer being between two avatars, but a digital cat? At least he put on a bow tie, right?

What are your thoughts on this kind of technology as a recruitment or business tool?

Read the article from Government Technology. Image via BusinessWeek.com.