While more and more companies are getting interested in the metaverse, few understand what they can do in it. Therefore, organizing a recruitment event in the metaverse may seem inappropriate to many. The initiative of the French retail group Carrefour is consequently all the more interesting. Carrefour has indeed organized a virtual recruitment session in the metaverse. The French retailer proves its desire to innovate a little time after buying land on The Sandbox.
Carrefour is recruiting in the metaverse
Carrefour’s recruitment session in the metaverse remains, from what can be seen, somewhat simplistic. The introduction to this recruitment in a virtual world has been recorded (see video below). The boss of Carrefour, Alexandre Bompard, makes a speech, and you can sense a little embarrassment, probably due to the novelty of the exercise. Many Internet users have also criticized the experience. To Alexandre Bompard’s credit, this was a first for Carrefour and probably for him too. Everything remains to be done in recruitment in the “terra incognita” of the metaverse.
About 40 people were online, but many were part of the Carrefour team and the Service Provider team that simplified the event. In the end, it is reasonable to think that about 30 candidates were present in the metaverse.
Carrefour has essential ambitions in the digital world. In his speech, Alexandre Bompard praised the company’s “data” fiber and the size of its cloud. In particular, he highlighted “the largest data lake in Europe” and its billions of “first-party data.” The terms used were undoubtedly aimed at pleasing the technical profiles present. The content and the form were thus aligned to meet profiles that have become rare on the job market. As Alexandre Bompard reminded us, excellence in digital is necessary to resist the giants of e-commerce.
Carrefour’s ambitions, therefore, include strengthening its “data” division, which will have no fewer than 3,000 specialists by 2026. To attract them, we need to make them want to join us. Among these profiles, some will undoubtedly have to work directly on Carrefour’s business initiatives in the metaverse.
The metaverse can, therefore, at best, only be a gateway to a more traditional recruitment process.
Recruiting in the metaverse: LG had already tried in 2021
As you can see in this video clip from an English-speaking channel in South Korea, LG had already tried recruiting in the metaverse in 2021. Indeed, despite its sudden popularity at the end of 2021, the metaverse is not a novelty. 15 years ago, the game Second Life already offered the possibility to “navigate” in a virtual world.
Recruiting in the metaverse: why?
Recruitment in the metaverse is still in its infancy.
Phase 1 of recruitment in the metaverse: attracting technical profiles
The Carrefour case analysis is “exemplary” of the reasons why companies might want to recruit from the metaverse. It is mainly a question of image. Given the shortage of IT profiles, companies must redouble their efforts to appear innovative. Getting involved in the metaverse is part of this strategy. This is why these metaverse recruitment events will probably be reserved for technical profiles for a long time.
Their efficiency and cost are negligible variables as long as they attract the attention of rare profiles. In its first phase of development, the metaverse applied to recruitment is only a marketing argument.
Phase 2 of recruitment in the metaverse: streamlining processes
However, we can predict that the metaverse will be applied more widely to recruitment one day. We will then try to use it to gain efficiency and optimize recruitment. But this 2nd phase is still far away. The metaverse will have to go beyond the anecdotal stage to be adopted. This is far from being obvious, as we explained here.
Conclusion: recruiting in the metaverse a good or bad idea?
Organizing a recruitment session in the metaverse is of no interest to 99% of companies. At this stage, it’s just a marketing ploy to attract the attention of precise profiles. It is, therefore, unlikely that you are in this situation.
The research we have realized in IT recruitment shows that candidates are still hung up on factual aspects. What technologies are used? What is the technical challenge? What is the company’s project? To win the bet, physical contact will remain essential. The metaverse can, therefore, at best, only be a gateway to a more traditional recruitment process.
Posted in Misc..
