In 2021, the metaverse became one of the media’s flagship topics. Several companies have already experimented with it by offering their employees meetings in this new virtual world. Opinions remain mixed regarding this new way of working. As recruitment experts, we are questioning the feasibility of establishing a recruitment process within the metaverse.
After the inevitable shift to telerecruiting, will we now have to adapt to meta-recruiting?
Several criteria must be considered before making a decision that could fundamentally transform the recruitment sector.
Candidate Experience
Meta-recruiting will certainly be a unique experience in terms of employer branding and candidate experience. It would likely be unwise to overlook this technology, which could modernize a company’s image. However, will employers take the risk of using this tool exclusively for their recruitment processes? Since the health crisis, we have adapted by using video conferencing tools for candidate meetings—what is now called telerecruiting. We have observed with clear evidence that face-to-face meetings with candidates remained essential for us, our clients, and the candidates themselves. These meetings establish genuine human contact, unlike interactions conducted through screens. Meta-recruiting will offer a new experience to both candidates and companies, but we have reservations about the relevance of using this tool exclusively within a global recruitment process. The experience candidates have in the metaverse will certainly provide companies with an innovative and distinctive image, but it likely cannot replace the necessity of face-to-face meetings between candidates and their potential employers.
Elimination of Cognitive Bias
This technology could facilitate the elimination of cognitive biases during a recruitment process. Indeed, the very principle of the metaverse involves embodying an avatar created in one’s image. This raises the question of the reliability of meetings in the metaverse. We must ensure that candidates accurately represent what they are in the real world to avoid any disappointment during a genuine meeting. Moreover, it will be difficult to prove the authenticity of an identity when embodying a completely fabricated avatar. If employers wish to use this technology, it must be governed by rules that guarantee the reliability of interactions with others.
Cost and Time Savings?
For now, it is difficult to establish a concrete budget for purchasing or renting space in this virtual world. In any case, the cost of a recruitment strategy in the metaverse would add to the expenses of companies venturing into this endeavor. Will we see long-term gains in time and cost? This will depend on the strategy adopted: full metaverse or a hybrid approach—both virtual and physical offices—the costs will differ, and time savings will be harder to evaluate.
The metaverse, although a trending topic, remains a difficult phenomenon to anticipate as we have limited knowledge of this technology. Many questions remain unanswered, and today we can only make assumptions about what the recruitment sector will look like in this virtual world. We posed the question to our network: “What do you think about meta-recruiting?” Only 14% of our candidates are ready to embrace the experience. The others prefer to maintain face-to-face meetings in the real world. We can observe that a majority of the population is not yet ready to venture into this new virtual world. Is it due to a lack of information on the subject? Or is it a desire to stay grounded and not get swept away into an alternative reality?