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As the battle for the best recruits hots up, one company is testing out a novel recruitment technique - advertising in a virtual world.

International directories company Yell and advertising agency TMP have teamed up to launch a campaign in virtual world Second Life promoting Yell's careers website.

Second Life is an internet world entirely built by its "residents". People can "inhabit" the world in the form of electronic characters called avatars.

The world has its own economy and trading system, and companies are quickly beginning to recognise the very real opportunities it affords.

Yell has recruited a team of avatars to turn up at the various areas of Second Life at the busiest times, sporting yellow t-shirts and offering information and advice about careers with Yell.

Isabelle Hung, head of national resourcing at Yell in the UK, said: "The kind of people who are using Second Life may have just the right blend of creativity and innovation that we're looking for in our future talent."

Second Life's popularity has rocketed in recent months. It now has more than five million residents worldwide, many of them students.