BIZ Online NGLCC

LGBTCareerLink, the new online career center specifically for LGBT professionals, is now set to join the ranks of Craigslist and Monster!

Launched last year by the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, LGBTCareerLink will go live with its first demonstration at this year's Out & Equal Workplace Summit.

Chance Mitchell, co-founder and CEO of NGLCC said, "With LGBTCareerLink, we have built the first content-driven, LGBT-focused career development center supporting member profiles, job posting and social networking."

LGBTCareerLink will provide job seekers with detailed corporate profiles from all sectors and the most up-to-date job listings by LGBT-friendly employers, as well as information about events and networking opportunities in their area. It will also let them upload detailed profiles and portfolio samples along with giving them free access to articles, videos, web casts and pod casts from top industry experts.

"Consistently, the LGBT workforce and LGBT-friendly employers have asked for an efficient recruiting and career development center tailored to the specific needs of each side of the equation," says Julie Beach, Out & Equal's career development manager. "LGBTCareerLink is that center, and we want to be at the top of the list for job-hunting, recruiting and career development tools for LGBT professionals and diversity-minded employers."

Out & Equal is the nation's only nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing LGBT workplace equality. Its "Creating Connections: Building Progress Together" summit brings corporate leaders, human resources managers and LGBT individuals together to discuss key diversity and HR issues. This year the summit takes place in Austin, Texas on September 10-13.

Apart from conducting virtual interviews and creating online company profiles using state of the art web 2.0 recruiting tools, employers on LGBTCareerLink can also showcase their LGBT-friendly workforce policies and to demonstrate their commitment to the community. "It will be the resource for LGBT professionals and corporate HR representatives to connect, learn and communicate about LGBT inclusion in the workplace," Mitchell added.

It has been suggested in media reports that targeted job-seeking Web sites—by theme, population or career-type—have a better record of success in connecting job seekers and employers than traditional newspaper classifieds or general-interest employment Web sites. One of the biggest advantages of the LGBTCareerLink site will be the opportunity for openness it presents for potential employees, who will "out" themselves to human resources personnel and corporate managers before they even walk in the door, making the transition much easier.

Both Mitchell and Selisse Berry, Out & Equal's executive director, believe LGBTCareerLink to be a natural extension of the work being done by NGLCC and Out & Equal, since both work closely with corporations to ensure that companies open themselves to diverse communities, employees and suppliers.

"We've developed a good working relationship with NGLCC, and it made sense for us to come together for LGBTCareerLink," said Berry last year while announcing the launch of the site. "Rather than invest in two career sites, it made sense to team up together to make one robust site for LGBT employees and corporations."