SAN FRANCISCO – February 6, 2001 –
ProGayJobs.com today announced the launch of its website, the first site dedicated exclusively to Gay and Lesbian job seekers. The website will provide job postings from companies that promote diversity and provide safe and open environments for Gay and Lesbian workers. It will enable employers to seek talent directly from the Gay Community – a very educated population, with more than 64 percent holding college degrees, as compared to 23 percent of the non-gay population in the United States.
ProGayJobs.com is free for job seekers. In addition to conducting specialized job searches, users can create personalized Web pages to keep track of resumes, applications, positions applying for and other helpful job-seeking information. They also can get recommendations on resume presentation.
In addition to its job posting service, ProGayJobs.com works with companies across the nation to help implement diversity policies and domestic partner benefits. "We are heartened by how many companies already have taken steps to embrace diversity within their ranks, but we have so much further to go" says Steve Zwillinger, Senior Partner with ProGayJobs.com. "Most companies want to provide safe and open environments, they just donít know how. That is where we can make a difference." According to the Human Rights Campaign, from an article in The New York Times, 3,572 United States companies, colleges and government organizations have diversity and domestic partner benefit policies in place – a 25 percent increase over last year.
To list on ProGayJobs.com, companies must pass strict screening criteria, which includes the implementation of advantages such as inclusion programs, diversity training and domestic partner benefits. Through the site's company profile section, job seekers can research companies specific diversity policies and the unique work environments they provide.
To celebrate their launch, ProGayJobs.com will waive all job-posting fees and resume search subscription fees for the month of February.
"There probably isn't a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender worker who hasn't at one time felt that their personal lifestyle or sexual orientation didn't mesh with their work situation. A large percentage has encountered some form of discrimination," says Steve Zwillinger "Knowing whether a company supports diversity hasn't been easy, but ProGayJobs.com will change that."
The developers of the site discovered that the number of Gay and Lesbian professionals who are working as consultants has exploded. As a result, the site also features a page dedicated to listings for temporary and consulting positions.
ProGayJobs.com will provide non-profit organizations with free volunteer matching services. "The process of matching volunteers and charitable organizations is very similar to the process of matching employees and companies. This is our way of giving back to the community in a tangible way," says Steve Zwillinger of ProGayJobs.com.
ProGayJobs.com was founded to expand the efforts of BACH Personnel, an agency that has promoted the talents of the Gay and Lesbian community for nearly ten years. David M. Bach, CEO and founder of Bach Personnel, first began offering employment placement services at his then-Castro Street address in San Francisco. At that time there were very few companies open to the now-more-accepted diversity and Domestic Partner Benefits programs of today.
ProGayJobs.com is offered to companies nationally and internationally that shares the principals of diversity and fairness in the workplace, and will offer its services and experience to all members of the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/ Transgender community.
