FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: info@lgbtnetwork.org
LGBT NETWORK HOLDS FIRST-EVER JOB FAIR
Hauppauge, NY, August 23, 2021 – LGBT Network is hosting its first-ever Job Fair on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at its Hauppauge Center to link LGBT-inclusive employers with LGBT job seekers. The Job Fair provides a link between LGBT-inclusive employers seeking to recruit LGBT talent and interested LGBT job seekers looking for inclusive and affirming workplaces. The event meets a growing need as employers expand recruitment as part of their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. It is the region’s first-ever LGBT job fair.
The LGBT Job Fair will be held at the LGBT Network’s flagship Hauppauge Center, a 15,000 sq.-ft. facility featuring a Meeting, Event, and Conference Center. Participating employers utilize exhibitor spaces to distribute job opportunities, meet prospective candidates, receive resumes, and conduct on-site screenings. Additional space is available for more intimate 10-minute screens as well as private rooms for more intensive on-the-spot brief interviews. The event is open to employers of all types and sizes. Sponsorships are available.
“This is the right time for an LGBT Job Fair,” says LGBT Network Exec. VP & COO Robert Vitelli. “We increasingly hear from businesses that they are looking for more LGBT talent – and we saw it as our responsibility to meet this need and help the LGBT community easily connect with those employers who are actively seeking them.” LGBT Network releases its LGBT Workplace Blueprint earlier this year, with LGBT community recruitment being a specific highlight.
The Job Fair will help LGBT job seekers find employers that are supportive of them – a critical need as LGBT employees continue to face a variety of challenges in securing employment, on-the-job harassment and discrimination, and fears of losing their job. “LGBT people want to work at a company that sees them, understands them, and supports them,” says Vitelli. “There is a documented history of workplace challenges for LGBT people.” Studies indicate that nearly 50% of LGBT people are not out at work, and 30% of those not out fear losing connections with co-workers. 27% of transgender people who held or applied for a job in the last year reported being fired, not hired, or denied a promotion due to their gender identity. Unemployment rate among transgender people is three times higherthan the national average.
The Job Fair is serving a critical need as LGBT workers seek employment during COVID recovery. Though Long Island has seen significant gains in employment since the high unemployment rate of 12.5% in June 2020, the number of companies looking to hire individuals has not slowed down with over 10.1 million open job openings across the U.S. As it continues to expand in the business realm, LGBT Network seeks to use its immense reach to bring together job opportunities and applicants for those opportunities.
This first-ever Job Fair builds upon LGBT Network’s existing work with the Business Community, including its Workplace Initiative that helps companies advance their LGBT diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The Workplace Initiative delivers workplace education and training programs, helps companies start and grow their LGBT employee groups, and connects professionals. Representatives from more than 25 companies are engaged with the Initiative, including The Bountiful Company, PSEG Long Island, National Grid, People’s United Bank, and Altice USA.
Potential job applicants can express interest in participating in the Job Fair by completing this form: this link. Companies seeking to sponsor the Job Fair can do so here.
Questions can be directed to Robert Vitelli, Vice President & COO, at robert@lgbtnetwork.org.
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The LGBT Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is a home and a voice for the LGBT people, their families, and support systems. Our centers help LGBT people to be themselves, stay healthy, and change the world. Since 1993, LGBT Network has been pioneering advocacy and social change to create safe spaces where LGBT people live, learn, work, play, and pray.