UKís first online recruitment and employment service for gay professional men and women, now live

Circa and sister club Velvet - the UKís foremost social and business networking hubs for gay professional men and women - have now launched an exciting new feature for subscribers and browsers. ìJob Searchî is the UKís first fully-comprehensive online gay and lesbian job database and application tool, located at: www.circa-club.com/jobs and www.velvet-club.com/jobs.

Job Search will revolutionise the way the UKís Treasury-estimated 1.6 million gay and lesbian employees can identify gay-friendly recruiters and employers and job vacancies; and the way gay-friendly recruiters and employers - fully committed to equality and diversity in the workplace, not just in legal terms, but in spirit and action - can most effectively tap into the vast array of gay professional talent out there, just waiting.

The service is completely free for the jobseeker, and already showcases over 2,000 exciting job opportunities from over 60 recruitment agencies that have registered to date, which an interactive portal allows you to sift easily - depending on how specific you want your Job Search results to be - via a combination of up to 7 search criteria, including: specific recruiter or employer, industry sector (chose from almost 50, from accountancy and advertising to travel and utilities), type of contract (full, part-time etc), salary range and location within the UK. Job Search also offers a valuable Recruitment Resource Centre for job seekers, with lists of gay professional business organisations and associations, career building tools, personal assessment quizzes and distance learning courses. Once registered, a JobCart facility allows the user to save and access job adverts they are interested in; and - having created their own unique Job Search profile, including a CV - to subsequently contact potential employers through the search facilities, complete with personal covering letters. Quick, easy and efficient. Let the offers role in!

Job Search also presents great value for recruiters and employers who advertise ñ not least since it delivers them instant, fully-integrated, stylish exposure to Circa and Velvetís ever-swelling pool of 40,000 specifically professional gay and lesbian subscribers, plus many thousands more casual browsers besides. Subscribers receive monthly e-newsletters; a UK gay/lesbian calendar of events; and invitations to Circa and Velvet monthly events. The Circa and Velvet networks attract 3 million hits per month - forecast 36 million total for 2008 - and high-ranking listings on all major search engines; as well as benefiting from substantial UK marketing campaigns. Advert packages are reasonably priced and include the ìGold Planî at 64.90 ( VAT) per week for unlimited job adverts. The media pack containing full info/prices for job adverts, static banners, company profiles, email broadcasts and sponsorship can be downloaded from www.circa-club.com/jobs/docs/media-pack/media-pack-summary.pdf.

Circa and Velvet founder and MD, Patricia Madden, says, of gay jobseekers:

ìCirca and Velvet already provide 10,000s of gay and lesbian professionals with a whole host of excellent networking opportunities, for both business and pleasure. Our Job Search facility is a genuine UK-first ñ nothing else like it exists ñ placing 1,000ís of exciting gay-friendly job prospects mere clicks away from our subscribers and other browsers. We know all UK employers should now, by law, welcome gay and lesbian employees. We also know ñ from cases reported in the media ñ that not all do. Job Search provides LGBs with a useful reassurance.

Jobseekers, customers and communities expect businesses and organisations to be inclusive - embracing people from a variety of backgrounds. LGB graduates and jobseekers, our subscribers and browsers and the wider public will be attracted to those that actively support diversity. So why not reinforce your branding and reputation as being gay-friendly, through Job Search?î

Circa Job Searchís Development Consultant, David Morgan, comments:

ìOur new Job Search feature has been designed to be extremely user-friendly from ëboth endsí - quickly and effortlessly bringing together the gay and the gay-friendly in the job market. Both employer and employee can easily sift and access each otherís information and communicate with each other to move things forward.î

www.circa-club.com and www.velvet-club.com are online social and business networks for gay professional men and women, connecting 10,000ís of subscribers around the globe, 24/7, all year round ñ via the Internet, at home, work, or on the hoof ñ whenever, wherever! Both are free to join and offer a wide range of features including: daily news, member profiles, forums, chat lounges, blogs, icon gallery, London events, travel lounge, newsletters, weblinks, daily horoscopes, food hall, shopping mall and much more. The Circa and Velvet networks are marketed locally, nationally and globally, providing an excellent opportunity for businesses and organisations wishing to promote themselves and their services and products to an LGB audience. The ìPink Poundî is estimated to be worth 70 billion in the UK [Independent on Sunday 29/01/06]; $610 billion in the USA [Planet Out].