An Edition of

Presented by Honolulu Star-Advertiser, along withMonster.com and Alternate Energy, the 2014 Career ExpoApril 2 at Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall is designed to connect companies with their ideal employees

MidWeek Oahu | March 26, 2014HAWAII’S FAVORITE NEWSPAPER | Postal Customer Vol. 30, No. 36 | Nathalie Walker photonwalker@midweek.com

Society for Human Resource ManagementHawaii Chapter executive director Melissa

Pavlicek (left) and Society for HumanResource Management Aloha Chapter

president Ha Vong

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Like many college seniorsacross the state, Uni-versity of Hawaii at

Manoa student Ian Ross is star-ing down a particularly busycouple of months: He’s beenreworking his resume, fillingout job applications and inter-viewing with various compa-nies. Ross, an economics major,already has an impressive listof work experience in govern-ment, nonprofit and finance,and he wants a job where hecan put his skills to use — andone that ideally will put himon a management track. HaVong, another UH senior whois majoring in marketing, alsohopes to find a job that providesopportunities to move up.With their lofty career goals,

Ross and Vong both have de-cided to make the 2014 CareerExpo, which takes place April2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Neal

Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, partof their job searches. With morethan 80 exhibitors from indus-tries that include travel, healthcare, automotive, banking, sus-tainability and more, the expois likely to have something thatappeals to your career dreams,whether you’re an upcominggrad like Ross and Vong, anentry-level worker or an expe-rienced executive looking foryour next step. Intended to be a high-end

job fair and presented byHon-olulu Star-Advertiser, alongwith Monster.com and AlternateEnergy, the 2014 Career Expois designed to connect profes-sionals with quality jobs —and to connect companies withtheir ideal employees. And ifthese companies’ hiring needsare any indication, the eventalso could signify an upwardshift in the economy overall.

A number of participating busi-nesses report significant growthin recent months and are look-ing to fill positions to supportthat growth.The Career Expo, in fact,

originated from a demand byemployers.“Our No. 1 priority is to al-

ways put our customers’ needsfirst,” explains Honolulu Star-Advertiser senior vice presidentof marketing Dave Kennedy.“As the economy continues toimprove, finding and retainingquality employees has becomemore of a challenge for busi-nesses big and small. We wereapproached by numerous busi-nesses to help organize an eventthat would match them withquality applicants. The CareerExpo is the perfect avenue todo just that.”“We keep hearing from our

clients and exhibitors: quality

over quantity,” adds HonoluluStar-Advertiser director of clas-sified advertising Patrick Klein.“That is what we are strivingfor.”For those with management

experience, there also is a “Cor-ner Office” section with com-panies looking for candidatesin higher-level managerial po-sitions. In addition to presentingjob seekers with a range of op-portunities, the expo also willprovide workshops on crucialelements of getting hired: re-sume writing and interviewing.The Society for Human Re-source Management HawaiiChapter table will feature both. “We are really passionate

about putting employers to-gether with great employees,”explains SHRM Hawaii exec-utive director Melissa Pavlicek.“Job seekers can come by theSHRM Hawaii booth, wherewe will have volunteer HR pro-fessionals who can ask questionsand allow applicants to practicetheir answers and get immediatefeedback and pointers.”

In addition, professionalshave the chance to show offtheir skills in the “You’reHired!” competition. Submityour resume prior to the expoand be the best interviewee onthe day of the event and youcould get an offer from one ofthe largest companies in thestate, or win a portion of$50,000 worth of scholarshipsto Argosy University.

“We thought that anybodywho has gone through the workto make a really great resumewould probably make a goodstudent. And somebody whois very articulate and can sellthemselves would probablymake a good student,” explainsArgosy University presidentWarren Evans. “This is a wayfor them to recognize that theyare really good at somethingand, at the same time, givethem an opportunity.”

The scholarship will be ap-plicable to any of Argosy Uni-versity’s bachelor’s, master’sand doctoral degree programsin fields that include business

and psychology, giving jobseekers extra ammo for a futurecareer.As president of the UH chap-

ter of Society for Human Re-source Management, Vong vol-unteered to run the registrationtable at the expo with a fewother club members. But onething they’re most looking for-ward to is the potential for net-working.“My main goal is to net-

work,” Vong says. “I do lookforward to meeting marketingand HR professionals … andreally to just explore my op-tions.”But while the expo will be

filled with plenty of opportu-nities, Pavlicek warns that jobseekers should have a discern-ing attitude: “A pitfall wouldbe trying to apply for everyjob regardless of how well youthink you’re suited to it.”

The expo has a breadth ofoptions in both the diversityand sheer volume of businesses.

SEE PAGE 38

30 MIDWEEK MARCH 26, 2014

PRESENTED BY ‘HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER,’ALONG WITH MONSTER.COM AND ALTERNATE ENERGY, THE 2014 CAREER EXPO IS DESIGNED TO CONNECT COMPANIES WITH THEIR IDEAL EMPLOYEES

More than 80 companies are participating in the 2014 Career Expo, including these representatives: (from left) AlternateEnergy marketing coordinator Shannon Nagaoka, Alternate Energy director of marketing Michael Ito, Society for HumanResource Management Hawaii Chapter executive director Melissa Pavlicek, Argosy University president Warren Evans,Express Employment Professionals owner Lisa Daijo and Society for Human Resource Management Aloha Chapterpresident Ha Vong

MIDWEEK COVER STORY BY CHRISTINA O’CONNORPHOTOS BY NATHALIE WALKER

That fact perhaps is indicativeof a positive change in theoverall economic climate. Ac-cording to the state Departmentof Business, Economic Devel-opment and Tourism’s reportfor the first quarter of 2014,the state’s economy is expectedto continue positive growth atabove 2 percent between nowand 2017. While projectednumbers are not as high aspredicted in the previous report,visitor arrivals are expected toincrease, unemployment is ex-pected to decrease slightlyand the GDP (gross domesticproduct) is estimated to showa 2.6 percent increase in 2014.“As the economy continues

to improve here in the Islands,more companies are startingto expand their workforce tokeep up with the growing de-mand,” Klein points out.Staffing agency Express Em-

ployment Professionals, whichserved nearly 2,500 employerslast year, has witnessed an up-swing in clients’ needs. Asowner of the Hawaii franchise,Lisa Daijo noticed many ofher clients had a difficult timehiring a few years ago.“They had to pull back a lit-

tle,” she recalls. “They had tomake some changes.”Many of Express Employ-

ment’s clients had to get rid oftheir front office staff or theirsales divisions.From her observations, those

changes are coming backaround now. One field doingparticularly well is sales andmarketing, which she says isa good sign overall that com-panies are looking to increasetheir sales.“It’s extremely busy; every-

one is hiring out,” Daijo says.“I am very optimistic aboutour future.”“We are growing quickly,”

notes Sheri DeFreitas, humanresources manager at AquaHospitality, the umbrella groupfor properties that includePagoda Hotel, Luana Waikikiand Lotus Honolulu. At the Career Expo, Aqua

Hospitality hopes to share some

of its opportunities with thepublic — and maybe walkaway with some new employ-ees. Currently, it is seekingcandidates for key positionsin its corporate offices that in-clude a vice president of fi-nance, a senior sales managerfor Asia (based here), and acorporate revenue manager. Afew of its various propertiesalso are looking for a hotelmanager and guest servicesmanager.“It is not just coming in to

apply for a job. That positioncan eventually become yourcareer,” says DeFreitas. “Wehave had people who were inmaintenance who are now hotelmanagers. We have people whohave been night auditors whonow are in our corporate ac-counting offices.”School bus company Ground

Transport Inc., another partic-ipating group, is looking forabout 30 drivers, as well as aroute dispatcher and three tech-nicians to beef up for its DOEtransportation contract nextschool year. “We are actually expanding

our operation,” says presidentLouis Gomes.Alternate Energy director of

marketing Michael Ito ac-knowledges that the solar in-dustry has been a volatile one.“Like everyone else, we have

had to let go of a lot of techni-cians just to maintain movingsideways,” Ito says, “but whatwe are trying to do is build upand diversify our products andservices.”Trying to put a positive spin

on the recent industry slow-down, Alternate Energy is inthe process of launching anair conditioner installation di-vision, as well as expandingits electrical contracting work.It’s seeking journeymen for thenew division, as well as salesrepresentatives and electricaljourneymen.But even with signs that the

economy is improving, appli-cants still have to jump a num-ber of hurdles to land a job. Here, a few experts and hir-

ing managers featured at theCareer Expo dish on how toget your ideal job.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

“No T-shirts, low-cut dressesor short skirts,” Daijo says.Instead, Daijo recommends

a below-the-knee pencil skirtand a collared blouse forwomen, and a collared shirt oraloha shirt and slacks for men.Plus, there’s always what has

been dubbed the “lab coat ef-fect.” A 2012 study by KelloggSchool of Management atNorthwestern University lookedat the psychological effects ofpeople wearing clothing asso-ciated with high performance.The study found that thosewearing a white lab coat, whichis associated with doctors andscientists, scored higher on aseries of tests. The idea is thatif you look the part, you justmight become it.Dressing professionally at

the Career Expo also has itsadvantages. Express Employ-ment will be looking for at-tendees dressed for success.Those who are could receivea free admission voucher.

TAILOR EACH APPLICATION

TO THE POSITION

In looking for new employ-ees, Alternate Energy has beensifting through piles of resumesin recent weeks. But when Itosees an application that doesn'taddress what the position iscalling for, he just throws itout.“It looks like some people

just blast their resumes outthere, and they should reallyconsider what the employer islooking for,” Alternate Energymarketing coordinator ShannonNagaoka says.“Read the description of

what they are looking for andtailor your resume around that,”Ito adds.

TAKE YOUR INTERVIEW

SERIOUSLY

“You want to make like youare on a date — you want toshow them your best side,”

says Daijo regarding the inter-view process. “I think peopleare going into job interviews alittle bit too casually now.”To her, taking a job search

seriously entails not only dress-ing the part, but also comingprepared. Applicants should re-search their prospective com-pany thoroughly prior to aninterview — and have a list ofquestions for their interviewer,as well. Daijo cautions, how-ever, that asking the right ques-tions is even more important.“You want to ask questions

that make you sound like youare so excited for this oppor-tunity and opportunities forgrowth,” she says.That means questions about

benefits, vacation time andworking overtime are best leftuntil after you receive a formaloffer. Those aspects obviouslyare important, but too many ofthose questions may make itseem as if you don’t care aboutthe position itself.

MAINTAIN A STRONG ONLINE

PRESENCE

Before Nagaoka joined themarketing division at AlternateEnergy about three monthsago, she already was workingat a marketing and ad agencyand wasn’t actively lookingfor a job. But she always made sure

to maintain her LinkedIn page,

keeping in touch with formercolleagues and connecting withothers in the marketing industry,like Ito. “I think it is a good habit to

be in,” Nagaoka says. “Younever know when somebodyis going to Google you. It is agood way to keep and growyour network.”When Alternate Energy was

looking for a new hire, Ito re-called Nagaoka’s profile andbrought her in for an interview.

DON’T SETTLE

Given the economy in recentyears, a lot of job seekers prob-ably adopted an “any job is agood job” mentality. So, it mayseem counterintuitive, butacross the board, employersand experts agree that job seek-ers shouldn’t be settling whenit comes to accepting an offer.SHRM tells prospective em-

ployees to apply what it callsthe ACE measurement: Align-ment (is the company’s missionin alignment with what youwant to achieve in your career?),Capabilities (do you have theskills and knowledge to be ableto do the job?) and Engagement(are you passionate about theposition?).

“It’s not necessarily aboutfinding the first job or the bestjob,” Pavlicek explains. “It isfinding the one that is right forthe employee.”

GET HIRED | FROM PAGE 30

38 MIDWEEK MARCH 26, 2014

Neal BlaisdellExhibition Hall

Wednesday,April 2, 2014

9am-3pm

Open to the publicGeneral Admission $3

Students/Military/Seniors $1

First 1,500 to pre-register online

receive free admission

Visithawaiicareerexpo.com

Aqua Hospitality human resources manager SheriDeFreitas (left) and Aqua Hospitality corporatedirector of human resources Heidi Kalepa