Students and alumni had an opportunity to obtain career and employment information at HPU’s annual Business and Technology Career Fair held Mar. 12 in the First Hawaiian Tower building on the downtown campus.

About 60 companies participated in the event, which was sponsored by HPU’s Career Services Center. These includied AT&T Hawai‘i, Bank of Hawai‘i, CIA, FBI, IBM, KHNL/K5-TV, KITV, Wells Fargo Financial, Hilton Hawaiian Village, and many more.

Each participating company set up information tables in the lobby and mall areas of the FH building, so they could inform students about employment opportunities in business and technology areas, including a variety of full- and part-time internship opportunities. Company representatives answered questions from students and also provided application forms.

The event was not only for recruitment via information tables, but also included workshops and panel presentations in four areas:

Ö “Job search strategies in a tough economy”

Ö “How to land your dream job”

Ö “Federal law enforcement careers with the U.S. postal inspection service” and

Ö “Opportunities of a lifetime with the peace corps.”

Most of the companies present required good oral and written communication skills and computer skills. Some companies, such as AIG Hawai‘i Insurance, offered internship programs for academic credit.

Some companies were seeking individuals to fill specific positions: Hilton Hawaiian Village, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts in Waikiki, and the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa.
Some companies including Sheraton Hotels and Resort in Waikiki, ABC stores, and PacRim Marketing group, Inc. were seeking English/Japanese speakers.

Lisa Sakai, of the PacRim marketing group Inc., said, “I heard that many students speak Japanese at HPU, so that is why we participate in this career fair….We are seeking an English /Japanese speaker for our business.”