The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Career Center held a Virtual Career Fair to help connect students with potential employers, an especially important service during the economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19. During the three-day event, 23 organizations had the opportunity to share—online—with students the changing needs of their workplaces and hiring needs ranging from part-time, micro internships and full-time opportunities.
“The Mānoa Career Center has been pivoting and determining ways to help students, recent graduates, and the employer community as Hawaiʻi continues to recover and thrives after COVID-19 pandemic,” said Wendy Sora, Mānoa Career Center director.
According to the center, there were 320 visits to the virtual booths over the course of the three day fair. Participating employers included:
- Aina Archaeology
- Central Pacific Bank
- Fast Enterprises
- FBI
- First Hawaiian Bank
- FoodCorps Hawaiʻi
- Hawaii Pacific Health
- Hawaii Public Housing Authority
- HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union
- Kamehameha Schools
- Kupu
- Lanakila Pacific
- National Security Agency—Hawaii
- Network 2000, LLC
- Partners in Development Foundation
- Research and Statistics Office, State Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations
- Servco Pacific Inc.
- The Plaza Assisted Living
- Tripler Army Medical Center
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District
- U.S. Department of State
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Xerox Hawaii
“I liked that I was able to learn about these career and internship opportunities from home,” said Suzie Park, a UH Mānoa junior majoring in communications. “Especially during this time of transitioning from working at home to going back in person, it was nice learning about what was being offered and how we can apply for positions that are both virtual or in person.”
Jeri Arucan, labor market research supervisor for the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Research and Statistics Office, was impressed with her first virtual fair. “I did not expect that much interest in a research statistician position which deals with data,” she said. “I met a few great candidates for my job opening and am so excited to interview them. I even offered one recent graduate a temporary position to get her on board right away.”
