It’s a Tough Job Market. Here’s How Job Candidates Can Stand Out.

Hiring managers and job recruiters in Hawai‘i offer useful insights and advice to recent college graduates and other young people just launching their careers.

1. Focus on Your Resume

For most jobs, your resume is your entry ticket. A lousy resume means lousy job prospects, so spend the hours and days needed to make yours rise above the dozens or even thousands of resumes that job postings typically receive.

Some of the best websites that can guide you are The Muse, LinkedIn Career Advice, Indeed Career Guide and the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Bishop & Co. President Judy Bishop warns that if your resume is not structured or written well, you could be eliminated early on, without actually speaking to a person.

ALTRES Industrial Manager Alexarae Kam says AI will often review resumes, rank candidates and match them to job descriptions. Kam adds that even strong candidates can be screened out if their resumes are poorly worded or formatted or are missing keywords from the job description.

Shelli Ihori, director of workforce development at Hawai‘i Pacific Health, says her organization doesn’t use AI in the hiring process, but because of the high volume of applications for some positions, that could change. Whatever the case, Ihori says it’s crucial that resumes are written in ways that are easy for recruiters to understand.

Bishop suggests applicants customize their resumes to the jobs they’re applying for rather than submitting a one-size-fits-all document for all applications.

“If (your resume) is uniquely your own language, it’s going to stand out,” she says. Hiring managers can recognize AI-created resumes – especially when multiple resumes use similar language, she says – and that can sometimes be “a point against you.”

Though you could use AI to proofread your resume for typos and other issues, don’t let AI write your resume.

“Especially with technical positions, we get a lot (of resumes) that are AI-generated, and that is almost an automatic pass for us,” says Chrystal Leung, director of human resources at American Savings Bank.

2. You Have Stand Out Among a Flood of Applicants

The average job posting receives about two to three times more applications than a few years ago, Kam says, because many applicants use AI tools to auto-generate resumes and mass-apply to myriad positions based on keywords in job posts. Local companies commonly set location parameters in the initial screening so applicants who do not live in Hawaiʻi are immediately rejected.

The flood of applications is a nationwide issue, according to HR Dive, a web platform that reports on the HR industry. “Applications per hire have tripled and open roles now receive an average of more than 300 applications … candidates are approximately 50% less likely to make it to the interview stage” compared to five years ago, HR Dive says.

At some companies, such as ASB, people still review all applications, alongside AI screening. To prevent an overwhelming number of applications, Leung says, the bank sometimes closes a job post early and reopens it later if necessary. “If you don’t see the job as soon as it comes out, you likely could miss the opportunity,” she says. 

3. Thoughtfully Navigate From College to Career

What companies seek in young job candidates has shifted. For instance, the percentage of employers using college GPA as a screening tool – such as a minimum of 3.0 to be considered for an interview – has decreased from 73% in 2019 to 42% this year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Instead, there’s more emphasis on skills.

Wendy Sora, director of UH’s Mānoa Career Center, confirms the greater emphasis on skills-based hiring, which means translating your college major into a career can be challenging if your major isn’t connected to the job. That’s when employers are more interested in hearing about your experience, soft and technical skills, and what is important to you.

Regardless of the major, having a four-year degree has value to employers and teaches important skills. “Having a degree proved that you had initiative, you had staying power, you met the challenge and you completed something,” Bishop says.

Leung explains that some jobs, like front-line banking positions, do not need specific degrees. In those jobs, soft skills, like coachability and the ability to effectively communicate, are critical, she says, while the technical skills can be taught. In banking, “there are areas where a finance degree could help, but it’s not a deal breaker,” she says.

In fact, some companies have reduced their hiring requirements in terms of experience and college degrees to open the pool of applicants after Covid. Kam says many companies are willing to train their people, so each candidate should have a “growth set mentality.”

Sora says recent graduates often have high expectations for their first jobs after college. But, she says, they should be aware of the many “different entry points” into a company, and they should prioritize gaining experience and networking. “Instead of a job being great, can you be great?”

Getting into a good company, at any level, can be a smart first step because many companies look internally first to fill positions, rather than posting jobs externally. “It’s not just about recruitment, it’s about retention,” Kam says.

4. You Must Stand Out in the Interview

Employers say candidates should be able to think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, be digitally literate and be able to work as part of a team. Professionalism and adaptability are also key, they say. “We need someone that is a continuous learner and someone that can take feedback,” Leung says.

Before the interview, think of things you’ve done to demonstrate that you have these skills.

For instance, if you held a job or internship in the past, be ready to describe more than your job duties – explain how you overcame workplace challenges and learned on the job. For those with little or no experience, if you are the oldest child in a large family, you can say you showed responsibility by helping care for your siblings.

Some of the career websites listed above – and many others – can help you prepare for an interview. Never plan to just wing it.

Cultural competence and awareness are also important in the workplace, especially in health care, Ihori says. Caregivers must understand and respect their patients’ unique needs and communicate well with those from different backgrounds and communities, and that includes knowing local terms and phrases.

In a “hospitality-driven state” like Hawaiʻi, communication and customer service skills are key. Bishop says young people who spend a lot of time on social media often do not communicate well in person. Those people, she says, should practice responding to questions in mock interviews and learn how to come off as polite and genuine.

Before an interview, prepare your notes and be ready with points that you want to get across. And be ready to ask intelligent questions about the organization to demonstrate your interest in working there.

HPH spends a lot of time asking behavioral-based interview questions because leaders there believe “past performance indicates future performance,” Ihori says. For example, if a candidate claims to be a team player, the next question could be, “Tell me about a time when you were part of a group project and someone wasn’t pulling their weight. What did you do and what was the result?”

While not all employers require cover letters, Bishop says the document gives applicants a chance to describe things that might not fit in their resumes, like soft skills, interests and passions related to the job. The cover letter should also demonstrate that you’ve done extensive research on the employer and should explain why you admire the organization and why you want to work for it.

A candidate should consider sending a personalized thank-you note to the interviewer after a job interview. Leung says that move alone can be what elevates one job finalist over another. “It’s rare that that happens now, and so that activity goes a long way,” she says.

5. Networking Creates Opportunities

“It’s not always about ability, it’s about your visibility,” Kam says. And networking is key.

Students and new grads should place themselves in situations where they can meet hiring managers, because networking “puts a personality to the resume,” Leung says. She adds that ASB often identifies talent at networking events before jobs are even posted.

Candidates should “strategically go after the industries, companies and individuals” that they admire, and use their networks to contact them, Bishop says. They should build their LinkedIn profiles to look professional and “clean up” their social media accounts to delete inappropriateposts, since employers also look there.

Bishop says it’s important to be prepared with an “elevator pitch” – a brief introduction of yourself and what you’re looking for in a job or career. Practice that pitch over and over. You’re likely to find opportunities and meet important people in unlikely places, she says, so you need to be ready to make your best impression.