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Taryn Lau graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a master’s in business administration and aspirations of being an event planner at a major hotel chain. She has two-and-a-half years of retail work experience, a summer internship at the Sheraton Waikiki and three job offers. But she turned the offers down.

The reason: none of the jobs were in the hotel industry.

“An opportunity is out there, but it is tough to find (one) in our economy right now that you match with and are sincerely interested in,” Lau said.

Thousands of college graduates across the country are entering the job market during the worst recession since the Great Depression. In Hawaii, even as the unemployment picture brightens slowly, interviews with students and career counselors at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, University of Hawaii Maui College, Hawaii Pacific University and Chaminade University show that the job market is competitive as ever. And many of the jobs that are available don’t contain opportunities for growth or match up with graduates’ goals.

“A lot of folks who planned on retiring couldn’t when the economy failed. So there aren’t as many openings with layoffs too,” said Kim Grace, director of career services at Chaminade University. “(Graduating seniors) are competing against people with the same degree, plus experience.”

Nationally, employers this year are expected to hire 5.3 percent more college graduates than in 2009, according to the Job Outlook 2010 Spring Update published in April.

The Hawaii job market also shows signs of improvement. While the unemployment rate reached its peak at 7 percent from June 2009 to September 2009 — Hawaii’s highest since 1978 — it has steadily decreased to 6.3 percent last month, according to the latest seasonally-adjusted presented by the U.S. Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. (Five years ago, in July 2005, unemployment in the state was a mere 2.7 percent.)

But statistics from Hawaii Pacific University tell a different story.

In surveys covering 500 Hawaii Pacific University students graduating with bachelor’s degrees in winter 2005 and spring 2006, 53 percent reported working full-time or part-time, and 13 percent earned $51,000 or more. Four years later, surveys of winter 2009 and spring 2010 graduates show 45 percent of students upon graduation reported working full-time or part-time, but 25 percent reported earning more than $51,000.

Joseph Barrientos, director of the Career Services Center at Hawaii Pacific University, said the decrease in jobs and increase in cost-of-living are the reason the average salary of graduates are higher now than five years ago.

“Usually things like cost of living and rate increases will increase the average salary, and a fewer number positions available will drive the average salary higher,” Barrientos said.

Hawaii Pacific University survey of graduates*	Working full or part time	Earning more than $51,000
Winter 2005 and spring 2006	53 percent	13 percent
Winter 2009 and spring 2010	45 percent	25 percent
*The surveys covered students graduating with bachelor’s degrees.

At Chaminade University, the number of full-time jobs graduates with bachelor’s degrees decreased by 20 percent from 2005 to 2010, according to surveys. The tough job market has forced some graduates to go back to school and boost their resumes.

Tough Economy, More Students

Enrollment at the University of Hawaii Maui College increased by 25 percent since fall 2009, said Alvin Tagomori, vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of Hawaii Maui College. Likewise, Chaminade University enrolled its largest undergraduate class this coming fall with 476 students said Sheela Jane Menon, job placement coordinator for Chaminade University.

One student who went straight back to school is Shannon McDonald.

McDonald, a 29-year-old pre-school teaching assistant, graduated from the University of Hawaii Maui College this year with a liberal arts degree. Her dream job is to be an elementary school teacher. Conversations with teachers who have gone through the program convinced her that an elementary education degree is essential to becoming a full-time teacher at a Maui private school. As a result, she has already gotten started on her second bachelor’s degree in elementary education through the University of Hawaii distance program.

McDonald acknowledges it might be easier to get a job with her current bachelor’s degree in the public sector, but she wants her future children to attend a private school (where she hopes to teach).

Until she graduates in 2012, McDonald will continue to work at the Children of the Rainbow preschool as a teaching assistant where she has worked for three years. To finance her education, she works night shifts at Kahale’s Beach Club, a bar in Kihei, Maui.

“I am doing the most I can to give myself the biggest advantages,” McDonald said. “You have to know people on top of having the skills.”

Having all the right degrees doesn’t always guarantee the right job.

Building Up Experience

Lau, the 22-year-old aspiring event planner, earned her bachelor’s in marketing in 2009 and an MBA in May from Hawaii Pacific University. She applied for more than 15 jobs and received three offers — but none were in the right industry.

One of the jobs she turned down was the assistant manager for the Godiva chocolate store at Ala Moana Center. Lau said it was a great opportunity, but she didn’t think it would advance her event planning career. The main factor she looks for in a job is the prospect for growth within the company.

In order to achieve her dream job of working in catering convention services for a large hotel corporation, she started an unpaid internship at the Sheraton Waikiki in early June. She hopes her internship will make her more competitive against applicants who have more experience than her.

“Just because you have education doesn’t mean you have a job,” Lau said. “When you compare my experience to their years of expertise, it is a tough call.”

Technical Jobs on the Rise

The biggest difference in the job market today versus five years ago is the type of work available, said Myrtle Ching-Rappa, director of career development and student employment at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “The jobs are getting more and more technical.”

John Hada got a job as computer operator for Maui High Performance Center upon graduation. But he said many of his classmates are still struggling to find jobs.

Hada, a 40-year-old applied business and information technology, graduated from the University of Hawaii Maui College in May as valedictorian. Having served in the military for 14 years, he moved to Hawaii to obtain a college degree. His goal was to have a job that pays more than minimum wage for his wife and two daughters. He applied against 20 other applicants for his job at Maui High Performance and Computing Center. He was offered the job and is making between $25,000 and $26,000 annually.

“The process was easier than I expected because (the Center) is technology oriented and associated with the University of Hawaii,” Hada said.

Career Development a “Lifelong Process”

Barrientos, at Hawaii Pacific University, said the new reality is that many graduates might not land jobs in their desired field right away.

“Because of the nature of the economy, students are being asked to be more flexible.” Barrientos said. “They may have to start in a field that is similar but not exactly what they are looking for so they can build their reputation and experience in that area.”

Even if it takes unpaid internships, further education and hours of networking to find the perfect job, all three college graduates are not letting the economy drag them down.