Career Development in Hawaii: Easy or Difficult?

It was December 2012. The Asia-Pacific Leadership Program (APLP) first semester was almost finished, and I’d just made the difficult decision to resign my job (Head of Business-to-Business Program at the Embassy of Denmark) in Hanoi. Hence, I’d started to look around for job in Honolulu.

Would I find a job I like soon? Not according to an expert of APLP who opined that for that, it would take a stroke of magic. I would, of course, though, exert full effort.

Actually I had tried to submit job applications to several organizations in Hawaii starting in October, two months earlier, just to see how much opportunity I would have before making a final decision to stay in Hawaii.

As of November, a month later, two companies and one organization contacted me for interview.  After making a quick google search, I decided not to go for the companies because of their reputation and the jobs were not of my career interest and fit with my background and work experience. (See my profile at www.thanhloan2006.wix.com/loan-le .)

And in the regard of that website, I am so grateful to one of my mentors, because I learned from him the idea of using this website as an excellent tool for marketing myself during the job search.

I’m going to share with you what I have been doing as part of my career development.

My effort includes networking and making friends as many as I can.  This is also one of my interests for socializing and learning new things especially about different cultures and the cultures of Hawaii.

Secondly, it is absolutely a great way to find formal and especially informal opportunities, for many time employers do not advertise their vacancy but go through their internal network.

The informative interviews, part of the APLP requirements, were a splendid start.  We (APLPers) were required to meet with three people; however, with my learning and networking interest, I had met as many people as possible. How many? I don’t know, but I talked to people anytime opportunities came along. For example, there were events; brown bag lunches; master classes; workshops; and conferences on campus, downtown and in the community.

The internship program described below is an example of finding opportunity through networking, because I learned about it from a U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) senior staff member in a Disaster Management Workshop. At that time, this program was quite new and was not widely advertised.

The result was my effectively ending up with an esteemed four-month (January-April 2013) internship at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS). This was not the first choice for kicking my career off, but it turned out to be marvellous, for I had outstanding time in learning more about the regional issues after completion of the APLP’s first semester in December 2012 at the East-West Center.

At APCSS, I earned work experience including workshop facilitation and research, and most importantly interacting and expanding my network with other international fellows and staff and people living in Hawaii.

And in regard to benefits emanating from this internship with the U.S.’ Department of Defence, when I have the two years and nine months of residency prerequisite for U.S. citizenship, thereby qualifying for U.S. government jobs, would that Pacific Command consider selecting me for employment? I hope that their answer would be Yes.   

When May came, CCI Greenheart (formerly known as Center for Cultural Interchange – it does cultural exchange programs in the U.S. that connect Americans with international students) offered me a part-time job as a Local Coordinator. Not an ideal job, but at least it is fulfilling while I look for other opportunities.

Another factor is my abhorring having a gap in my resume, for I am proud of always having had good jobs since graduating from the university. Thus, this part-time CCI Greenheart job effectively also serves to help fill the gap during my summer holiday.

With that said, what do I have today? Where am I, and what are my feelings about career development in Hawaii?  Undeniable is that several times I have been very depressed and discouraged because of a couple of rejections.  I’ve provided self-guidance to myself that patience, more patience, trying harder, more persistency...are necessary.

I have been advised that many new immigrants have spent even three years to garner a mere average job in Hawaii.  I have been resident for more than one year of which half the time was for studying and the other half part-time work and short-term consultancies with APLP at the East-West Center.

A factor that will help my career development invaluably and already is, true for all of us (APLPers) I believe you’d agree, and gains people’s attention on our resume - having accomplished the highly-regarded East-West Center Fellowship. Now that was a good move! Wasn’t it ?  

I am also advised that when I have become US citizen which is in one and half year,  a possible outstanding job with the U.S. Government would be a given. Its opportunities are vast – in the US, including many in Hawaii, and almost all the other 195 countries of the world. Its embassies, Department of Defence (half of its employees are civilians), Agency for International Development...have opportunities everywhere. Am I highly qualified for such? I am confident with the answer: Yes.      

Looking again at my personal action plan (both short-term and long-term), not so bad! I am glad and believe that I am on my way.…:-)

My favorite saying about lessons learned in life

Some observations during my job search:

      

•     Quite clear to me is priority given to U.S. citizens and  locals.
•     Because of cultural differences, language, and practical work experience in Hawaii, it is hard for me as for many other new residents to garner an ideal job, such as the superb, even enviable one, I had in Vietnam. Many potential jobs require knowledge and understanding about how the local systems work. (The point is that new people don’t have that.)
•    Racism could be in place.

I am on my way…yeah….In the next article, I will share with you how I manage a good balance between work and family life which is a very important component of my career development. 

Author: Loan Le