The Best Way in Finding a Job in Hawaii
I’m going to share my secrets on what I believe is the best way in finding a job in Hawaii. By far the most common kind of email we get is “I’m a professional <something> and want to live in Hawaii. How can I find a job doing what I’ve been trained for?”
I’ve lived in Hawaii since 1984, launched half a dozen startup companies and have hired hundreds of people. Knowing what I know now I can practically guarantee that if you follow each of these ten steps, you will not only find a job in Hawaii, but you will also quickly discover if this place is for you, or rather more accurately, if you’re meant for this place.
Step 1: The most important thing to know when finding a job in Hawaii
If there’s anything you should take away from this page it’s this: the way you will find a great job in Hawaii is by connecting with people who live and work here. Going through Craigslist ain’t gonna cut it, though you might find some manini (small, insignificant) job to hold you over. The few good jobs we have here go to people who know people. Know this: if you can get a solid referral from a solid person in Hawaii, your job prospects will be 1000% higher than someone sending blind emails via LinkedIn or Craigslist. In other words: get referral, get job in Hawaii. No referral: good luck with that job hunt.
Step 2: Online is your lifeline to connect with people when finding a job in Hawaii
Now this is one thing I didn’t have in 1984 and OMG if I did! The Internet is not just your connection for reading articles and blogs about Hawaii. Far more important is that you can use the Internet to directly connect with people who live in Hawaii. I can’t overstate how huge this is. While you will ultimately have to physically be here to make the real connections, you can make a ton of good connections with real people online at all the usual places, especially Facebook and LinkedIn. You should resolve to make at least 10 but preferably 25-50 connections with people who will recognize your name online. Here’s the test: if one day you meet a person at a party that you’ve conversed with online and introduce yourself, their response should be “Hey! So nice to finally meet you in person!”. If you can get to that point with 25-50 people I can almost guarantee you’ll get a job in Hawaii.
Step 3: Do your research on your profession
You need to become an expert on what’s going on in Hawaii as it relates to your profession. You should know :
- What the average salary is
- How many people like you are already employed
- What the job market is like in terms of supply and demand
- Who the top 10 employers are
- What niche you can fill in this market
- What it’s going to cost you to live here, within a +/- 5% per month accuracy.
Knowing what’s going on in your industry in Hawaii shows that you’re spending the time to get to know this place. You’re already at a disadvantage because you’re an “outsider” and most outsiders don’t stay here too long (which is why we don’t like hiring them). Demonstrate (with actions, not words) that you’re committed to this place and you’ll greatly increase your chances in finding a job in Hawaii.
Step 4: Connect with local communities in finding a job in Hawaii
This goes hand-in-hand with Step 2 above. For your profession, find all possible associations, meetups, luncheons, trade shows, etc. Once you’ve discovered them, get involved. Of course you can only do so much if you’re not physically living here, but do whatever you possibly can to connect with as many people as possible and be as genuine and sincere in your desire to help them. By creating these connections you will be in a really good position for a smooth transition to meeting those same people in person when you actually get here.
Step 5: Plan to live on 6 months with no income
You’re going to go through a ton of “birthing pains” when you get here, otherwise known as the “Baptism by Fire”. Hawaii is going to be a massive change to your life in nearly every way you can imagine: culturally, financially, geographically, physically, etc. There will be many things to freak out about and the last thing you want to be freaking on is your finances. Come here expecting to not make a penny for six months. If you did your homework in Step #3 above you will know exactly how much money you will need.
When I came to Hawaii in my early 20s I had about 6 months saved and I’m so glad I did. I starved for nearly a year before I finally found some work that actually paid money. I’d say that today it’s much more financially difficult to get started here than it was back in the 80’s so your planning is that much more vital.
Step 6: Volunteer to help with everything
Assuming you’ve performed all of the above and now you’re physically here, congratulations! Get ready for your “Baptism by Fire” :) The best way to connect is to help others. That’s probably a universal rule but here in our island culture, the power and benefit of helping others is magnified by 10x. Hawaii has tons of non-profit organizations and they are always looking for volunteers of one sort or another. Find your favorites and “Report for Duty”. Take whatever volunteer position you can. Get busy! You’ll have plenty of beach and fun time after you’re on your feet and working in a paid job. Until then, pack your schedule with volunteer work. Everyone wants to recruit someone who is busy. Busy people are people in demand. Get busy.
Step 7: Connect and network with everyone when finding a job in Hawaii
As you work your way though the volunteer jobs, build a “Rolodex” of people you meet and do your best to memorize their names, hopes, dreams, and connections. Your phone’s contact list should build rapidly as should your FB and LinkedIn friends. Remember, this is not about you; it’s about them. The more you focus on helping others achieve their dreams and aspirations, the quicker you will find yours.
What you will quickly discover in Hawaii is that everyone knows everyone. And the sooner you become one of those “everyone” people, the sooner you will make all the connections you’ll need to find the job you want. Here’s how you know your are succeeding: you’ll strike up a conversation with someone new and the two of you will quickly discover people that you both know. When that starts happening often, you know you’re well on your way to becoming part of the crowd.
Step 9: Embrace the culture
Your goal is to get to know as many people as you can and show them that you are someone embracing our culture and our people. Embracing Hawaii’s culture is probably a book unto itself so I can’t go into it here but it’s one of the most important things you will need to do in order to be accepted here. Hawaii’s culture is globally unique and by a very large margin. There’s simply no place on earth like this and it’s absolutely definitely not like the US mainland. While Hawaii is legally part of the United States, it’s culturally nowhere near it. Genuinely embracing our culture means you will let go of yours. If you can get through this vital step, you have arrived. How long does it take? You’ll find people who will jokingly say that they’ve “Only been here for 15 years” which means to say that Hawaii’s culture is extremely complex and many outsiders have a very difficult time figuring it out.
Step 10: Give back like crazy will definitely help
I don’t know how much this matters in other parts of the world as I spent my entire adulthood in Hawaii, but giving back to the community here is highly valued. Virtually no one moves to Hawaii for financial gain and certainly no one comes here because it’s cheaper to live. We’ve come to Hawaii because there is something about this place that has touched the root of our soul and we don’t want to live anywhere else. We struggle mightily to make it work here and because of that, we all help each other through that struggle. Giving back to Hawaii and it’s people means you’re fully vested in Hawaii’s future. If you are really meant for this place, you will give it the most important resource in the universe and that is yourself. Once you fully realize the truth of this, your job and future will be easy. You’ll be “one of us” and probably be helping someone else figure out their way.
I guess I was completely lucky. I have been coming to the islands for 20 years. My wife and I always wondered what it would be like to live here so while on vacation in Maui in October of 2018 I decided to look on indeed.com not really expecting anything to happen. I applied for a few jobs and when I returned mainland I got a call back. In November I interviewed. In December in received an offer and in January I started work as an IT Director at Hawaii Health Systems. I know I am extremely lucky. Most people on the island that I have told my situation simply can’t believe it. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I will be forever grateful that this occurred. It was a mad scramble moving here in such short notice and I completely lucked out on finding a great rental that accepted dogs in Hawaii Kai. I didn’t realize how hard it was to find a place that will take dogs. But anyway, yeah I am sure I am the exception to the norm here.
Very cool! There are always exceptions, especially for people with hard to find talent, like a (presumably) highly experienced IT director. Good on you, Jacob!
Thank you Peter. It’s been a crazy adventure so far and your website has helped me a lot. Much mahalos.
I’m glad!
Aloha Peter, My name is Patricia. I have wanted to live in Hawaii my entire life. I am completely enamored with Hawaii’s “ Family Culture’. I have decided to take the plunge now that I’m an empty nester. Your passionate descriptions of everything is what Ive been feeling for Hawaii. Oahu is the Island I feel will work best for me for at least the first 1-2 years. I am a Licensed Real Estate Broker, in NYC. In addition I have 12 years of Administrative Assistant experience and Telephone Operator. My free time is spent is volunteering at local community boards and participating in a wide variety of events or painting and sculpting. Moving to Hawaii is filling in a final puzzle piece. Right now I’m working on my budget as you suggested and always networking. Looking for two things right now, October Flights and Jobs. My finances are not where they should be so securing a job before I arrive would be a complete blessing. Are you familiar with Homeaway.com? As housing is crucial to stabilizing myself.
Never looked into Homeaway.com though especially on Oahu I would exercise great caution as the “Airbnb” model is under great scrutiny and many formerly available homes are no longer on the market as they can only be rented in more traditional settings of at least 30 days.
Patricia, I am also retired (Property Management Co.) and have been coming over to Oahu several times a year to help my daughter out. I will be there for 3 weeks during Christmas and then from March 1st – mid April, 2020. Will you be there at the doing any research on your potential move? If so, I would like to get together with you for coffee or lunch. We are also looking to move over there in a few years.
I will be staying in Ewa Beach on the west side of the Island.
Trish
(You can find me on Facebook)
Hello Peter, I am finding your website to be extremely helpful as I am doing research to find a job and move to Hawaii. I just graduated with a degree in Child and Family Development with a minor in Social Work. Do you have any suggestions for community resource or family service jobs in Hawaii? I’ve been applying to many, but I’m curious if you know of any place that stands out as a community resource. Thank you, Erica
Hawaii has many social service organizations but I don’t consider myself a subject matter expert here. If you follow the steps on this page you should be able to connect with them. Aloha United Way is one of the many well-known organizations.
I appreciate the information you provide. However I disagree with step 1. I’ve found great jobs not meager jobs sending “blind emails” through Craigslist, Indeed, etc.
You may “find” great jobs, but I’d be interesting in hearing if sending blind emails gets you any kind of a response. Unless you are in some incredibly specialized, rare, and highly desired field, 100% of the feedback I’ve received is that people don’t even get a response (from employers) much less a “no thanks” reply. That said, there are always exceptions and if you’re one of them I’d like to know more. Mahalo!
Hi Peter, I am planning on moving to Hawaii in no more than two years. I am a CPA so I am hoping the job hunt won’t be too difficult. I plan on saving a good amount of money to get me through a few months but I am worried about the prospects of not finding a job relatively quickly. I have been to the island plenty of times but was wondering which island you would think is best for me job wise? I was also wondering if you knew of any networks I can reach out to that could help with the job search. Thank you
Hi Peter,
It has been my life’s dream to come back to Hawaii to retire. I will be 75 & my husband will be 65 which would be 14 years from now. I grew up there and left in 1975. We lived in Kailua on Oahu. Is it possible to retire in Hawaii? I just don’t see how we could do it any sooner with what it takes to move during our working career. My husband would have a hard time adjusting to island living as he is from the mid-west, we live in Arizona now. We do not have any relationship with islanders, only with a realtor. My husband is a computer developer in the medical industry and I am a pharma representative (a dying industry unless you can cover 1/2 the country). From taking the test to live in Hawaii, it says absolutely not because we would have to liquidate everything we have including our house & cars. Any advise? I would come back tomorrow if I could.
Hard to say as there are so many details. At your stage in life I would think financial stability is key. Check out my YouTube channel where I have a video on retiring in Hawaii
If we buy a condo would we be able to have a 110 pound lab? Also, are there hoa fees in Maui?
That’s an extremely specific question that will depend on the condo you’re looking into.
Hi Peter. I’ve been in the restaurant business my entire life from server/bartender all the way up to assistant manager in both front and back of house. My girlfriend is a hairstylist. I’ve taken the quiz and it says I should already be there. Two questions: Do you think we could find good paying jobs, pretty easily, in our respected professions and would it be difficult to move with our 110 pound lab?
Read the article on how to find a job in the editors choice list. It’s going to be hard to find an apartment that accepts the animal, especially one that big
I liked your presentation. Very helpful. How is the work for Real Estate Agent in the area? Do you have Home Depot or Lowe’s there? I am General contractor and would like to do renovation business or buy land build and sell houses will that work? Is that a profitable business?
Hawaii has a very active construction sector. I can tell you that much. The rest is for you to research.
Been living on Big island for way too long, Kaua’i before that. I need O’ahu now..
Going to be a lot easier for you than for folks coming from the mainland. At least you have local ties.
Hi Peter,
I would just like to thank you for writing this article. Very helpful. In due time my girlfriend and I will relocate to Puna. You’ve helped us in making adjustments to our plan. Many thanks again!
–Jonathan & Annette
I’m so glad! You’re welcome!
I’ve been coming to Hawaii since I was 8 years old I’m 34 years old now and I just got back to Hawaii after being away for about 15 years but I still love it, it’s people, culuture, food, and essentially everything about it. I’m hoping to find a CNA job here in the next couple of years. I want to work on the mainland for a year or so so I can get up some savings so that I can afford to live here and pay my bills and be able to live comfortably. Another words hit all my needs and have a some left over for some fun things. I’ve lived and traveled all over the Pacific Rim and Asia. I’m just wondering what you would suggest? Right now I’m in Wisconsin and working as server at a restaurant I will be looking for a CNA job as soon as I pass my licensure test. Just wondering what you would suggest. Thanks! Kristie Scharine
Not clear on what you need to know that’s beyond what I listed on this page.
My name is Wookjin Sim and I am a native Korean who holds a permanent U.S. resident card and I am currently living in the mainland. I truly wish to get a job and live in Hawaii. I have a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and have some work experience in international sales and marketing here. Do you think if there is any chance for me to get a job at Hotels as I am not a Hawaiian resident?
Follow the steps and you have a good chance. I’d recommend you take the quiz too
Hi Peter,
I am in my 40s, want to relocate to Kauai. Is it good idea to live with roommates? While, working as volunteer and part time jobs.
When was the last time you lived with room mates while you worked part time jobs and volunteered? How far below the poverty line have you lived in the past 5 years?
I work in a hospital as a registered nurse in the Bay Area. I am interested in working for a hospital in Honolulu, how do I get in touch with Kaiser or Queens Medical Center?
Not sure what you’re asking for that can’t be handled with a Google search
Hi Peter! My husband and I are moving over to Oahu next year. He will have no problem finding a job, as he is a Physical Therapist. I’m a district manager, and I’m sure it’s practically impossible to land a leadership role right off the bat. Are there any recruiters you’d recommend?
I have several in my network. I’ll message you directly.
Yes very helpful to start with in seeking job opportunity in Hawaii.
Glad you liked it!
Hi, Peter. Recently retired, I’m thinking of buying a little place and living on Oahu or Maui maybe 3 – 6 months out of the year. Any tips for finding parttime employment as a senior?
I would first find a place to volunteer for 3-6 mos out of year and after you get settled you would be in a good position to find a paying job.
Hello I’m kim Kimakona and my wife is connie we are the McBrides I was able to read your information on what you had to say. I’m a camera man in the film Industry and I’m also a film Editor and I owned my own production company I also have a full 6×12 Grip trailer to film movies and a cameras as well. I started out as still photographer and still do this. So would work be hard for me to find in some local TV station as filed camera operator for them. Thank your for information.
Kim Kimakona McBride
Which step are you on?
Peter!!!! Mahalo for sharing so much! I am now moving from you tube to your website! So much good info here! Jody (Jojo)
Glad you like it! Welcome!
Hi, my family, myself my husband our two children and my mother, are seriously thinking about moving to hawaii in the future. My husband is a paramedic and my mom is a phlebotomist. Is that doable? We currently live in georgia so while we arent used to things like high rent we are used to high power bills and things of that nature.
Everyone’s situation is different. Did you take the quiz?
Are you hiring??
Lol you missed me by almost 20 yrs, back when I had an army of extremely talented web developers.
Lol well clearly you’re not following the 10 steps!
Aloha Peter!
We enjoy your articles and expertise. We have been going to Hawaii every year on our vacations and there is no other place so beautiful like Hawaii. Finally we will fulfill our dream and move to the Big Island.
Mahalo for all the mentoring always!
Marlen and Steven
Oh that’s so awesome! Please make sure to share what you learned so we can help others like you. Congrats!
Is it frowned upon to have foreigners buy properties and businesses for the purpose of eventual sale? I think I would like to come to Hawaii with the ability to buy an existing business and grow it or some properties to fix and sell. However I’d want to maintain the spirit of giving not taking away from the economy but adding to it. What other options are there apart from needing a job first. If I had $250000 how could I start differently than just having to start over. Maybe I could buy run down homes and fix them up with the intention of keeping them affordable for families.???
Great question Brad! Though I targeted this piece for those seeking a job, the principles equally apply to investors and business owners as well. Get connected with the local community and you will find a niche you will fit in with. The key is to get connected to community with the right intent in your heart (which you seem to have).
I’m a Canadian citizen with enforcement background as a primary and health coaching as a secondary. Any hope for someone from Canada or in my fields of work? Doubt I would be able to do anything in law enforcement since I’m not a US citizen. I saw RN when I entered health coach into the search but I don’t have any medical training.
Follow the 10 steps!
Work as a. Line cook in. Ohio I’m 53 I’m I to. Old to. Move I’m. In good health
I was stationed at Pearl Harbor. Now my husband is gone and my children are grown. I would like to move back to Hawaii. I am a disabled veteran. I read your column. How would I get to know someone in Hawaii?
Social media is probably the best way and I mention that in the piece.
Yes you did mention that in your column.