Brandon Pettefer, nattily dressed in a blue shirt and tie, flew to Honolulu from Kona this week for the Hawaii Career Expo and had three job offers within the first two hours.

Luis Vives, who is retiring from the Marines in July after a 24-year career, began plotting out his next move by studying job listings in a special room set up for those with management experience.

And Jared Isobe, a part-time student at Kapiolani Community College, sat at a long table filling out an application in pursuit of a career in the tourism industry.

They were among the job seekers networking with more than 100 employers Wednesday at the Hawaii Career Expo, sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and ALTRES Staffing. The event was held at the Neal Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.

Pettefer, 21, was alerted to the event by his aunt and uncle in Ewa Beach after they read about it in the newspaper. Pettefer said he is hopeful he can start a new life on Oahu.

"I’ve lived in Kona my whole life," he said. "I see Oahu as more of an opportunity land. This is the place to be for jobs. Kona is great and you can always step up, but it’s very limited over there and there aren’t as many opportunities as over here."

Pettefer, who arrived at the event at 10 a.m., said at noon that he already had been offered jobs with an auto dealer, insurance sales and one in which he hires people for other jobs.

"It makes me feel great," he said. "I came here prepared. I even read a book before this about interview questions to get myself super prepared. But it kind of jumps out at you when someone comes up to you and says, "Hey, you look great.’ It’s like I don’t really have to sell myself. They’re selling me to the company."

Pettefer said he thinks his appearance and mannerisms had something to do with the reception he received.

"I’m very tall, I’m dressed (nicely) and have a tie and they say I look very professional and would be great for the job," he said. "Just the way I present myself and say ‘Hi’ and ‘What’s your name?’ I filled out an application and I have two years of customer service and it fits their job description."

Vives, 43, of Ewa Beach made his first stop at the event in the room set up for those seeking management positions.

"I’m about to retire from the Marine Corps after 24 years and willing to take a challenge so I just wanted to see what’s out there besides just looking at the Internet," said Vives, who wore a black suit.

Vives, who said project management and security are among the fields he is seeking employment in, said he was "an infantry guy" in operations and planning during his military career.

Isobe, the student, dressed in a white shirt and tie, said he believed the expo was a good starting point for a job search.

"I’m looking for something that fits my background, preferably in business or hospitality," said Isobe, 25, of Hawaii Kai. "I’m a part-time student at Kapiolani Community College and I’m working part time in hospitality. When all the companies come together like this, it really makes a great atmosphere and gives you a better understanding of what to look for and what they want."

ALTRES Staffingmanager Emy Yamauchi-Wong said her company was looking to fill 50 to 60 positions in its four divisions: professional, industrial, technical and medical.

"It (a career expo) is really a better avenue for the job seeker because they can give the first impression," Yamauchi-Wong said. "They basically are doing a mini-interview right there at the job fair. So you have a heads-up from somebody who’s (otherwise) unknown — just a piece of paper resume through online applying. It’s very beneficial for our job seekers who come to these things."

Natalie Reyno, human resources senior manager for Times Supermarkets, said Times made four on-the-spot offers for management positions before noon and said the company was getting a good pool of applicants.

"We decided to participate here to see what kind of applicants we’d get at an expo like this," she said. "Before we were accepting applications at the stores but we weren’t getting as many people and weren’t getting as good an applicant. We thought we might get better applicants here."

Cecille Mancenido, who is currently working as a store associate with another company, took a cashiers test with Times in the hope of landing a job with the supermarket.

"The economy is good and it’s the best time to find a job because there are a lot of job offers," she said.

Ground Transport Inc. President Louis Gomes, whose school bus company has a contract with the state Department of Education to transfer children primarily between Aiea and Makaha, said he had about 20 positions to fill ranging from bus drivers to operations manager, GPS coordinator and payroll.

"We’ve had a pretty good turnout so far," he said early in the day. "Being at the expo means there’s going to be more of a pool of applicants. It also builds awareness so that people know who we are."

Patrick Klein, director of advertising for the Star-Advertiser, said the employers appeared happy with the response they received at the Career Expo.

"They all found quality people to fill their positions," Klein said. "At the end of the day, that’s what we were trying to do: match up quality applicants with quality companies."