About 4,300 people swarmed the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall yesterday with pretty much the same thought: "I need a new job."

And if you think that's remarkable at a time when Hawai'i's unemployment is hovering at a low 3 percent, consider this: One of the busiest booths was offering part-time jobs, great benefits and a chance to go to war.

"I know the risks, but it's something I always wanted to do," said Lofi Fuatogi, a 26-year-old accounting student from Samoa, who was among about 100 people who signed up to receive more information about joining the Hawai'i Army National Guard.

While the number of people enlisting in all branches of the military has dropped across the country since the start of the Iraq war, you'd never know it by watching the enthusiastic people coming and going at the Guard's Blaisdell recruiting booth yesterday.

"There's no doubt we're hurting a little bit since the war began, but we just tell people the same thing we told them before about the great features and benefits you can get," said Staff Sgt. Keenan Eckel, one of several recruiters at the booth. "But we also tell them if you get called up to go, you gotta go."

In fact, that's one of the attractions for some, Eckel said. About 1 in 10 people who seek more information will eventually join the Guard, he said.

Many of the people stopping by the booth are former active duty military men seeking two things the Guard can offer in spades: good benefits and excitement.

"In truth, I miss the camaraderie a little bit," said Albert Blas, who got out of the Army in 1987 and has been thinking about joining the Guard.

Mostly, it's for the benefits: extra income, a rock-solid retirement fund, and maybe even college tuition payments that Blas hopes he can pass on to his daughter.

On the other hand, there's the possibility of being sent off to a desert war in his mid-40s.

"You can't always be selfish," Blas said. "Sometimes, you've got to think about what's the best thing to do for your family. If I could find another job here with the same kind of benefits, I might consider not joining. But maybe I'll find myself in the desert someday thinking, 'Why did I do this stupid thing?' If I do, I'll know I did it for my daughter because the legacy you leave is important."

For many of the people wandering through the 120 employer booths yesterday, it wasn't just about getting a job. It was about getting a better job.

"When times are tough you hang on to any job you can get," said Beth Busch, vice president of Success Advertising, which organized yesterday's one-day event. "But when the economy is strong like now, you can go looking for a better job. Now, the employers have to compete for you."

Employers were pleased by turnout of job-seekers.

"It's the best money I've spent in a long time," said James Baker, manager of two Kahuna Dog restaurants in the Hilton Hawaiian Village, where he said the benefits include working on Waikiki Beach and serving pretty women in bikinis all day.

By lunchtime, Baker already had enough qualified applicants to fill the 10 jobs he expects to open as the company expands in the next few months. He had a shopping bag full of other applications in case the first ones didn't work out.

"I'm going to apply there, too," said Deanna Sermons of Wai-pahu, who said she was looking for a job that offered flexible hours she needs to balance caring for her family and going to school to be a medical assistant. "I know I'm going to find something; it's just got to be the right thing."