"Unemployment's low, and we need a good eye-catcher to bring people to our booth," said Jason Fukumoto, Superstar's assistant general manager. Superstar, which needs at least 10 driver candidates, will roll one of the company's 45-foot, MCI buses into the Neal Blaisdell Center for impact.

Just a few years ago, especially after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Hawai'i recruiters who bothered to show up at job fairs didn't have to fight for the attention of candidates.

"When it's an employers' market, all they have to do is put out a table and collect resumes," said Beth Busch, vice president of the Western region for Success Advertising, one of the sponsors of Tuesday's WorkForce 2005 Job Fair.

But with an April unemployment rate of 2.8 percent that was lowest in the country, Busch said, "everyone has to try a little harder to attract quality candidates. Three percent is considered full employment, meaning everyone has a job that wants or can get a job. We're at 2.8 percent, so we're below full employment."

The annual May job fair is typically the largest of the year. And last year, a record 136 recruiters attended.

This year's fair already has 165 recruiters signed up, with the possibility that even more could be added at the last minute. (For a list of recruiters, see honoluluadvertiser.com /business.)

And that means recruiters will be working even harder to attract so-called "passive candidates" who have jobs but could be enticed away.

Pfc. Nani Kahiapo of the Hawai'i Army National Guard will help get the Guard's Humvee ready for the Blaisdell because "it's a grabber," she said. "It definitely attracts attention. Most people at a job fair set up a display. But come on, who brings a Hummer?"

Potential job candidates will get to climb into the Humvee and sit behind the wheel — and check out the view from the driver's seat of the Superstar tour bus, which can seat 58 passengers and includes an on-board bathroom, individual air conditioning and six-screen audio-visual DVD system.

"It's gold," Fukumoto said. "People will definitely notice it."

But the real goal is to get people to apply for Superstar driver jobs that include $4,000 to $5,000 worth of free commercial license training.

"We are gearing up for summer, but we know that applicants have a whole array of options," Fukumoto said. "If they can't find a job now, they've got real problems."

Bus companies lobbied this year for the state to lower the minimum age for commercial driver licenses to 18 from 21 to help ease the shortage of applicants. The Legislature approved the change, but Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed the bill, citing safety concerns.

The tight job market has prompted most of the veteran recruiters at this year's job fair, such as Altres Staffing, to expand their presence.

Altres has added a fourth booth to its usual three and will hoist balloon arches and 6- to 8-foot vertical banners to get attention. The booths will also include laptop computers so candidates can apply instantly.

Nearly 15 Altres recruiters will show up as well, said Sue Martin, general manager of Altres' medical division.

"We're just about closing down the shop for this," Martin said.

Altres will bring thousands of goodie bags so job candidates can lug around all of the recruiting information, as well as the usual job fair staples of magnets and pens, Martin said.

And if none of that works, Martin said, Altres recruiters will rely on their old standby.

"We always bring candy," she said. "You can always entice people with candy."