The bi-annual Full-time Job Fair took place yesterday seeing a significant increase in attendance, to which some are crediting the economic upturn.

“It was great to see so many employers out this time,” said senior accounting major Robert Payne. “I think it kind of shows the bounceback in the economy after such a tough recession.”

One hundred and twenty seven employers attended this semester’s fair, as opposed to the 116 last semester.

Mary Meyers, Associate Director of Campus & Employment Relations, said students should take advantage of all employers at the fair.

“Every one of the representatives here has a job, which means that there are many jobs available, especially at the entry level,” said Meyers.

Some students, however, feel the still stagnant economy played a role in students’ decision to attend the fair.

“With the job market still not being the best, I think people are working ahead of schedule to find jobs, as opposed to waiting until they graduate,” said junior psychology major Jalaine Hart.

Good economy or bad, students and employers alike were pleased with the results of this semester’s fair.

Drew Grismore, a sales representative for Anderson Pest Solutions, and recent graduate of NIU said that this was the best fair he had seen in a while.

“I actually just graduated recently so it was fun being on the opposite side of the fence,” said Grismore. “The floor was packed today which is a great thing to see. Businesses were definitely looking for student prospects which is the goal.”

Robert Reyana, Human Resource Manager for Wal-Mart, said that employers were looking to set up personal interviews with potential employees.

“We seen and talked to some good folks today,” said Reyana. “We are also definitely looking to hire some good leaders to be apart of our team.”

And while the fair is traditionally geared toward upperclassmen preparing for life in the real world, many students, such as sophomore marketing major Nicolette Samuels, attended the fair simply to gain experience.

“This was my first [job fair],” Samuels said. “It gave me a chance to work on my people and conversation skills, as well as potentially finding a job.”