Only 850 students and alumni attended the Spring 2005 Job Fair Tuesday at the Convocation Center, said Jody Kirchgessner, a student relations specialist at NIU’s Career Services, formerly the Career Planning and Placement Center.

About 250 fewer job seekers attended yesterday’s fair than the 1,100 job seekers who attended last year’s fair, Feb. 8, 2004.

Decreased attendance could be blamed on the change in days. This year, the event was on a Tuesday instead of a Wednesday, Kirchgessner said.

The fair also comes early in the semester and many graduating students are not thinking seriously about job hunting, Kirchgessner said.

“I have not seen such a low turn out of students,” said Peter Bird, a recruiter for Chicago Office Technology Group, one of 147 firms represented at the fair.

Only 20 students visited the COTG’s booth, Bird said.

Bird, an NIU alumnus, said even in his time as a student, he would see more students at the job fairs.

“It is disappointing, because students are not here,” Bird said. “Since the economy is up, and companies are here, I do not know why students are not here today.”

For senior management major Rebecca Millhouse, going to a job fair is not something new or scary.

Millhouse has taken a few courses offered by Career Services on job fair conduct. She said they were a great help, and she talked to more than 35 recruiters. She is waiting to hear from one of five of companies who she said promised to contact her later this week.

Millhouse, dressed in a black pantsuit, was prepared to answer any recruiter’s questions about her resume. She said these key things gave recruiters a good impression.

Hewitt Associates, a global human resources outsourcing and consulting firm, was one of Millhouse’s stops.

During her visit to Hewitt’s booth, Millhouse knew the next 15 minutes were important to give her best impression to Dan Vital, a Hewitt recruiter.

“Seven seconds is what it takes [to decide] if I will hire or not [hire] the student,” Vital said.

At least one recruiter praised job fair attendants for their improved manners.

Felicia Gooch, an Enterprise Rent-A-Car recruiter, said attendance numbers were small compared with past years, but the quality of applicants improved.

Attendants’ dress and ability to introduce themselves has improved, Gooch said.

Still, she said, some students come to recruiters saying, “Give me a job.”

Anthony Curric, a NIU corporate communication graduate, said he was looking for a job and the low turnout was a plus.

“More [opportunity] for me,” Curric said.