Students were dressed in their best and prepared to be interviewed at NIU’s fall internship fair Wednesday at the Holmes Student Center’s Duke Ellington Ballroom.

“About the same amount of employers attended the fair as last year, although a few different employers attended than normal,” said Mireya Pourchot, coordinator of the internship fair.

“A few companies said they were putting their internship programs on hold, and I don’t exactly know why,” Pourchot said.

Pourchot also saw a decrease in students this fall, but said more students usually attend the spring internship fair. Normally 1,000 students attend the fall fair, she said.

Some students at the internship fair had high hopes of obtaining an internship.

“It’ll be great to get a lot of job experience and your foot in the door,” said Carrie McKeown, a freshman business major. “It gives us a little taste of what’s out there for students of all majors.”

Others felt the fair didn’t have employers that catered to their major.

“It’s kinda hit or miss. I’m a meteorology major and there’s not a whole lot here for that,” said William Oswald, a sophomore meteorology major.

However, Oswald said the fair was a good opportunity to become comfortable interacting with employers.

“You build better people skills because you have a one-on-one mini-interview with employers,” he said. “This way, all the jobs come to you and you can find them that way.”

The internship fair is also a beneficial opportunity for students due to its closeness to campus and for students who don’t have access to a computer, said Tonja Stidhum, a junior communications major.

Many employers were pleased with their experience at NIU as well.

“Representatives from Kohl’s continue to return to NIU every year due to their positive experiences with NIU interns,” said Jan Berlin, Kohl’s store manager. “Pretty much all of our interns come from NIU, and two of our people representing Kohl’s graduated from here,” he said.

NIU engineering students are consistently recruited by UPS as well, said Janell Moyer, UPS sales representative.

Getting an internship through the NIU fair may also lead to a potential job offer.

Students who have had an internship have the competitive edge over someone that hasn’t, Pourchot said.