Students with an eye on the future should make last-minute tweaks to resumes and iron their power outfits for NIU’s Internship Career Fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Convocation Center.

Doug Davis, director of the Cooperative Education Office, said the fair is an opportunity for companies and students to establish mutually beneficial relationships.

“It gives the students experience in their major field of study or career path before they graduate, and it is a benefit to the company because it reduces their recruiting costs,” he said. “An internship is very important when it comes to getting a job after graduation.”

Davis said students should bring plenty of resumes and dress appropriately.

Carolyn Ramsey, recruitment specialist for the Cooperative Education Office, said she is pleased with the quantity and quality of the more than 70 companies attending.

“We have excellent companies coming to the fair and they have many jobs out there,” she said. “It’s just something where if you were looking for a job and you can’t find one by coming to the fair, I don’t know where you are going to find a job then. We have good companies and I am pleased by just how many are coming. There’s something for everybody.”

Ramsey stressed students should visit the Cooperative Education Office’s Web site, www.recruitinterns.net, for a list of employers attending the fair, job descriptions and tips on everything from resumes to what to wear.

“It’s like a mini-interview,” she said. “That’s the first impression and the last impression that they are going to see of you because they are going to remember how you look and act, and whether you know anything about their company. Researching the background of a company enables you to answer their questions. When they know that you’ve taken the time to look into their company, they are going to remember that if nothing else.”

According to the Cooperative Education Office, more than 58 percent of all graduates with internship experience are offered full-time jobs from their employers before graduation.