Dressed in business attire, Kamakshi Nemmaluri waited in line for an interview at the NIU Internship Career Fair.

The computer science graduate student said she was not nervous at all.

“Most of the people here are marketing executives who just pass our resumes on to managers who do the hiring,” she said.

Held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center, the Internship Career Fair attracted between 1,400 to 1,700 students.

The students, with feet crammed in dress shoes and hands clutching portfolios, tried to impress representatives from the 85 employers who set up display tables at the fair.

Last year, 100 employers came. Five years ago, the number was closer to 150.

“This is pretty much on par with the job market and the economy right now,” said Mireya Pourchot, promotion/publicity specialist with the Cooperative Education/Internship Program. “The hiring market is tough.”

The Cooperative Education/Internship Program sponsored the Internship Career Fair. The fair was open to NIU students of all majors.

This was the first year the fair was held at the Convo Center. Previously, employers set up tables in the Holmes Student Center’s Duke Ellington Ballroom.

Arnie Rohlwing, a representative from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, was pleased with the applicants. The organization hires one intern a year. An intern from a previous year was on hand to talk to potential internship applicants.

“We’ve always gotten good candidates here at NIU,” Rohlwing said. “We’ve kept on the last five interns we’ve had.”

Many employers complimented the amount of space in the Convo Center, as well as the professional attitudes of the students.

“There’s a much better layout here — much more room,” said Rachael Borre, a representative from Aunt Martha’s Youth Services.

Some employers had long lines in front of their tables, which can lead to frustration.

Time at the fair is limited, so students should just be able to drop off resumes and meet briefly with employers, Nemmaluri said.

“Some companies advertised that they accept computer science resumes, but when I got to the end of the lines, they told me to just check their Web sites,” she said.