2.  Take some time to learn a little about the
newspaper and community before you
interview.   A recent job candidate turned a
courtesy interview into a job offer
partly because he knew more about our founder
than people who have worked here for
years..  Many newspapers put at least part of
their content online.  Read it. Then
during your interview  make sure to mention
something you've read . It makes us feel
special to know that we're more than just the
next name on your mass-mailing list.

3.  At the top of your resume, where some people
list  "objective,"  tell me what
job you want. I don't want to hear your
philosophy of life. Here's my favorite, from
a job fair.  (Unfortunately, I never got to meet
this person.)  Objective: "To
secure a position that is purposeful in a setting
that recognizes, nurtures and
encourages the utilization of interdisciplinarian
problem-solving skills, as well as
my innate and learned abilities in managing
multiple tasks, challenges and
opportunities."   Far more common -- but no more
useful -- are the ones that say "To
obtain a position that will allow me to utilize
and enhance my journalism skills."
Tell me that you want to be a reporter or copy
editor or photographer or graphic
artist or to work in sports -- or whatever
combination of things you want to do.  Or
just skip that part if you don't know and let me
figure it out from the rest of your
resume or your letter.

4.  Check your clips to make sure they are
legible. Many of us do take the time to
read them. Make sure the copies aren't fuzzy,
that your stories don't end in
midsentence because they weren't put on the
copier straight. Don't  reduce the size
too much.  Many of us don't have the eyesight of
a 20-something anymore.

5. Even though the straight news murder story led
the paper with a banner headline
at your last paper, those stories are routine to
me. I also want to see how you
explained  what a new tax levy will mean,  how
good you are at getting people to
talk, whether you have an eye for detail that
shows in your writing, that you have
good story ideas. I want to know that you are
able to think beyond breaking news. My
colleagues may differ with me on this, but in my
opinion, more is better. Send lots
of stuff.  I'll read what I want.

6.  This one can be risky to pull off fact fully,
especially for a beginning
journalist, but be ready with some suggestions
for making the paper better.   We
want to know that people we hire will help us
raise the bar. Suggest a sidebar or a
follow to something we've done.  Suggest some
additional people we could talk to.
At the same time, be aware that most of us are
pretty defensive about our work, so
don't trash it. As I said, it's a fine line.

7.Copy editors should make sure  their resumes
and cover letters are perfect.   Right or wrong,
we tend to be more  forgiving of typos
in reporters' material than in  copy editors.