Job hunt questions for upcoming grads

I don't think it matters, but I'm no where close to being an editor. I did the same thing when I applied for jobs last year. I could have sent PDFs, but I figured A. I wouldn't make them/send them right and B. I didn't want to be the guy who sent the huge e-mail that overloaded the editor's inbox.
I copy and pasted stories and heds from the web and put them in a word file. At the end of all my clips I put hyperlinks with the hed or topic of the story. That way they can see that you didn't change anything and verify when and where they were published.

I've heard from some editors / recruiters that they like seeing how a story looked in print and how it was played. I've heard other editors / recruiters say they just want to see the text because you probably didn't write the headline or design the page. You are trying to sell yourself, not how someone else can design a package.

 

Got my first interview coming up next Friday. Any guesses as to how much you'd expect a recent graduate copy editor to be paid by a 27k circulation daily on the outskirts of a major metro area?

 

25-28k/year

 

sounds about right, and good luck, aschaefe. But focus on the interview, not the pay. You won't get any money from them if that's all your thinking about. Get the job and or the offer before you are too concerned about money.

 

Yeah, money isn't too big of a concern, as the job is close enough to home that I could probably live with my parents for a while until I had enough to move out. I was just wondering what the ballpark figure would be out of curiosity more than anything else.

 

Oh, another thing: I'm going to have to take a copy editing test. Any tips for brushing up, besides reading over the AP Stylebook religiously? Anybody know where I can get practice copy editing tests, for example?

 

Sometimes those tests are just general knowledge tests. Can you recognize all the names in a list of newsworthy people, that type of thing.

Go over the stylebook, go over the punctuation guide in the back, and then brush up on things like your state capitals, acronyms of government departments (FBI, USDA, EEOC), spend a bit of time looking at a map of the world, brush up on some algebra and geometry terms, maybe find a trivia game to play online to get the juices flowing.

Normally they say you can't study for those things, and they're right, but it can't hurt to jog your memory of things you "should" know.

 

This site isn't all inclusive, but some of the exercises are good practice: http://www.newsroom101.com/

 

Thanks beetus that site looks like it'll be very helpful.

 

Here is my story ...

I graduate May 9 with a journalism degree

3 years experience at 33k newspaper (got the job my sophomore year in HS). Covered high school sports and Division II sports
2 1/2 years at my current job -- 47k newspaper (this is the paper located in the town where I go to school). Covered high school sports and Division I and III sports (football, basketball, baseball and softball). Strung for metro papers as well.
What can I expect? I work almost 25 hours a week at my current paper. I do features and advances as well.
What can I expect? I have applied to jobs between 30k and 45k all over the country. I am willing to go anywhere. I do not mind doing preps at all. If that is what I did the rest of my life, I would be happy.

Be honest, please.

 

obviously, i haven't read your clips, so it's hard to say. but i think you're limiting yourself. apply at larger shops as well.

 

You can expect a tough job market. But it looks like you have the right attitude, so I think you'll be OK. Now for the broken record: Don't just apply for job postings; send clips to any and all papers you think you would like to work for and get on their radar screen. Especially in this job climate, the best jobs aren't getting posted.