How to Land an Editor's Job at Your College Newspaper

For any college student looking to break into the world of journalism, the school newspaper is always a great place to start. Almost anyone with decent writing ability can be a staff writer, but only a few of the best can handle being an editor. Are you one of those people?

If you think you can make it to the editor's desk, read on and learn how to start getting there.

Start off as a staff writer and write as frequently as you can. You will need the writing experience before you can critique what other people are writing. This also helps you to make deadlines and gain practice in interviewing sources. Strong writing and grammar skills are essential for anyone who wants to become a section editor.

Write for a variety of sections. Offer to cover a varsity sports team, speak your mind about an issue on campus, or talk about some new campus policies. With any newspaper having different sections, you should have no problem showing your knowledge in several areas. Aside from that, you will learn about different writing styles for each section.

Learn about your newspaper's publishing program. Even if you're just picking up the "For Dummies" edition or something similar, you just need some way to learn the basics. Read books, do Internet research, and if possible, shadow someone in the newspaper office. Editors may go over copy, but they also work on page design, so get a basic understanding of what that's all about.

If you get to go into the newspaper office to shadow, start getting to know the staff. Observe how they work and if they enjoy being around each other. Make sure to pay attention to everyone's name and position. Ask them if they like being on the paper. This is your time to ask questions because during your first few weeks, there will be no such thing as a stupid one.

Once you are an editor:

Attend all or almost all of the staff meetings. Your newspaper may have a staff meeting once a week where the editors and faculty advisor come together to discuss the previous issue and plan for the next one. At all the meetings, make sure you are prepared to discuss your writers' assignments for the next issue as well as any ongoing concerns you have about the paper. If you cannot attend, make sure your assistant editor, a managing editor, or an editor in chief can speak for your section.

Don't become the impossible one to deal with. You may be an editor but that doesn't give you the right to act superior over your other writers or, if you have one, an assistant editor. If you are having a problem with someone, handle it maturely and don't go overboard on criticizing them. Most importantly, don't let any know it all attitude cause problems between you and other editors.

Stay active as a writer. Not only does this help you build your portfolio, you may need to step in and write when a big story comes along or when you find yourself short on writers. You may even improve some parts of your writing.

Being a newspaper editor is a great resume builder and a way to improve on your writing and communication skills. Like anything else though, you need to start out at the bottom and work your way up. Good luck, future journalists!