By Joe Grimm
Q. I grew
up in New York, I'm going into my third year of college in
Massachusetts and I've had three internships -- at an alternative
magazine in LA, a small daily in western Massachusetts and a mid-size
metro weekly in New York City.
I know my interests lie in local reporting (though I'm open to helping out with interesting Web projects). Do I have a better chance applying to East Coast papers for internships than at papers elsewhere in the country? Do state newspapers tend to look out for their own?
I'm asking because I'm impressed with the talent at all of these newspapers, but I don't know which ones might return the interest.
I'll live anywhere. I'll even get a car.
Thank you,
Marianna
A. Your hometown is only one of many factors that employers look at.
Of course, employers are treating internships as dress rehearsals for jobs and hope to hire people who might
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stay on if asked. That can lead them to favor people who have a local connection. But employers also look at skills, experience and talents.
When I hired interns for the Detroit Free Press, I always hired some good local people and some good ones from out of town who I thought would be open to working with us full time and whose fresh eyes brought us stories we had been overlooking. We hired some of the interns from each group as full-time employees.
Coming Monday: Hiring freezes, buyouts and layoffs prevented her from getting benefits and a raise. Now that she has them, it's time to go. How will bosses who fought for her feel?
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