* Remember that it's not your story.

It's the writer's story. It's the reader's story. It's the publication's story.

It's not the editor's story. You're just helping out. Maybe a lot, but still ...

* Find the time and the will to roam the newsroom and talk with writers every day -- not to writers but with them.

That means listening as well as speaking. It means answering questions as well as asking them.

* Be yourself.

Don't change your personality (for the worse) because you've moved up in the world. Create new working relationships rooted in your own comfort zone and your own strengths.

* Get the writer talking.

Ask questions about stories, then shut up and listen to the answers. Both the problems and the solutions are most likely to emerge that way.

* Build on what works.

Find something nice -- and specific -- to say about a story. Start the conversation there, then gently build on the praise to steer the conversation toward what needs work.

* When you ask your questions, keep an open mind. Be willing to change your ideas about what the story should be or how to fix it.

Sure, you might write the story differently. But remember that it's not your story.

Sometimes you might even want to settle for an A-minus story from a writer who started with barely a B (even though you just KNOW your idea would turn it into an A-plus piece) if doing so gives him or her confidence to build on for the next story and the next.

* Limit your focus.

Don't bombard the writer with a multitude of problems all at once. Pick one or two to work through together at a time (particularly if it's a deadline time). Hold the rest for later.

* Understand the writer's writing process -- how he or she puts the story together.

Sometimes, the problem isn't where you think it is. You'll never know unless you talk with the writer about the process rather than only the finished product.

* Respond to the individual.

Different people respond differently to different approaches from the boss ... uh, coach. Figure out what works best with each writer.

And accept that some people will always rub you the wrong way -- and vice versa. Just deal with it, professionally, and hope they either change or move on.

* Admit your mistakes promptly, candidly, contritely and directly to the person you wronged.

Do it before you tell the rest of the world (and the rest of the world tells the writer).

* You will change jobs -- and probably even careers -- repeatedly.

The first job is just that: a first job. It is a chance to get out there and learn what you like to do.

Think of it as a continuation of your education ... but with the pleasant twist that you get paid (a little) to learn.

* Make connections with people who can help you.

The more people you know, both at your own level and above it, the more you will learn and the more opportunities you will have.

And down the road, remember to pay back: Help those young kids who will be looking up to you!

* Editors are in demand, and not just at newspapers.

* The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) says employers expect their college hiring for 2005-06 to be up almost 14 percent from 2004-05.

Overall, more than 60 percent of the employers responding to a recent NACE survey said they will hire more new college graduates this year. Another 22.5 percent reported plans to maintain hiring at last year’s levels (which were up from the previous year).

Preliminary reports, released in April, from the same group also indicate entry-level salaries will increase.

* What skills are employers looking for?

The same organization reports that employers see communication skills, along with honesty and integrity, as the most important skill for new hires -- that's all new hires, not just in communications fields. A report released just last week indicates employers gave those skills an average rating of 4.7 on a 5-point scale.

* Don't have anything lined up yet? Don't panic. Employers in most media fields (unlike, say, investment banking) tend to hire close to start dates.

* For the first time since 2000, the percentage of JMC bachelor's graduates who had at least one job offer on graduation was up; about 70 percent had an offer.

* Nearly 93 percent of the JMC graduates looking for work had at least one in-person interview, also up from previous years.

* And yes, this did translate into actual jobs. Among those looking for work (as opposed to entering grad school, traveling, whatever) seven in 10 of the May 2004 JMC graduates held a full-time job by October -- again, up from 2001, 2002 and 2003.

A majority were in communications-related jobs.

* Daily newspapers: $26,000

* Weekly newspapers: $24,000

* Consumer magazine: $27,000

* Copy editing jobs board, hosted by the American Copy Editors Society.

* Journalism jobs in general can be found at various sites, including J-Jobs, hosted by U-C Berkeley, and JournalismJobs.com, in partnership with Columbia Journalism Review.

* InsertTextHere also offers numerous useful links, including another nice resource page from the Iowa j-school's Webmaster.

* CareerJournal.com, from the Wall Street Journal, is mostly for mid-career professionals in various fields, but it contains a bunch of interesting info for everyone.

Check out "The Jungle" columns on the related CollegeJournal.com site, as well as the media salary tables, for instance.