Landing a newspaper internship is a year-round process, not a flurry of activity late one night in the winter. The biggest mistake people make is waiting too long to look for summer internships.

Take advantage of interview days arranged by your journalism department or career services office. In some law and business schools, students have to bid for interviews, “spending” points just to get in to see top recruiters. J-schools make things easier than that, so take advantage of these chances.

Interviewing is not as critical in the internship chase as it is in the job hunt, but get as many as you can. One good interview can put you ahead of the pack and every interview is good practice for the inevitable job interviews in your future.

Treat an e-mail interview more formally than you would treat an on-line chat. You are creating a permanent record and a permanent impression.