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First, some friends were recently debating whether it's good to include a college G.P.A. on a resume. I assume it's probably seen as mandatory for internships, but at what point do you scrap that? I'm a two-year vet of newspapers and had a pretty strong G.P.A. (about 3.7) and graduated with honors and distinction. Does anyone care?

Second, how much value do recruiters give to international experience (particularly at English-language papers)?

Lastly, I'm nearing the completion of my first novel and have some interest from publishers. Obviously, I don't include fiction writing in any applications. But is that kind of a side career something that employers need to know about? Could that be seen as a negative?

Thank you,

Stan

Joe Grimm

1.) Resumes are G.P.A.-optional, even for internship candidates. Put it on if it's high, omit it if it's under 3.0. And, yes, two years is probably long enough to keep it on there.

2.) Most U.S. editors do not give international experience as much weight as they would give to experience at U.S. newspapers of a similar or even somewhat smaller size. They are looking for experience to be as similar as possible.

3.) Editors can go either way on your fiction-writing side job. Just in case, don't wear your beret to the interview.