First, I want to say thank you for all the great information provided in your column. It has proved to be a great resource for a J-school senior.
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I am currently doing an internship at a small daily in Ohio, and I really enjoy my job. This is the only internship I will have under my belt upon graduation. Hence the question: Would it be in my best interest to complete another internship post-graduation before beginning the job hunt, or should I immediately enter my resume in the market and begin applying for positions?
I have 1.5 years as a staff writer and section editor at my school paper, and I'm moving up to editor for my final year. Is that enough experience to begin at a small paper?
Thanks so much!
Sarah 
Your editors will be the best judge of your abilities, so make sure you have good conversations with a couple of them as your internship winds down.
Graduating students, whether grads or undergrads, have an option.
In October, start applying for internships that would help you grow. As a rule of thumb, look for something at double the circulation you now have and something that would expose you to a different region. If you get one, take it and put your job search off until you have about a month to go in that second internship. The additional experience should help you qualify for bigger papers and paychecks than this internship would mean.
If, by March, you haven't landed an internship, just turn your search into a job hunt, looking at papers like the ones your internship editors suggest. Ideally, they'll be your references.
Good luck.
Coming Monday: He is about to begin a job search, but his bosses tell him that company policy will prevent them from giving any sort of meaningful reference on him.
