Note: All positions are currently filled. Check back in 2013.
The New York Times is hiring experienced copy editors and Web producers. If you apply via e-mail to news-jobs@nytimes.com, this is the automatic reply that is sent out, current as of October 2012. It explains the job requirements, test and tryout procedures.
Thank you for inquiring about job openings in the newsroom of The New York Times. This automated message acknowledges receipt of your e-mail. Please send a copy of your résumé to this address, with three references and links to work samples, if you have not already done so. We generally expect applicants to have a minimum of *two to five years' daily news editing and production experience* with a newspaper or other general news site.
A limited number of applicants are sent our home editing test. Those who do well are then invited to the newsroom for interviews and a tryout. We keep a list of applicants who have passed a tryout. We hire from that list when we have openings. Editing and production jobs are based in the New York City newsroom. Schedules are generally nights and weekends, with some overnight work possible.
Your material will be reviewed over the next 6 to 8 weeks. Because we receive hundreds of applications per week, we are unable to write individual replies or give status updates to everyone who writes to this address. We will keep your material on file, and you are welcome to send us updates about any changes in your editing or digital journalism career every six to 12 months.
We expect to have a small number of openings every few months for copy editors and Web producers. Here is our current job posting for copy editors and Web producers, with more details about the requirements and the position:
Openings in Web Production and Copy Editing
The News Presentation Department is conducting interviews and tryouts for openings in night Web production and the copy desks.
Ideal candidates for night Web production and copy-editing jobs should have at least 3 to 5 years of experience editing or producing articles for daily news organizations. They must be proficient in grammar and usage, understand the application of house style, have a strong grasp of current events, be able to identify material that may need to be checked for accuracy and know how to undertake that checking, and demonstrate creativity in the writing of headlines and other display type. Knowing how to fix a troubled story with skill and diplomacy, with no damage to the writer's voice, is essential.
Understanding of the elements of good journalistic practice and ethics at the level of The Times is mandatory. You must have experience using publishing systems for print and the Web, and the ideal candidates will have digital production and trouble-shooting skills beyond the basics. Candidates should have an understanding of search optimization for headlines. Some reporting experience is advantageous but is not a replacement for the required editing and production experience.
These Guild positions will involve working nights, weekends and holidays, and, in some cases, on the overnight shift. Opportunities for advancement after a few years include positions as assigning editors or senior Web producers assigned to news desks or the home page.
Times newsroom employees who have worked on a copy desk or in Web production, and others who have passed a take-home editing test and production assessment, are welcome to apply. External candidates must pass an at-home editing test and a tryout (for producers, a technical assessment and interviews; for copy editors, a four-day editing tryout plus interviews).
To apply, please send a current résumé, three references and links to work samples to news-jobs@nytimes.com, marked to the attention of Patrick LaForge, Editor, News Presentation. Please do not send applications to any personal e-mail addresses at The Times.