To whom it may concern: the inside scoop on newspaper recruiters' idiosyncrasies.

Quigley, Kathryn

It's like getting ready for a blind date. Journalists searching for a newspaper job need to learn how to romance the recruiters. Who are they? What are they like? What do they want?

Journalists spend hours overanalyzing their e-mails and letters, phoning colleagues to discuss the recruiters' quirks and pet peeves, which often become journalism lore. Want a leg up? Here's a cheat sheet on four well-known newspaper recruiters.

(Full disclosure: I sent clips to Kathy Pellegrino in 1995 and had an interview with Glenn Proctor and the Star-Ledger editors in 2000.)

RECRUITER: Joe Grimm

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NEWSPAPER: Detroit Free Press

WHO HE IS: Recruiting and development editor

HIS STYLE: Grimm is famous for writing thank-you notes to applicants almost as soon as the interview is over. He is personable and professional. Grimm tries to put journalists at ease during interviews. "I don't think a person does their best interviewing if they are scared," he says.

LIKES: Resumes and cover letters sent via snail mail and not in multiple attachments via e-mail. Wants to read six clips and a cover letter that shows some passion and curiosity. Looks for applicants who are inquisitive during their interviews. "I want somebody to ask good questions."

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DOESN'T LIKE: Cover letters addressed "To Whom It May Concern."

PREFERS: E-mails from applicants rather than phone calls for general checking-in.

CONVERSATION STARTERS: His book on sailors and songs of the Great Lakes; his stint as Sister Conan the Grammarian.

SENSE OF HUMOR: Quirky. Grimm is known to offer interviewees a bingo card full of cliched job interview questions and ask them to fill out the squares throughout the day.

DON'T FLAME HIM: Disgruntled job seekers who send nasty e-mails get that e-mail stapled directly to their files.

WEIRDEST GIMMICK SENT BY A JOB SEEKER: A T-shirt sent by an obituary writer applicant that said on the front, "Jones on obits ..." and on the back, "... couldn't you just die?"

DID IT WORK? No

RECRUITER: Kathy Pellegrino

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NEWSPAPER: South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale

WHO SHE IS: Recruitment editor and staff attorney

HER STYLE: Corporate, businesslike and straightforward. She is careful to not give applicants either false hope or unwarranted negativity.

LIKES: Applicants who know their strengths and which job would suit them.

DOESN'T LIKE: Cutesiness. Illegible clips. Resumes e-mailed with multiple attachments. Links to online articles.

PREFERS: Resumes and cover letters on plain old 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper.

CONVERSATION STARTERS: Tennis, the Florida Gators and her tray of bad-karma paperclips.

SENSE OF HUMOR: Dry

WEIRDEST GIMMICK SENT BY A JOB SEEKER: A brain made out of Silly Putty.

DID IT WORK? No

RECRUITER: George Rede

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NEWSPAPER: Portland's Oregonian

WHO HE IS: Director of recruiting and training

HIS STYLE: Soft-spoken, organized, thorough, good listener. Calls himself a "talent scout" for the newspaper. Describes himself as "receptive" and "generally supportive."

LIKES: Journalists who specifically want to work at the Oregonian because of its reputation, not just because they need a job or want to live in Portland.

DOESN'T LIKE: Job-seekers who don't ask questions during the interview. Resumes longer than one page.

PREFERS: Packets that are "precise," i.e., a good cover letter, neat and legible clips. "A good cover letter gives me the reason to look at the resume," he says.

CONVERSATION STARTERS: The Oregonian, why he wanted to work with its editor, Sandy Rowe, and if Mount St. Helens (only 60 miles away) is going to blow.

SENSE OF HUMOR: Quiet and quick-witted

WEIRDEST GIMMICK: Bright orange envelope. "It almost looked radioactive," he says.

DID IT WORK? No

RECRUITER: Glenn Proctor

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NEWSPAPER: Newark's Star-Ledger

WHO HE IS: Associate editor

HIS STYLE: Edgy, intense and no-nonsense. Admits he is a "hard-ass." Likes that he is. "That's the image I want to project," Proctor says. Creator of "Proctor's Rules," a set of standards for job applicants to follow. They include: four references, 12 clips and a thorough knowledge of the Star-Ledger. and its editors.

LIKES: Applicants who come in for interviews prepared to discuss the Star-Ledger.

DOESN'T LIKE: Clips on 8 1/2-by-14-inch paper. MUST be on 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper (Proctor's Rules). Will not accept resumes or cover letters sent via e-mail attachments.

PREFERS: Job applicants who call him one week after the interview and about every three months after that.

CONVERSATION STARTERS: Prizes won by the Star-Ledger. His travels to journalism conferences around the country. The entire set of Proctor's Rules.

SENSE OF HUMOR: Deep down, he possesses a pretty good one. Likes to tease.

WEIRDEST GIMMICK: Are you kidding? Gimmicks are NOT in Proctor's Rules!

Quigley teaches journalism at Rowan University in New Jersey.