I'm a CS Masters student. In the Fall, I'll be looking for a Software
Engineering job. My interests aren't any more specific than that at
this point; I'll work for whoever's hiring. What are the best things
for me to be doing now to improve my job prospects and beef up my
resume?

A summary of my current resume, so you know what you're working with:
C, Java, HTML, SQL, Perl, Python, JavaScript, some C++, programming in
Linux/Unix, using (but not programming in) Win2k and 98, the basics of
using a Mac. I have coursework (but little experience outside of class
projects) in OOP, operating systems, networks, and hardware. I've also
taken a database course. I've done theory and AI research for
professors. I had an internship where I created oracle databases with
web interaces.

Volunteer IT services to a non-profit. It would beef-up your skill-set
and help your community.

Hello Gremlin,

I did a quick search - on line sources are focused on taking your
resume and not helping you get you organized so you get hired.
However, I'll second the last comment. Get a job :-).

Volunteer work for a non-profit is one way.
Working at your college is another. [I did this]
Finding a local company to work at part time is a third [I did this
too].
Working on a project (at school) for a company - some schools do this
[I did this too]
Participate in a local computer group (e.g., Linux User's Group, ACM,
IEEE). [I did this too]

What jobs have you had so far - if you have had a steady job, you
would be considered in front of people w/o any experience as well.
When hiring some people, I would consider working at the local grocery
store more important than not having *any* job.

Another suggestion I read some time ago was to prepare examples of
your work and offer to go over them with prospective employers.
Demonstrate the quality of your work.

Good luck.

  --Maniac

I suggest that you build some sample applications that do something
useful.  Preferably not your classroom assignments.  If you plan to
apply for multimedia programming jobs, it wouldn't hurt for your
applications to have audio and video.  Linking to audio and video is
not as interesting as having your program make dynamic changes to that
audio and video based upon user interaction.

Often when looking at candidates, managers like to review code
samples.  Getting to watch that code sample do something interesting
on the screen is a big plus when distinguishing you from others in the
candidate pool.  Make certain that your code is self-documenting and
doesn't skimp by using difficult to decipher short variable names.  If
a future colleague is in on the decision, knowing that your code is
easy to understand may help get a vote in your favor.

Your code should demonstrate how discipline you are about
object-oriented programming techniques.  A manager is selecting from a
pool of people who probably all know how to program, so they are
looking for someone who can write code that is easy to maintain, and
can be understood in a shared development environment.  After that,
they are looking for a personality fit for their team.

Good luck.

If you are in the USA, relocating to a coutry where the economy is in
better shape might be worth considering.