After slaving away on that perfect resume and writing what feels like hundreds of cover letters, you finally landed the big job interview. Yay for you! You’ve wowed someone with your accomplishments and degree, and now it’s time to blow them away them in person.

This is a pretty big deal.

You’ve heard it before, but you only get one chance at a first impression so it’s important to make sure that you are 110% prepared for the big day. You will undoubtedly be one of many interviewing for the given position, which means you need to go above and beyond all those other people to prove why you are the best suited for the job.

How can you be sure you are ready for the interview?

1. Research, research, research: You’ve probably already done a lot of research when you applied to the company, but that is not enough. Learn everything you can about the history, goals and mission so you can throw tiny facts and information into your answers during the interview. This proves to the interviewer that you are invested in not only getting a job, but contributing to the success of that company as a whole. You may also want to brush up on the industry so you know any big news or information that might be pertinent to the company you are applying with.

2. Practice talking in front of a mirror: This one sounds slightly ridiculous/Disney movie-esque but it is super important to see the way you present yourself when you talk. Print off a list of basic interview questions and answer them in front of your bathroom mirror (but lock the door so no one walks in on you lookin’ all crazy). Do you use your hands a lot? Play with your hair? Look down? Practice talking without doing all those distracting things so you look and present yourself more confidently during the interview.

3. Prepare questions for the interviewer: You will often be asked if you have any questions during an interview. And you should. It may not seem important, but when you ask the interviewer a question it shows interest.When you don’t, it looks bad, bad, bad.

Good questions to ask include: “Do you promote internally?”, “Is there an option to grow within the company?”, “Whom will I be working with most closely?”, “Does the company offer further professional development?”, “Why do you like working for this company?”

Bad questions to ask include: “What is vacation time like?”, “When will I get a raise?”, “What are your thoughts on dating coworkers?”

4. Know your “stock” answers: Every job interview is different, but many include some of the same questions. Know your strengths and weaknesses (and, for the love of God, don’t use the cliche “this weakness is actually a strength…”), know examples of times you’ve showed leadership/organizational/time management skills. You shouldn’t have to rack your brain for these answers, nor should you just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind to avoid an awkward silence (“That time my friend got really…er…sick and I had to take her home and take care of her.”).

5. Get some rest: Do NOT go out and “grab a drink” the night before an interview. Don’t even stay out late catching a midnight showing of Bruno. Use that time to perfect your interview skills, pick out an appropriate ensemble, and get into bed early. You want to be on the ball for your interview, NOT chugging Gatorade and scarfing down an Egg McMuffin in the waiting room.

The job market is tough out there, so wowing someone in an interview is more important than ever. Be prepared and make those people believe they can’t run that company without you.

I know you’re all still swamped with the work you neglected over spring break and don’t even want to think about the fact that exams are just around the corner. That’s why I hate to break it to you, but if you’re planning on sacrificing your summer for an internship this year,  the time to start searching, applying, and interviewing was yesterday. But don’t worry – you can still start now!

Whether you’ve already pledged to yourself that an internship will be beneficial to your eventual career, or this article only just now put the idea into your head, it can be difficult to know where to look. After all, if we are going to spend the summer working for little or no pay, we want the best damn internship out there, don’t we? As a bit of an intern connoisseur (I have five under my belt), I’d like to help steer you in the right direction.

1. Your school.

When employers are seeking smart, motivated interns, they often look to the local universities. Check in with your career center and see if any intern positions have been posted, or if a career counselor has gotten any requests for qualified applicants. While you’re there, a counselor can help you tighten up that resume so you really have an impact when you start sending it out.

Or, even better: see if anyone in your major department can help you out. You can usually earn college credit through an internship, so your professors have seen hundreds of students complete internships that often required a work-log or journal to prove that they were worthy of X credit hours. In fact, many departments now require an internship to complete the degree, so they have to be ready to point their students in the right direction. Personally, my English program had an internship elective, and one professor served as the internship coordinator. She gave me a list of potential employers, and then put in a good word for me after I’d chosen a company to pursue.

2. Friends and family

If you’ve got connections, use them! Is your cousin already successful in her own career field? Ask her if she knows anyone in the industry who is looking for interns. Is your dad’s best friend from high school the CEO of a Fortune-500? Ask if he can put in a good word. Our “elders” have all gone through some sort of struggle to succeed in their careers, and are always thrilled to see a young yet motivated individual.

Personal anecdote: My cousin is a graphic design major. I recently had a woman in my office (my superior, but not my boss) send out a mass email to the college students at work because her friend was looking for an intern who was experienced in web design. Knowing my cuz was looking for a summer gig that would allow her to build her portfolio, I immediately sent it on, and she soon got set up with an interview.

3. Cold-calling.

Make a list of companies that you would like to work for. Whether it’s a convenient, local company or a super-famous American icon (hey, even MTV needs interns!), write down their addresses and send out your resume. In your cover letter, express the fact that you would love to do an internship for them, but that if they don’t have anything available, you would appreciate an informal interview with one of their agents. This shows that you are serious about the company, and while many unsolicited resumes go unnoticed, you may actually get that informal interview- and that’s how you start networking for the future!

4. The internet.

Come on. What DON’T we go to the web for these days? Even if you’re doing the cold-calling mentioned above, you might find internship listings on the company websites while you are stalking their current HR person. Most companies do have sections for internship openings in their “Jobs” sections, and you might even find an online application form or specific job requirements and details.

If you don’t even know what types of COMPANIES to check out, there are plenty of searchable databases like internshipprograms.com, internships.com, and internzoo.com. Even Monster has an intern section, or you can dare to go abroad via InternAbroad.

(Personal note: for artsy students, especially in the realm of theater, check out the job listings on Playbill.com, because all of the performing arts internships for the summer are being posted, um…. now!)

So, if anyone has specific questions regarding your personal majors/career fields/job wishes… post them below! Your fellow CC’ers can share their own tips from past experiences!

Let me say this: I continue to have a bitter distaste for Dan, and Chuck remains (by far) my total fave. AND Lily gained some cool points tonight too. If you missed it, stop reading now, turn on your DVR, and watch. And if you watched, feel free to comment on your favorite part of last night’s stellar ep.

The show started with the usual Yale bullsh*t. Blah blah blah, aren’t they in yet, already? No, they aren’t. And there’s a certain new, young, hot teacher who is going to rock everyone’s world. Anybody else think it’s weird that Serena instantly becomes her new Shakespeare teacher’s bff? I mean, I had teachers I was tight with, but not to this degree. And, a note to Ms. Carr, never tell your students it’s your first salaried gig. That’s just asking for it.

As the Yale-shizz unravels, Serena laments to Dan that she is afraid that she’ll get into Yale, and Blair won’t. Presumptuous? Or foreshadowing?

This week’s weekly party is the opera gala. Seriously? That’s not nearly as exciting as the white party. But I suppose it’ll do, since Jack has already thrown Chuck’s dead father into the mix. We all know that Chuck was had by Jack last week, but is he going to take that? Hell. No.  And you gotta love Lily in this ep for making it happen.

So, on the Yale train, Dan gets in, Serena gets in, Blair gets waitlisted, and Ms. Carr threatens to destroy B’s GPA by not inflating grades.  Which obviously infuriates Blair.  And because S. apparently has a girl-crush on “Rachel,” (who calls high school teachers by their first names?), she declines Yale so B. can take her spot.

Of course, Blair can’t let it rest, so she instigates a plan to hurt Rachel’s feelings, only to find out that Rachel put in a good word for her at school.  Though she does try to fix it, Rachel’s pissed, and calls the headmistress to report Blair, putting the Queen Bee in detention.  For real. This can’t be good.

And then we get to the yelling-at-the-tv-thing.  Lily and Bart were planning on adopting each others’ kids to be a “real family.” And Bart signed the papers before he died.  So, Lily’s signature will make her Chuck’s guardian and thwart Jack’s douchey plans.  SERIOUSLY. AWESOME. When that happened, I looked at the clock: 8:45.  And I knew there was still 15 minutes of major dramz to come.

Obviously pissed off, the crazy Jack tries to rape Lily in the bathroom of the opera.  That’s a Lifetime Original Movie all in itself.   Chuck interrupts, punches Jack in the face, and tells Lily, “This doesn’t mean we’re family.  Just even.” GOD I love you, CB.

At the close of the episode, Ms. Carr runs into Dan in Brooklyn for a cappucino.  The fact that she was in Teach for America, and hot, and obviously written into the GG script to create tension makes me bet on a tumultuous Pacey-Witter-inspired affair bewteen Ms. Carr and Dan.  Can’t wait for that.  But be careful, Rachel, because Blair has officially waged war on you.  And a slip up such as Dan Humphrey could make it oh-so-easy.

The mysterious half-brother brought the cast on quite the roller-coaster this week, and it seems that Gossip Girl has achieved Mafia status, as she has the power to order a “hit” on Dan Humphrey. Instead of sleeping with the fishes, however, Dan merely has to deal with the humiliation of the entire school learning about his hankering for tuna. Meh.

As usual, the Bass family stole the show tonight, and Uncle Jack is truly an evil, despicable human being. Since Blair’s had a change of heart, what with coddling the grieving Chuckster and all, we need a new villain that we absolutely love to hate, and Jack sure makes a splash after, what? Two episodes?

Not only does Old Man River have a giant boner for the totally illegal Blair (everyone who commented on the ‘New Years’ references last week wins ten points), but he’s also lusting for a stake in Bass Enterprises, which, much to everyone’s surprise, has just been left to Chuck Bass. What? These minors can drink their faces off, ride around in limos, globetrot for the weekend, but they can’t run billion-dollar companies?

While Gossip Girl and the Queen Bee Wannabes search for Dan’s secret and Lily and Rufus search for their long lost son, Jack sets out to ruin his nephew’s life. And you thought your family reunions were torture. Chuck blows off Blair in favor of a gaggle of hoes and an eight ball of coke, and boy did he make the wrong decision. I’m not talking about being caught out by members of the Board, either. Leighton Meester looked PHENOM in the dress she was wearing when she got the “I’m working late” text from Chuck. Day-am.

The surprise congratulatory brunch for Chuck was this week’s host for the usual drama, with Chuck snapping at Blair and GG sending out a blast outing Dan and Serena’s shared half-brother. And surprise, Chuck! Jack didn’t mention that the board had the ability to replace you for poor behavior, did he? Poor Chuck is out of a hot mama, a huge corporation, a family… and he’ll never have the opportunity to live up to his father’s posthumous expectations. If you need a new shoulder to cry on, you can have mine.

Back to the rollercoaster that is Lily and Rufus’ search for their illegitimate son. First, the lawyers can’t find him. Then maybe they can. Then the new parents don’t want to talk. Then the father will. Then he drops a major bomb: their son died last year. I thought this was just an easy write-off on behalf of the GG writers, to bury (no pun intended) a fairly fallible subplot. But wait- just when you thought you could predict it all, wha-bam! The adoptive parents pull a Jack Bass, lying their way to completely alienate Andrew’s birth parents. This is certainly going to come back to haunt our favorite Upper East Siders in the future.

At the close of the episode, Serena and Dan decide they can work through their “hillbilly”-esque dilemma, Lily and Rufus seem quite cozy themselves, Blair finally washes her hands clean of Chuck, and Vanessa and Nate are celebrating their anniversary. Has it seriously been that long?

Well, fellow GG fanatics, I cannot wait for the supposedly-dead Andrew to shake things up, or for Chuck to wage war on the evil Uncle Jack. Too bad he ruined things with Blair, or he could totally set a pedophile trap for his pervy uncle and take back his company. But hey, anything’s possible in Gossip Girl world.

Sometimes, I think finding out that your mate has cheated is a blessing in disguise, because you can sidestep the entire “this isn’t working” discussion and end things in an explosive fight instead. Of course, for those of us who just had to choose nice, faithful boys, it can be hard to let the poor guy down. So, we make up excuses. Sometimes we even lie.

If you don’t think your man can handle the truth (“You’re obviously not going to get any better at foreplay,” “If I have to waste one more Sunday watching football with you and your frat boy buddies, I’m going to slit my own throat,” or, simply, “I can’t wait to bang Johnny from Journalism class, as soon as I get out of these shackles,”) you may want to/be forced to fabricate a reason for ending your exclusive relationship.

Junior year of college, I was in a dead end relationship. I had chased my boyfriend, and won, and within six months, I was bored. I tried so hard to instigate a blow-up, but it never worked. Instead of the ever-dramatic, uber-conclusive “Get out!”/ doorslam combo, my ex started crying and pacing around the halls of my dorm room, where a concerned RA took pity on him and returned him to my doorstep.

I considered a plethora of lies to catapult me back into the singles scene. “It’s not you, it’s me” is too generic an excuse, and when I tried to play that card, the guy started promising to change. I tried to use money as an excuse, arguing that I needed to pick up more shifts at work and spend less money on nights out. That one blew up in my face, since we worked together, and he thought that more work for me would also mean more time we could spend together; he also suggested saving money by staying in and watching movies. By this point, cuddling with him was making my skin crawl, but of course, I bit my tongue and sat through Quentin Tarantino’s Four Rooms. Since he was a pothead, I considered using narcotics as an excuse, but, as a partier myself, I would sound hypocritical, unless I vowed to cut booze out of my life.

How was I ever going to end this one?

Truth be told, it took an ambulance ride and a percocet prescription to get back into the singles scene. I kid you not.

My blessing-in-disguise came in the form of a dislocated knee. I had to take a leave of absence from my waitressing job, where my ex was a cook. Bonus: no awkward post-break-up interaction! I ignored the guy for a couple of days, and then told him that since I was incapacitated, I thought it would be too difficult to continue with the relationship. He was working full-time, after all, and I had to hobble around campus on crutches and crash, exhausted, at the end of the day.

I pretended I was more upset than I really was and said I was going to throw myself into my schoolwork for the rest of the semester. In reality, I was at the bar most nights, crutches and all. But at least I was single at the bar on crutches. It is sad that it took bodily harm to end my relationship, but sometimes there are no other options.

Am I alone on this one? Anyone else ever have some ridiculous story to get out of a relationship?