Dress professionally. You only get one chance to make a first impression and you want to look professional not collegiate.

Statistically 75 percent of jobs are gotten through internships. That's why internships are so invaluable.

People hire people they like. Smile, be friendly, shake hands and thank people for their time.

You get a total of five hours. This means you get the chance to prepare your dish three times. Your best effort goes to the judges. In my case, I'm still puzzling over how we'll handle the fact that I wanted the chicken served hot over the cold greens. Do I get to tell the judges to throw the chicken back into the microwave if the salad sits around long enough for the chicken to cool?

Getting a chance to test what you've got against teams you don't normally play (is an advantage).

Each of us carries a sleeping tiger inside, and we can’t predict when that cat will wake, stretch, and sharpen its claws.