发出五份申请，没有一次面试机会——这就是我试图在顶级投资银行谋得夏季实习机会的结果。

但我的经历并不是唯一的。在寻找夏季实习机会的过程中，我绝大多数的同学在这几周内遭遇的拒绝，比他们一生中经历的拒绝还要多。

这不是对我们能力的一种控诉。我们都很聪明，高度主动，能胜任大部分工作。相反，这些拒绝只是如实地反映了我们是谁、我们未来的职业道路应该如何。回头来看，这些坦率的评估是我们两年制全职MBA课程未曾预料到的副产品之一。由于这段经历，我们发现自己更好地定位了适合我们的职业生涯。

问题是，我们中很多人都经不住诱惑，去申请了不适合我们的工作。

暑期实习招聘期是有欺骗性的。当我们结束圣诞假期回到学校后，一些全球一流公司的招聘人员开始在校园里欢迎我们。每家公司都对它们为何是或即将成为相关领域的全球最佳公司进行了一番宣示。我们与最高层管理者见面，得到了准确定位，而且最重要的是，我们都得到了吹捧。

我们相信，这些公司来到伦敦商学院校园就是为了给我们工作的。我们的自信心又膨胀了一些。

但很快，这样的信心就开始蒸发。随着求职申请递出，一轮、二轮，有时甚至是三轮面试结果陆续出来，我们开始理解这个程序了。与这些公司鼓吹的相反，我们根本没有任何优势。掌握决定权的，是那些接受顶级商学院所有学生申请的公司。

成功并非来自运气，而是来自我们的具体行动。此类行动至关重要，不但对于找到夏季实习来说如此，对于职业生涯其它时间获得就业机会来说，也同样重要。

我未能成功进入投行并非智力的问题。相反，这是我犯了一个常见错误造成的，这个错误就是随大流。我曾经并不打算在一家传统投行或咨询公司供职。能源行业曾是我关注的焦点，有好几个月的时间内，我一直在往这个领域努力。

但在寒假开始之前，我注意到了充斥整个伦敦商学院的集体兴奋。班上的同学聚在一起讨论他们递往高盛(Goldman Sachs)、波士顿咨询(BCG)以及美林(Merrill Lynch)等公司的申请。所有人似乎都对实习招聘的初期程序感到兴奋，而我却没有。我环顾四周后开始认为，我肯定做错了什么。因此我决定申请这些公司，看看它们是否是我真正应该去的地方。

在此过程中，我又犯了另一个错误，没有展示我的承诺。大多数MBA学生都具备在顶级公司工作的资质。而让他们彼此有差别的地方就是其职业承诺。为保持竞争力，来伦敦商学院招聘的企业需要得到他们雇员的承诺。因此他们不仅是来寻找技能的，而且还在寻找热情和动力。在信息交换和后来的申请材料递交环节，他们无法从候选人当中确认这些要素。

这类承诺甚至应该在这些公司来校园招聘的几个月之前，就应该通过和招聘人员的交谈传达出去。这体现为在10月份就建立联系，而不是到1月份再搭建关系网。成功的少数人不一定是最聪明的，而是那些从第一天开始就展示其承诺的人。通过展示承诺，他们加大了获得诱人面试机会的概率。

即便到那时，大家才清楚，获得面试机会仅仅是就业长征路上的又一步而已。

大部分公司都有多轮面试，从恳谈会到咄咄逼人的提问，各种方式都有。每一个可以想象得到的问题都会长时间的讨论——从公司的历史到职位的具体细节，从最近的交易到市场的趋势，不一而足。要想表现好，就需要一定程度的准备工作，而这种准备无法通过简单的填鸭式吸收材料来完成，需要花上几个月的时间来分析某个行业、某家公司和某项工作职能。

完成任务的感觉来自录用通知。你经历了一次彻底的筛查，最终胜出。但是这个过程并未结束。你的目标是在完成MBA学业后找到一个乐此不疲的职业生涯。因此，如果某个职位不是你实现最终目标的最佳方式，那么，接受这个职位是没有意义的。有些人匆匆忙忙地接受了主动出现的第一个机会。这或许并不错，但可能并不符合你的最大利益。

大型公司离开校园之后，中小型企业又来了。它们或许不是家喻户晓的那种，但这些公司提供的东西更多：责任和成长。在这些公司，你不会被放在一个你不能发挥多大影响的岗位，相反，你获得了一个让你对某家公司的收益具有持久影响力的职位。

另一个策略是开始自己的就业搜索之路。很多杰出的公司从不到校园招聘。和那些在招聘季节很晚的时候才进入校园的小公司一样，那些杰出的公司有时也可能提供更多东西。在我看来，我那些采取这种方式的同学获得了最有意义的夏季实习机会。

我知道，顶级学校的MBA将帮助我胜任一个特殊层级的工作。但我也认识到，拥有MBA文凭并不足以保证我找到工作。动机和准备工作将让我获得适合我的工作。这一点非常重要——不但对夏季实习如此，对于找到一个一生乐此不疲的职业生涯，也是如此。

Five applications and not one interview. This was the result of my attempt to land a summer internship at a top investment bank.

Yet my experiences are not unique. In the search for summer employment, the overwhelming majority of my classmates experienced more rejections over the course of a few weeks than they had in their entire lives.

This was not an indictment of our abilities. We are all intelligent, highly motivated and able to perform in most job environments. Instead, the rejections serve as an honest reflection of who we are and what our future career path should be. In retrospect, these candid assessments are one of the unforeseen by-products of a full-time, two-year MBA. Thanks to this period, we find ourselves better positioned to be in the career that is right for us.

The problem is, many of us get tempted into applying for jobs that are wrong for us.

The summer internship recruitment period is deceptive. On our return from the Christmas break, we were greeted by recruiters from some of the world's leading companies. Each gave a pitch as to why it is the best or soon to be the best in its field. We met the top managers, were given an assortment of paraphernalia and best of all, were fed.

We believed that these companies were on the London Business School campus just to hand us jobs. Chins were raised a little higher.

But this confidence quickly evaporated. As the applications were submitted and the interviews for rounds one, two and, in some cases, three were published, an understanding of this process began to sink in. Contrary to the impression created by these companies, we had no leverage. It was they, receiving applications from everyone at the top schools, who held the power.

Success does not come by luck but through specific actions on our parts. Such actions are critical, not just to finding a summer internship but to gaining fulfilling employment for the rest of our careers.

My lack of success with the investment banks was not a question of aptitude. Rather, it was in my making a common mistake – following the crowd. I had had no intention of working for a traditional investment banking or consulting firm. The energy sector had been my focus and for months I had been directing my efforts to work in that sector.

Before leaving for the winter break, though, I noticed the collective excitement enveloping the halls of LBS. Classmates huddled in discussion over their applications for Goldman Sachs, BCG, Merrill Lynch and the like. Everyone seemed excited about the incipient internship recruitment process and I was not. I looked round and thought I must be doing something wrong. So I decided to apply to these firms to see if they were where I truly should be.

In the process, I made another mistake – not demonstrating commitment. Most MBA students possess the qualifications to work at top firms. What differentiates one candidate from another is commitment. To remain competitive, companies recruiting from LBS need commitment from their employees. So they are looking not only for skills but also for passion and motivation. They are unable to identify these qualities from the candidate's attendance at an information session and subsequent submission of an application.

This commitment is demonstrated by talking to recruiters months before the company even arrives on campus. It is shown by building relationships in October, not networking in January. The successful few were not necessarily the brightest but those who, from day one, showed their commitment. By demonstrating it, they lengthened the odds of gaining the coveted interview.

Even then it became clear that securing the interview was just another step in the long road to employment.

Most companies have many rounds of interview, ranging from the cordial to the aggressive. Every imaginable question – from the company's history to the intimate details of the job, recent deals and trends in the market – are discussed at length. Doing well requires a level of preparation that comes not through cramming but by spending months analysing an industry, a company and a job function.

Afeeling of accomplishment comes with a job offer. You endured a thorough screening and made the cut. However, the process is not over. The goal is to find an enjoyable career after completing the MBA. So there is no point in taking a position if it is not the best way to achieve your end goal. In haste, some take the first opportunity that presents itself. This is hard to fault but it may not be in your best interests.

Once the larger companies have left campus, the medium-sized and small companies arrive. They may not be household names but these firms offer something more: responsibility and growth. Rather than being placed in a role where you will have little influence, you are given a position that allows you to have a lasting impact on a firm's bottom line.

Another strategy is to embark on one's own employment search. Many great companies never come to campus. Like the smaller firms that arrive far later in the recruitment process, they can sometimes offer so much more. In my opinion, my classmates who took this approach secured the most interesting summer job.

I knew an MBA from a top school would help me become eligible for a special class of job. But I've realised that having the MBA is not enough to attain the job. Motivation and preparation will get me the position that is right for me. This matters – not only for a summer internship but also for finding an enjoyable career for years to come.