Following up on my previous comment on the ‘gruelling and soul-destroying’ process, here’s the statistics I have so far.
Applications sent: 38
Interviews (with different companies): 7
Rejections: 29
*The numbers doesn’t add up as there’re pending interviews and responses (or perhaps silent rejection).
I recently received a formal contract from a prestigious investment bank. Given everything goes well (i.e. obtaining my work permit in UK), I should be working in London as an summer intern. And if luckier, I will receive a couple more offers (either from the same company or from other ones) by the time I finish the internship. But for now, I’ll leave job hunting aside and focus my mind on getting a distinction (I also just embarked on a new challenge related to diet, but I will save the details for the next entry).
Hope the job stats will bring some comforts to friends who’re looking for a job. As I mentioned before, the process’s gruelling and time consuming, rejections are common, and there’re lots of random factors involved. When we see people getting offers from prestigious companies, remember we only see the final result. And as one of my most respected mentor said, life is not about competing to have an excellent CV or high paying salary, as both are just means to some ends (e.g. more choices, autonomy to choose satisfying work or to pursue activities that bring personal satisfaction). So never lose heart.
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