INTERN DIARY: The sad realisation that an offer probably wasn't on the table

With my penultimate week kicking off, the dreaded realisation that I might not get an offer began to draw upon me. OK, in all honesty I could have worked harder, but a number of my friends at other banks had already received offers and I was beginning to get a little hungry for one myself.

So, with this renewed desire and determination I enthusiastically began the next week of my internship. The first task, as usual, was to go out and source work. By now this was getting painfully boring, but I reminded myself that in two weeks' time I would be in Amsterdam with my friends, so I sucked up my dignity and began my rounds of the desk.

After being turned down by the 10th person, I went directly to the MD and told him that I had nothing to do. He then pulled out a bunch of papers as thick as his thighs (which, by the way, are like tree trunks) and then proceeded to pull out four more piles of paper.

My next task, he told me, would be to file these documents in alphabetical order like a common clerk, albeit on a much higher hourly wage.

Let's face it, this task was a little humiliating (particularly so far into my internship) and I don't think I'm exaggerating to say that this was my most depressing week so far. It was made worse by the fact I couldn't even tell anyone about my predicament for fear of ridicule!

So I decided to use this time productively, and started applying for grad jobs at other banks. Most major banks have now opened their graduate applications and, from the way things were looking here, I would probably need to begin my search elsewhere.

I had heard a rumour that once someone had done a summer internship at another bank they would be fast-tracked for graduate interviews, so I phoned up HR at the major banks and found this is true.

By the time Friday came, I had made minimal progress on my filing, but had managed to send out seven graduate applications and had a weekend of numeracy and verbal tests to look forward to.