INTRODUCTION
HOW TO REALLY GET A JOB IN BANKING: The single most important thing you can do is to talk to as many people as you can. Talk to bankers and second years at SOM, learn about their experiences and views, and above all think for yourself.

Getting a job in investment banking should involve two efforts on your part:
(1) Learning your own needs - what is it you want in a job?
(2) Learning what an investment bank is and does - does this type of job meets your needs?

As a final warning, there is an allure to investment banking, namely that it is a high powered, fast-paced, exciting, dynamic career that can make you rich. This can be true, but it is also just a job - particularly as a first-year associate when it may not be as glamorous as you thought it would be.

QUALITIES THAT INVESTMENT BANKS LOOK FOR
It is important to see yourself as a portfolio of skills and qualities conducting an internet job search as well as any other. There are a number of skills and qualities that banks look for, and a successful candidate needs to put together several, but certainly not all of them. Additionally, it is probably a good idea to have some balance in your portfolio.

Some qualities that banks look for on a resume or in the interview and some suggested ways to demonstrate them (these are just a few, and some banks will emphasize some more than others):

Show a strong interest in Finance:
 Be able to convey to an interviewer/contact that you understand what investment banking is, what an associate does, and why you would be a strong candidate for that particular bank.
 Read the Wall Street Journal and other financial publications and show that you can speak intelligently about the issues discussed.
 Specifically, gear you course work toward finance and accounting - show that you learned something in these classes.
Show that you are