How I Built the Resilience to Land Offers from JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley

1. The Offer Was Exciting. The Journey Was Something Else.

This September, I’ll be joining JPMorganChase as a Technology Apprentice, a decision I came to after receiving offers from two of my original top choices: JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley.

From the outside, it sounds like a dream. But behind the scenes, it was far from smooth. I had to juggle a mountain of commitments: studying Advanced Highers in Mathematics, Physics, and Mechanics, Higher Admin & IT, self-teaching technical skills, competing with my school’s basketball team, and leading Inverclyde Academy as Head Pupil, driving meaningful change through the Pupil Parliament of around 100 students.

I also held roles like MVP Mentor, House Captain, and joined interview panels that taught me how to approach my own interviews with confidence. At one point, I had basketball competitions, prelim exams, teacher interviews, and apprenticeship interviews all in the same week. At some point, my teacher even advised I spend more time in class.

Balancing all my commitments was tough. But the hardest part wasn’t my workload, it was keeping my motivation up after multiple rejections. That’s where the real battle began.

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2. The Real Hurdle: My Battle with Rejection Burnout

Someone once said to me, “You’ve had 8 rejections, what makes you think you’ll land an offer?”

That hit hard, especially when I was already under pressure. What kept me going was the amount of time I spent strategising, planning, and refining every single part of my applications. I was lucky to be surrounded by people who believed in me. They reminded me of my work ethic and how far I’d come.

After every rejection, I asked: What went wrong? What can I do better? Sometimes I received instant rejections with no feedback, but I learned that not every rejection means you’ve done something wrong. Sometimes it’s just not your fit.

One rejection came because I hadn’t included that I was willing to relocate on my CV. Small detail, huge impact. That’s why you can’t afford to overlook anything. Give every single stage of your application 100% effort.

Success isn’t just about being good. It’s about going above and beyond. I reached out to employers, apprentices, teachers, friends, family, anyone who could offer insight. And when you speak up, you’ll be surprised who’s willing to help or point you in the right direction.

Key Tip One key tip: build your network early. I wish I’d joined LinkedIn sooner. There were opportunities I missed simply because I didn’t know they existed. It’s never too early to prepare. And if you’re late to it, it’s never too late to start.

Tailor every application to the company’s values. Research what they stand for and show that in your CV, cover letter, and interview. If you’re struggling to find a company’s values, ask Copilot or ChatGPT. It’s somewhere out there.

Also, don’t forget your people skills. Communication, teamwork, courage, public speaking are essential. Employers aren’t just hiring skillsets. They’re hiring teammates. Fit matters. Join team sports, take on leadership roles, practice speaking up, your interpersonal skills are just as important as your technical ones.

If you need help aligning your CV to a job description, the ApprenticeWatch AI CV Optimiser is a game-changer. It helps ensure your CV is tailored and aligned because standing out is all about precision.

3. The Tools I Used to Turn Rejection into Offers

Preparation:

I booked a mock interview with Apprenticeship Insider a few weeks before my JPMC interview. Even though I felt confident, that session highlighted areas I hadn’t even realised I needed to improve. Big lesson: no matter how good you think you are, there’s always room to grow.

People:

Being part of communities like Apprenticeship Insider helped more than I expected. Getting feedback, sharing the struggle, finding encouragement; it matters. Surround yourself with people who believe in you.

Mindset:

I often heard the Scottish phrase, “What’s for you won’t go by you.”

It stuck with me. And in hard moments, I reminded myself of the Quranic verse: “Indeed, with hardship will be ease.” That mindset kept me going, especially when rejection stung.

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4. My Final Advice

On leavers’ day, one of my teachers wrote “Good luck at JP” on my shirt and I got the offer the next day. Maybe they knew something that I didn’t 😂.

If you're navigating your own apprenticeship journey, here’s what I hope you’ll take from mine:

• Resilience beats résumé: It’s not about falling, but how often you rise.
• Rejection is feedback: Learn from every ‘no’ and shape your next ‘yes’.
• Start building early: Your CV, your mindset, your network, lay the groundwork now.
• Speak up: Ask. Connect. Let people help open doors.
• Balance your skills: Technical skills matter but so do your people skills.
• Prepare like it’s the job: The application process trains you for the role itself.
• Keep pushing. Keep refining your applications, keep going. Hard work pays off!