OK, here is the dirty truth about applying and being hired: for the average "elite" company and pretty much all companies, if you are going through the hiring process as yet another manila folder in a pool of 200, you have probably lost already and will have to spend a lot of frustrating time writing applications and jumping through the ridiculous HR mind-frakks-to-read-you thrown at you. The way to ideally go about being hired is bypassing that process - you need to know people at the place you want to work at, ideally you have worked for them already and could show your skills and that you fit in. You need someone there cheering for you, someone who can make it happen and you need to get them to want you to be there.

Interning is a great way of getting to that point. Working as a consultant is just as great. The idea here is to get into a position where you can show your skills to the people who can ultimately request hiring you - then the whole dreaded HR process is just a formality. Get to know people and make a name for yourself, be the "go-to" guy whom people come to ask. Know a lot of stuff and do good work, then you will be surprised how often you can bypass all the ridiculous HR shenanigans and the rules will be bent for you, backwards if need be. Yes it is hard work but it is productive work instead time spent on polishing your CV to the latest fads, bells and whistles.

And this does NOT mean you have to be extremely out-going or need to have unreal social-skills; you just need to have a "value", you need to be good at stuff.

Call it borderline-nepotism if you want but I am sorry, this is not what they tell you about being hired and it is very real and far more important than all those bells and whistles and "tricks" for applying... and it is all about doing a good job, having a great image and having a high value so they WANT you. Win-win for both sides ultimately.