Switch to IB

Hi all, I am an equity analyst working at a well-known FinTech company in London. The main reason I am in this role is that I wasn't able to secure an internship in IB during my Masters. Instead, I worked as a Fund Analyst after finishing Uni, and since January 2023, I've been working as an Equity Analyst. However, I am still highly interested in making a switch to IB. I know the easiest way is through an internship, but I hoped that having some experience as an Equity Analyst would act as a good proxy. I find the application stage extremely challenging (still), and perhaps even more so than it used to be a few years ago, as I don't hear back from pretty much any application I make. I understand the probability of a recession in 2024 is close to 60%, companies are laying off people, and the volume of large M&A transactions is still low, which could explain why I don't hear back. I believe at this point, I just have to continue networking and making applications, but I would be very interested to hear how you would approach that challenge. What roles would you apply to, and also which companies would you make applications to?