Can't land a job as an IB associate

After finishing a semi-target university in the US, I landed a gig in Investment Research in Europe. After switching a few jobs in 5 years I managed to land an Investment Banking Associate gig at a more or less reputable bank. After several months I had to leave it for personal reasons. Now I have been trying to land a job in the US (IB, PE, VC, AM, CD) for almost half a year, but had no luck. I had a few interviews, but everytime everything stopped after the first round of interviews.

I talked with one recruiter, who told me that with no US experience it is really hard to get a job in a normal market environment, but in a current environment it is close to impossible. Does he hold a valid point? Should I just got to a B-school to wait out for a better market environment?

Reflecting on my interview performance, I have asked for feedbacks and usually got a return with "we found a better matching candidate", though it was purely fit-type interviews. Just to add some flavour, I have about 20 closed deals in M&A and public markets.

Lastly, in my job search I stick solely to Linkedin as other websites generated exactly 0 leads. Also, anything related to a formal online application generated me as well 0 leads. I would appreciate ideas on how to enhance my job search strategy.

PS: I have a work permit for the US that is why I narrowed my search to only 1 country

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