Looking for ways to switch it up

Hi,

To introduce myself, I'm a recent college graduate from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). I'm in a little bit of a predicament (at least from my perspective, yet I realize I am lacking patience) and I am also seeking some advice tips and any helpful comments and any constructive criticism.

My predicament is this, TECHNICALLY speaking, I graduated in December of 2016 and I have yet to land a gig. However, I stayed at the U of I for an additional semester until May of 2017, to obtain the eligibility requirements for the CPA. I am now half-way done with the CPA and I am taking the third exam on Wednesday. I am also a CFA Level 3 Candidate (passed every section of Level 2 other than ethics). I have put in more than 900 hours on the year to reach my goal of being a CPA, CFA.

I am often told that my resume is impressive. Further, I was told by a recruiter on Tuesday that my resume "really stood out" and an IB wants me to come in for their super day sometime next week, but they have yet to schedule an interview with me; however, none of this is guaranteed and landing such an opportunity is competitive.

I am a little down. This is because I was recently rejected from a sell-side research analyst opportunity, even though the interviewer told at the end of the interview that she was "very impressed she was with me", as they were looking for someone with experience. This fact is the only yet a big knock I often receive on my job prospects. I also recently had an interview on the buy-side but it doesn't seem like it'll come through as they have yet to respond to my follow-up email.

I have been networking a little bit, but nothing really seems to come my way. I am open to any role with financial statement analysis and modeling and I have taken Wall Street Prep courses to also facilitate this job hunt. My dad also mentioned that I should remove my most recent tax internship from my resume and that I should add that I worked for my aunt who manages real estate properties. This is because I did not end my internship on the best terms with this firm, nor does it relate to my current job search and they may/may not have subbed my chances with several interviews not mentioned. My aunt has said that she would gladly speak on my behalf, but I am not sure how I feel about this, as I would prefer to be honest? However, maybe I might little too honest in my interviews?