Rant about HR phone screens
Rant incoming:
I am unbelievably frustrated by the phone screens that HR does. They're so actually useless in assessing whether or not candidates are good. I've had three processes now with absolutely fucking stellar firms for stellar internships, where I've networked well, asked good questions of people who worked in investment related roles, impressed them, and they've referred me to 1st round interviews.
Then I get a first round and my interviewer is an HR person who doesn't know anything and asks your standard "tell me a time when you faced a difficulty?" or something. I answer the typical behaviourals fine, but not to a standout degree, and I've gotten dropped all three times now. It sucks that I never get an actual chance to prove myself to investing related people within the interview process who only do final round interviews! My resume is decent but not great probably when compared with the quality of applicants to the previous firms, and I'm just frustrated that my one edge, my hustle and passion is just completely negated in HR screens.
Sorry about the rant I just am really disappointed by the opportunities that I've lost so far. If anyone is willing, I'd love to try and practice answering behaviorals better with someone, or just work on other things we can improve on. I'm pretty good at technicals and networking now I'd say. I'm recruiting for investing related roles, so if that overlaps we can probably help each other better, but if not, that might be fine too.
I definitely feel your pain, and you seem kinda young/green behind the ears, but just realize that the job market isn't a strict "who's the smartest/the best worker". A lot of it is luck. A lot of it is also can you make people like you. People will give up IQ points of someone they are working with if they can have a better time working with them. I do agree that the recruiting process isn't great, but just work with what you have/can do.
Here's an example, were Tom Brady/Michael Jordan/Peyton Manning all drafted #1? Nope. How many guys didn't make it to the NFL who probably would have been WAYYY better QBs than say a Ryan Leaf or Jamarcus Russell.
Same thing in acting. There's probably guys waiting tables in L.A. who can act circles around a Tom Cruise/Chris Pratt/Jai Courtney, and who probably hustle harder and are better looking too. Just didn't get that one role, or weren't in the right place/right time.
I myself have had interviews were they actually say "you/your resume is a perfect fit" and didn't end up getting the job. Sometimes it just happens.
The thing you have to realize that hustling doesn't mean getting what you want on the first try because you want it. Hustling is when it's your 1,000th time doing something, but you act like its the first time you've done it.
I would say, obviously you didn't do everything perfect. Don't sit on what you did well/good, people get better when they practice the things they are bad at. So figure out what you think you can improve upon and do that.
Keeping with the sports analogy (hopefully you follow football), look at last years super bowl. Brady threw for over 500 yds and 3 TDs (no INTs, 1 fumble). That would win probably every super bowl ever before that, but is just wasn't enough. I guess he can second guess himself, or get down on himself, but I'm sure he did his best. Didn't play perfect, but did his best. Just didn't work out. Now he's figuring out how to get to another super bowl, not complaining his defense sucked (relatively).
Dude, nobody OWES you anything. Good for you for getting to the first round / phone screen. If you keep getting chucked after that, think with a growth mindset - how can I use this as an opportunity to improve? Rather than focusing on how great you are and how stupid KKR is for not immediately hiring a technical wizard like yourself, maybe turn the equation around.
Not everybody who works in HR is an idiot, and at the very least they DO see a lot of candidates, and have pretty detailed and fair rubrics for assessing people.
If you haven't gotten feedback directly from the companies you've interviewed with, start doing as many mock interviews within your network as you can, and ask people for really candid feedback and advice.
Dude that right there is why you aren't getting passed the phone screens. Reevaluate how you start a conversation with another person. You immediately took the good advice @ironman32" gave you and were like, "meh basketball tho..." I assure you someone without any basic understanding of football still gets what he was trying to convey. Not trying to be mean or anything but really work on your interactions with people.