Sharran Srivatsaa, president of Acquisition.com and a former Goldman Sachs investment banker, recently shared a story on TikTok about how he managed to get hired at Goldman Sachs—a process that apparently required 39 one-on-one interviews, including one that lasted less than a minute but offered wisdom about what it takes to land a job at a prestigious Wall Street bank.
The entrepreneur, who has built a track record as a four-time Inc. 500 entrepreneur, recounted the unconventional interview experience that occurred during his post-MBA job search. According to Srivatsaa’s account, one particular interview involved a managing director who immediately challenged him with an unusual test.
“He shows up all frazzled. He puts like this big leather binder on the desk and he says, ‘You’re a hot shot. I see hot shots come through here all the time. See if you can set me up a meeting,'” Srivatsaa said. The binder contained contact information, including names and phone numbers.
The twist came in Srivatsaa’s response. Unlike previous candidates, who apparently tried to demonstrate their sales prowess by immediately making cold calls, Srivatsaa asked a simple question that changed everything: “I’m happy to call her. Do you have a script or something? Because I just want to represent you well.” The managing director immediately packed up his belongings, shook Srivatsaa’s hand, and left after what he said amounted to around 46 seconds.
Srivatsaa, who worked in investment management at Goldman Sachs from 2007 to 2010, said he later saw his interviewer at a cocktail party and learned why their one-on-one was cut so short. “You’re the first person that didn’t just pick up the phone and want to prove to me that they’re a hot shot,” the interviewer told him. “You asked me, hey, can you give me some guidance on what to do here? Because that made me believe that you’re coachable.”
To be clear, it is notoriously difficult to get a job at Goldman Sachs. The investment bank’s hiring process is widely regarded as one of the most competitive in finance, with acceptance rates that make admission to Harvard University seem accessible by comparison. For 2024, Goldman Sachs says it received over 315,000 applications for internship positions but selected only about 2,600 candidates, resulting in an acceptance rate of just 0.9%. By contrast, Harvard’s undergraduate acceptance rate stands at 3.6%. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said even he was rejected twice by the company.
Goldman’s “Superday” interview process typically involves multiple back-to-back interviews conducted over one or two days, with candidates facing anywhere from three to six different interviewers. The process can include a mix of technical questions, behavioral assessments, and case studies, all designed to evaluate both technical competency and cultural fit. However, Srivatsaa’s experience of 39 individual interviews appears to be exceptionally extensive, even by Goldman’s rigorous standards.
Goldman Sachs did not immediately respond to Fortune‘s request for comment.
Solomon says Goldman Sachs looks for candidates who demonstrate “grit and determination” and the ability to “pick themselves up and dust themselves off and keep going” when they encounter setbacks. The bank actively recruits from a broad selection of schools worldwide and particularly values candidates with STEM backgrounds, given that Goldman employs over 10,000 engineers.
The investment bank’s competitive hiring environment reflects broader trends in elite finance recruiting, where major firms like JPMorgan Chase report similarly low acceptance rates of around 0.8% for their internship programs. This intense competition has made networking and demonstrating coachability increasingly important differentiators for candidates seeking to break into investment banking careers.
For Srivatsaa, the Goldman Sachs experience ultimately served as preparation for his entrepreneurial career, where he would go on to help scale Real Brokerage to become what the company describes as the fastest-growing publicly traded real estate brokerage in the world. His current role at Acquisition.com, the investment firm cofounded by Alex and Leila Hormozi, puts him on the other side of the evaluation process, where the lessons learned from his own marathon interview experience continue to inform his approach to identifying coachable talent.
You can watch Srivastaa’s TikTok below:
@sharransrivatsaa Can you give me a script? 3 reasons that question wins: • Admits you don’t know it all • Shows you’ll follow direction • Gives you confidence before you call Coachable beats cocky. ♬ original sound – Sharran Srivatsaa
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.