Sharran Srivatsaa, president of Acquisition.com and former wealth manager, recently shared his wild Goldman Sachs interview experience on TikTok. He went through 39 one-on-one interviews, including a bizarre one that lasted under a minute but offered valuable insights on landing a job at a top Wall Street bank. This unusual interview happened during his post-MBA job search, where a managing director threw an unexpected challenge his way, Fortune reported.
“He shows up all frazzled. He puts, like, this big leather binder on the desk, and he says, ‘You’re a hotshot. I see hotshots come through here all the time. See if you can set me up a meeting,” Srivatsaa said, adding that binder contained contact information, including names and phone numbers.
Srivatsaa’s response was a game-changer. Instead of making cold calls like previous candidates, he asked, “I’m happy to call her. Do you have a script or something? Because I just want to represent you well.” The managing director packed up, shook his hand, and left after 46 seconds. Srivatsaa later learned the reason for the abrupt end at a cocktail party.
“You’re the first person that didn’t just pick up the phone and want to prove to me that they’re a hotshot. You asked me, ‘Hey, can you give me some guidance on what to do here?’ Because that made me believe that you’re coachable,” the interviewer told him.
Srivatsaa joined Goldman Sachs in 2007 as an investment manager and worked there till 2010, before leaving to start his own ventures.
How difficult it is to get a job at Goldman Sachs?
Getting a job at Goldman Sachs is super tough. The investment bank’s hiring process is one of the most competitive in finance, with an acceptance rate of 0.7% for its 2025 internship program. Out of 360,000 applicants, only 2,500 candidates made the cut. To put that into perspective, Harvard University’s undergraduate acceptance rate is 5 times higher at 3.6%. Even Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon was rejected twice by the company.
Goldman Sachs’ “Superday” interview process typically involves multiple back-to-back interviews over one or two days, with 3-6 interviewers. It includes technical questions, behavioural assessments, and case studies to evaluate competency and cultural fit. Srivatsaa’s 39 individual interviews were exceptionally extensive, even by Goldman’s high standards.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon says that the company looks for candidates with “grit and determination” who can bounce back from setbacks. The bank recruits from diverse schools globally, valuing STEM backgrounds, with over 10,000 engineers on board.