I'm a recent finance graduate from a "non-target" with a 4.0 GPA. I've had a WM internship at a BB in NYC and also worked part time at my school's endowment fund doing ER for the portfolio. I was the only person at the WM internship to get a return offer, which I turned down because I knew I wanted to pursue research roles. For the last year, I applied to any relevant job posting that didn't require experience and got 3 interviews (a boutique HF, a MMFoF and a top consulting firm (MBB). In each scenario, I was able to make it to the final round and was passed up. Feedback said I was a perfect cultural fit with strong work ethic, but it came down to tiny details and my lack of real-world experience that held me back. After all of the time I've invested applying and getting through interview processes, I am now 4 months out of school with no job and no research interviews lined up. My connections at the BB have offered me again to come back, but for a BO role.
My question is, do I go for the BO role, take the CFA (which I was already planning on, just wanted sponsorship), internally network like crazy and try to make the jump? I want to keep following my passion, but I am afraid that if I go through another interview process and get passed up again, I will then be 5-6 months out of school in the same situation I'm in today. I am confident in my ability to work hard and do whatever it takes to get out of BO as fast as possible, but I also know how rare it is and don't want to pigeonhole myself.
Anyone have a similar situation or have any advice for what my best move would be? Much appreciated.