“I recently had a LinkedIn audit call with Arnau as part of my WSO Academy program, and it was one of the most practical and useful sessions I've had so far. I came in thinking my profile was in decent shape. I left with a clear picture of how recruiters and bankers actually see it, and a concrete list of changes that will make it work much harder for me.
Some background: I'm moving from corporate finance into investment banking, corporate banking, and private equity. I have an MBA in Corporate Finance, a PMP, and several years of finance and project management experience. Making that kind of move depends heavily on how you present your story, and LinkedIn is often the first place a recruiter or analyst sees it. That's why this session mattered so much to me.
From the first few minutes, Arnau was well prepared, direct, and focused on what actually moves the needle. He didn't just give generic tips like "add a professional photo." He went through my profile section by section and explained why each piece matters to someone in finance who's quickly scanning candidates. His feedback was honest without being discouraging, which I really appreciated. He pointed out where my profile was underselling my experience and where it wasn't clearly showing that I'm aiming for banking and PE.
What stood out most was how he helped me think about positioning. My background covers corporate finance, project management, hospitality, and real estate, and it can be hard to make that read as one clear story. Arnau helped me connect those experiences to the skills banks look for: financial analysis, modeling, managing budgets and capital, and working with senior stakeholders. He showed me how small changes to my headline, About section, and experience bullets can make that story obvious within seconds.
The session was also very actionable. I didn't leave with vague ideas. I left with a short list of specific edits I can make right away. That matters a lot when you're job hunting and every week counts. He also shared advice on using LinkedIn more actively, such as engaging with the right people and content, so the profile supports my networking instead of just sitting there.
I also want to recognize the overall WSO Academy experience. Between the modeling bootcamp, the company research work, the mentorship, and sessions like this one, the program has given me structure and support during a career transition that can otherwise feel isolating. This call was a good example of what makes WSO different: the people coaching you understand the industry you're trying to break into and give feedback that reflects how hiring really works.
If you're a WSO member and haven't booked a LinkedIn audit yet, I'd strongly recommend it. It's a short time commitment, and the return is significant. Your LinkedIn profile is often your first impression, and having an experienced set of eyes on it is worth it.
Thank you, Arnau, for your time, honesty, and practical guidance. I'm excited to put the changes in place and keep building toward my goal of breaking into investment banking.”
Lol, whatever helps you sleep at night man.
Agree.
Lower GPA > weak candidate.
Weak interviewer = weak candidate.
Just because a candidate can bury his face in a pile of books without coming up for air doesn't mean he's socially intelligent or has the level of intensity required to dominate his peer group (outside of academia) and excel in a fairy demanding environment.
They will almost always extend an offer to the strongest candidate. I've seen my bank extend offers to kids with 3 or 4 (far superior) offers because we really like they guy.
At the end of the day, you extent the offer to the best candidate possible and sell the shit out of him. If you do a good job, often time's he'll take your offer even over seemingly better offers. And if he/she doesn't, move on to the next one.
Pretty much this.
It is not all about gpa...fit and networking may play a factor along other things
I have never heard of any business doing this. They don't have to publish yield statistics.
This absolutely 100% happens. Multiple theories on why, I think a big part of it is HR's desire to "wrap things up" quickly for any given season's recruiting process and not draw things out. Similar trend you see with many large banks is their hiring iffy to subpar summer analysts simply because they don't want to put significant time or resources into full time recruiting.... Just one theory though
Never seen this happen before. This isn't college admissions. Nobody cares about "yield". If a strong candidate turns down the offer, you go to the next one.
At my school, a eb/bb stopped recruiting about 4-5 years ago because too many kids rejected their offers every year.
Someone's a little bitter
It's not that you go for weaker candidates, but you just don't spend time on kids who you think won't show up (e.g. someone also looking at consulting, talking lot more with other banks, etc.). No one wants "an extended 18 offers, got only 1" reputation. More of a fit science.
I don't consider that yield management (or picking lower quality candidates) I consider that common sense.
If someone is interviewing for FT consulting and FT banking, they're not focused and not committed, which makes them a poor candidate. They're not dinged because they may not accept, they're dinged because they're not a strong candidate.
It's not just GPA per se, but just overall stronger candidates being brushed aside for weaker ones in favor of ensuring an offer gets accepted.
Apparently your judgement of candidates is not in step with the actual inverviewers.
Doesn't happen.
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