“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.”
I'm always a proponent of getting the "Investment Banking Analyst" title on your resume and then just spending a lot of time on the BIWS or Wall Street Prep self study modeling courses. You can even put the modeling course on your resume and then during junior year SA interviews highlight how you've been proactive/committed to learning how to model and how the self study course served as the perfect compliment to your IB internship experience.
However just curious, what is the size of the valuation shop? Can you provide a headcount or comparable firms?
IB you big dummy.
Which groups are you looking to enter for IB? Personally, I would think that the valuation shop is a better bet if you're looking to do M&A in the long run. Obviously, I am a proponent for exposure and experience but the previous posters also have a good point.
If it's BBs that you're looking at, I would think that it would be more important to go wherever gives you better exposure. My understanding of the SA recruiting process(note: this is in Asia) is not focused on whether you have IB on your resume. I have known people getting accepted into GS with only a credit research background.
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Since you are only a sophomore I think the valuation experience could set you up well for a junior SA position at a legit bank. The boutique doesn't seem to offer much for an internship but like someone else mentioned, you could put IBD Analyst on the resume so it's up to what you think is more important.
That is exactly what I am trying to determine. The question comes down to this:
Is having the ability to put "IB Summer Analyst" on my resume more valuable than having a more educational experience? Or, in general, how much leverage does the "IB" face-value give you?
Any other feedback would be greatly appreciated.
When people only have a minute to skim through your resume and need to decide who goes in the yes pile and the no pile, having the key words "Investment Banking Summer Analyst" stick out is always good to have. You will still learn A LOT and if you continue to do the right things and secure an junior year SA and a big shop you will have plenty of opportunities to get real world modeling experience. And as I mentioned before, you can do the BIWS self study modeling courses (which are very good and will help you learn a lot) and dedicate 2-3 lines on your resume explaining what you accomplished during the course:
BIWS Basic Modeling Course - Build a 3-statement projection model - Value a company using public comps and precedent transactions - Build a DCF model to value a company based on its future cash flow
BIWS Advanced Modeling Course (if you have the extra time and money, but not necessary as a sophomore) - A detailed operating model with revenue and expense projections by segment - A full valuation using 9 different methodologies - An advanced merger model that combines all 3 statements - An advanced LBO model with support for 7 tranches of debt
Can you explain how the boutique IB position entails research and diligence but not give you any exposure to valuation/analysis? That doesn't really make sense to me; even if all you're doing is capital raise transactions, there is bound to be some financial analysis involved, even if it's very basic.
To answer your question though, I think both would set you up very well for junior recruiting. Without knowing all the specifics, I'd lean toward the boutique IB position. My (limited) understanding of valuation type roles is that these guys come in to support an M&A transaction by providing valuation guidance on specific assets (i.e. "clean up" work. You ought to note that I could be completely wrong about your specific position).
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