“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 doubt anyone with real hiring power is going to scrutinize your transcripts - 99% likely they onlylook at the GPA on your resume so P/F won't be visible or matter. This isn't medical school. I think you're fine, just do what's best for your GPA
Thanks. I was just worried that this may come in the form of an interview question and saying that I opted in pass/fail may come off looking bad.
I really really doubt it. Either way, if you're afraid that's the only place it will come up then thats a great place for it because you're there to defend yourself. But even bigger than that nobody will care - it's a national crisis.
Don't think any bank asked for transcripts while recruiting, you are fine and dumb not to do that.
Thank you.
Not to steal your thread but I was wondering if anybody could offer help for my specific situation, which is the same general concern as the original thread. I'm at a target with a competitive GPA (3.8 - 3.9). If I get all A's this semester, it will increase my gpa by 0.03 (but still below 3.9). Think 3.84 to 3.87, etc. (I am not stating my exact gpa as I post here extremely often but want to retain anonymity.)
Due to the work I put in during the first quarter of this semester, I am on track to receive A's in every class. I should be able to end the semester with all A's as well, given I put in the work.
However, I am very seriously considering taking all my classes pass-fail in order to put 100% effort into interview prep and recruiting. I have some catching up to do interview prep wise, and, based on my networking, believe I will have at least several 2021 interviews coming up this month.
Do you think I am making a smart decision to lock in my already decent gpa, ignore the "sunk costs", and focus my time on interviews? Similar to OP, my concern is just what people will think when they see I took literally every class Pass-Fail. I want to leave the door open for potentially applying for an MBA program one day too. Thanks.
Just my input, increasing by 0.03 doesn't seem like a massive change. I would go pass/fail given the other responses in this thread.
What if you actually fail a p/f class? do banks care
Don't know if it's the case for your school, but my school said that getting F in a P/F course will lower your GPA while getting P will keep your GPA the same
Definitely do Pass/Fail and focus on recruiting. The very small GPA change will make 0 difference, especially as you will be interviewing before the semester is even over. Focus on technicals, networking, etc. and you will be in a good position.
Do pass fail They won't even look at your transcript. I pass/failed some courses in pass semesters and still landed 2 BBs.
Would they rescind your offer if you fail a p/f?
No bro, come on.
Freshman here, opting out of one of my classes to ensure a 4.0. If I was mid recruiting I would probably opt out of most
My school made it to where all classes are pass/fail. There isn't even an opt in option so outside of the fact that no one is going to look nor care, they might assume you didn't have an option
A couple of the kids from my alma mater I'm mentoring have asked me this question.
The simple truth is that you're worrying over nothing. There is no person, whether in a business role or in HR, who is going to comb through your transcript looking for P/F letters with a maniacal cackle hoping to be able to throw you out of the process.
Here's how it worked back in my day.
You submit your resume to the people you've networked with, you submit it through OCR and sometimes through the bank's own website as well, and you get invited to interview. You perform well and receive an offer, and you're asked for a transcript as part of the process for them to provide official documentation for you to sign. A human goes through and reads the transcript for each candidate that's getting an offer; the goal is solely to confirm that the candidate didn't lie about the GPA on the resume.
Here's how it works today.
All the same as above, except there's now ML/OCR software that can scrub the file and take the grunt work out of it for the HR lackey.
The only cause for concern here would be graduate school applications. Again, people tend to overreact here. HBS is not trying to throw you out of the applicant pool because of a couple P's on your transcript. What they're looking for is an indication of your academic and intellectual ability. If you had a 3.4 GPA, a non-analytical major, and the two quantitative courses you took as part of the gen-ed requirements both showed up with a P on your transcript, that would be a negative. If you're sitting on a 3.84 from a good school and you have a bunch of P's from the spring 2020 semester when corona was rampaging the earth, no one is ever going to blink.
Signed: a guy with a P and a W and a bunch of other letters that weren't A on his transcript.
What if you actually fail a P/F class? Would this raise a red flag and for them to potentially rescind your offer?
Slightly off-topic question but they check you're transcript to confirm the GPA during you're recruiting season was same the one listed on your resume during recruiting right? Since there's a two semester difference between when I recruited and currently, my GPA is a bit lower than when I recruited and what I had on my resume then.
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