“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.”
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sorry my mistake, the smaller shop is M&A versus LevFin
It depends. Both are good groups. I would suggest IB levfin. Levfin is an amazing group. But it depends on the skills you want to develop
Delete.
The small shop is almost double that of the lower BB? That's crazy, how can that be?
You're definitely in a tough spot..how did the small shop seem? Do the founders/principals have solid backgrounds?
Edit: and just for clarification, when you say European bank, do you mean the bank is headquartered there, or the role is there?
I know its crazy! its more that the larger shop is less than the average salary than the other way round.
The smaller shop seems really cool with the people I have interviewed with, but like I said its quite small so in terms of diversity its quite limited. The founder comes from a very large bank and has extremely solid credentials. My main reason for going for the larger shop is that the training will be better e.g. an actual graduate scheme and not expected to go into it knowing everything straight away.
PS the bank is headquartered there.
Unless the lev fin has extremely bad culture / deal flow, I'd go with them - the brand will open a lot of doors and comp in the first few years of work hardly matters.
On a separate note, can anyone share which are the most active European banks in lev fin these days? And which European banks have principal finance teams?
thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it! - this is what I was thinking
No worries. Do you know which other European banks are active in lev fin these days?
LevFin at Euro BBs (with the exception of UBS maybe) does all modeling in-house, so exits are just as good as from a coverage group. I'd take BarCap / CS (LFO&R, not LevFin Cap Markets) / DB (still one of the top LevFin players globally) all over the small shop - unless we're talking about a Qatalyst or LionTree type place here, then it really comes down to if you like the industry / culture.
Any idea if CS Apac financing group is any good?
I don't know, my comment was about NYC
this sounds like UBS or deutsche. Duetsche's levfin group is excellent actually. Don't know a ton about UBS. What kind of a "small shop" are we talking about? Like a Piper Jaffray like MM or a non name boutique? Either way I'd take the BB.
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