“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.”
What office?
US
Thanks, helpful.
Across all US offices
L Lincoln bozos
This is very funny
Isn't he the dude who worked at Lincoln and now does YouTube
What do you guys think of him as a YouTuber?
I actually think he's genuine especially his videos post quitting IB and he's quite funny (I prefer dry humor). Seems more emotionally mature in his early-mid 20s than how I was.
Interesting. Was told Lincoln doesn’t do lay offs and has never conducted lay offs before
First time in nearly 30 years
They haven’t been around for 30 years?
Nah they do do layoffs and have done it before, just disguised as performance based layoffs. There's definitely more coming via "performance" as well
Yeah that’s fair. I guess in this case it’s the first mass-layoffs round they’ve done
To add some context here, Lincoln has done performance cuts before, but not "layoffs" which can be slightly difficult to define exactly. The difference has been that in the past, all cuts have been performance based. In other words, you received poor reviews, were placed on a PIP, and continued to receive poor reviews, eventually leading to you being let go. This has been a pain point in the past, where many employees have felt that poor performers were given far too much leeway before finally being let go. Obviously you want to give people the benefit of the doubt and an opportunity to improve, but it felt like management was a little too lenient which ended up hurting the deal teams those individuals worked with.
Today, for the first time, cuts were not due to continued low performance. In other words, if the market was still as active as before, the individuals that were let go would not have been cut. When times are tough, there can be a blurry line between performance cuts vs. what is considered a layoff, given you are more likely to cut more lower performers than if times were better, but this is the first time a true "layoff" has occurred.
To clarify a minor point in the first sentence of the description of the post, the 37 were not all bankers. As mentioned in the second sentence, the 37 included bankers (A to MD), admin, support and other back-office staff. A little over ~5% of US employees overall
Interesting. From what I’ve heard about Lincoln, they try to avoid layoffs as much as possible. This unofficial policy does have a negative impact on bonuses/comp, according to associates and analysts that I’ve spoken to in the past.
Seems like the i-banking sector, as a whole, is in the trenches right now (with some exceptions).
Heard about layoffs again today - any truth?
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