“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.”
Depends on the boutique -- some (Perella Weinberg) are actually pretty difficult to recruit from because the MDs there don't generally go to bat for analysts. They like to cultivate career bankers..
I hear the higher ups at Harris Williams are the best at going to bat for analysts.
MD's call up PE shops to place analysts? Really? Could somone attest to this.
I can't imagine why an employer would contact another company to help their star employees lateral unless they were planning on laying them off/fire them anyway.
I'd imagine this is more common place at smaller firms but I have no purview to this.
MDs at Moelis apparently not only go to bat for you but recommend you to go to the buy-side after your analyst stint (altho im sure the A-A track is an option too).
i think it comes down to the culture of the firm. there are those that are really against buyside such as Centerview and PWP from my understanding.
but firms like Moelis endorse buyside recruiting and Evercore + Greenhill are open to it. When i mean open I mean you can walk into your MDs room and talk about this without being afraid of getting your butt kicked..
i think thats the general consensus.. i guess other monkeys can pitch in their opinion
Feel free to correct me if this sounds way off. But from what I gathered, banks understand the concept of a 2 year analyst stint. That being said, they would rather maintain good relationships with the bankers who do decide to move to PE. Boutiques in particular want to have their contacts diversified throughout PE shops so as to increase the odds of successfully pitching deals in the future. Guess you could view it as an investment for the boutiques...
I could see that. I think the only caveat is some MDs get fucking pissed when their analysts are interviewing & thinking about jumping ship a few months in the job. This tends to be an issue at BBs though.
SMD at BXMA got an analyst a job at Berkshire Partners (probably the best MM PE I can think of). It definitely happens.
Why would you say Berkshire is the best MM PE?
regardless of whether or not they do this...how do you bring up your interests on PE to your MD/VP/Associates without them getting annoyed/thinking you are just using them for leverage to help?
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