“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.”
Reformat. Drop off the boarding school and add bullet points for the IB experiences.
Use M&I format, it's much better
Add more points to the IB experiences.
@LHDan What do you mean by reformat and add bullet points for IB experiences? Should I write more about the deals I worked on? I don't like the M&I format. @raymundo How would you feel as a recruiter if all resumes you read were the same format?
Just use the bloody M&I format. It works. I once had a guy send me a CV that included his "star moments". Instant delete. As someone who now screens a lot of CVs, I actually see the M&I format and think, oh, at least this guy is somewhat serious about this, since he's read M&I. (By the way, most buyside HHs will put all their candidates' CVs into the same format to make it easier for people to read a stack of CVs, so yeah, it seems like a lot of people would like to see CVs in the same format.)
Add more detail to IB experience, e.g. "supported financing deal", which tells me nothing about what you actually did / learned.
Big believer in keeping the boarding school if it's genuinely a top school. You never know when someone could have that connection.
Otherwise, the content is very solid, but I'd add an interests / other experience section - just one line listing your interests and hobbies to keep it human.
Thanks a lot LHDan, raymundo and CFACandidateLevel1
You obviously have some nice experience, but your format is flat out horrible. It's just a pain to read through the resume.
Regarding the "How would you feel as a recruiter if all resumes you read were the same format?" statement: There's no need to differentiate yourself with the format of your resume, it's all about content (at least imho). I would prefer resumes that look the same but are easy to read compared to the mess you uploaded.
Like I said, you seem to have a nice profile and nice experience, but you need to change the format.
I would take out that high school boarding stuff.
Thanks a lot above_and_beyond, saints2009 and thewaterpiper. I do have a version of my resume in M&I format so I will use it. In regards to the boarding school it is top 3 in the US so some big names in IB are alumni and that's the only reason I put it there.
Anyone else has any ideas what to change?
Format is terrible. Do as Dan says and fix ASAP.
Get rid of boarding school, CFA Level I Candidate (this is personal preference, but who cares that you are registered to take part I of a III part exam?), speak more about deals that you worked on/pitched on (even if they didn't complete).
Also, make sure you did everything you said. For instance, did you actually conduct accretion/dilution? When you were asking about the firm you interned for, I don't recall the M&A practice including any Pub Cos.
All the posts in here are spot-on about the horrible formatting.
How about you post up an edited version and we'll work from there?
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