“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.”
Also wondering about the EXACT same thing. By top corporate finance position, do you mean a FLDP program?
The way MBA recruiting is you're placed in "buckets." IB and Corporate work are in separate buckets. Your best bet is to be at the top of whatever bucket you're coming from. In that sense being at an elite corporate leadership development role (GE, J&J) is more competitive than MM IB most of the time. If you are only interested in maximizing your MBA chances therefore I would go with your corporate role assuming it is a top one. Also as a side benefit corporate roles are much more likely to let you go get your MBA with a guaranteed offer once you graduate and possibly pay for some or all of it.
What are your post mba goals?
But aren't there more 'spots allotted' to people from IB background? I might be wrong though.
I have no idea for sure but I've always heard the opposite. I've heard that lately bankers/other finance guys are a dime a dozen and that MBA adcoms prefer LDP people because they're more well-rounded and are more likely to become corporate leaders.
my ultimate dream goal is probably to get to c-level of a top company or director within a top pe shop (aka, still shooting for the stars, tho believe i still have a decent shot). i see pe as a shorter path tho than trying to go through the entire corporate ladder (correct me if i'm not mistaken) in order to get to the top rung
from my prev experience, i do see the high value of having a good couple years (say, 3-5) of ibanking exp under your belt, in terms of technicals as well as experience in negotiations / deal management
any1 out there can spare 2 cents to contrast raptor's view? points are solid and concrete, though still feel like at the end of the day, most ppl would say going banking to corporate is taking a step down, whereas going corporate to banking is seen as a step up. i do partly buy into this view, since generally, you see more corpfin people pushing to try to break into wall street, while bankers generally get welcomed in by corporates. devil's advocates, i know ur out there... (my hunch would be that 90% of members of this forum would have a view directly opposite of raptor's)
raptor, thanks for the insights - i would appreciate though if you could speak broadly on your source, such as mainly via internet browsing, friends applying/in/finished bschool, advice from counselor/adcom, etc.
If you have any PE aspirations then take the IB job and don't look back. I was talking purely MBA admissions wise. I definitely think the IB job is better overall but you weren't asking that.
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