“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.”
Just ask an Aso1 colleague
Bump, curious as well as an A2A.
My firm (BB) gave out a $40k stub in 2020 and $35k in 2021….curious what will be given out in 2022
OP here - thanks for info. +1 SB!
I'm not doubting those figures, but would comment that they do seem quite low for what the stub bonus (theoretically) represents. I understand it is meant to compensate for July - December for A2As (6 months) or September - December (4 months) for MBAs.
If you do the math on $40k stub, that amounts to a pro-rated bonus of $80k for A2As and $120k for MBAs. For the A2As at least, that is lower than what you could reasonably expect as an analyst at some firms...
If you add in a 60k signing bonus, that’s 100k for that partial year of work. Not bad.
Reading your question in more detail, there is no differentiation between A2A and MBA associated for stubs. Every associate receives the same.
I theoretically agree with you. Would be awesome if the stub was actually a pro rated bonus for 6 months, but that’s usually not how the math shakes out unfortunately.
Last year as a stub I received $35K at a tier 2 BB as was paid in Q1 2021.
I polled my peers across the street earlier this year and the Associate Class of 2020 stub bonus at BB's ranged from $30-$45K at BB's. At EB it was up to $60K.
I expect the stub bonus to be on par, or possibly ~$5K higher to adjust for salary adjustments/the great year banks have had, but to be frank at the end of the day a stub associate is the low man on the totem pole (less effective than a first year analyst in many cases) and over the last 12 months you have already received a signing bonus of ~2X the stub bonus. You can't quit before the year mark without a penalty (having to pay back your signing bonus), so the bonus is a token of acknowledgement you exist
my BB (tier 2) gave us $35k last year. Tbh I expect this year to be the same (given they bumped salaries already) or maybe like $5k more. Given that probably didn't hit the desk until after a month or so of training and the signing and relocation and that you probably haven't worked on meaningful deals by then it's more than fair.
EB ~50k. All cash, not bucketed. That might seem low on a pro rated basis but a) you’re in training some of that time and even when you hit the desk aren’t carrying a full work load and b) you’re a negative value add while getting up to speed.
Not the case for A2As though. Seems like A2As get the short end of the stick here, especially if there is no differentiating (i.e., no bucketing).
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