Weekly wrap up June 20

Author

Ivy Almirol
June 20, 2026



Hey WSO Monkey,

Is the hardest part of banking getting in, moving up, or knowing when to leave? This week’s forum covers all three, with intern-hour reports, a stalled VP path, background-check trouble, and some much-needed sleep advice for the permanently over-caffeinated crowd.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. Any Tips for Sleeping Well? - "Super important: avoid caffeine at least ~8-10 hours before bed. This is hard, and I actually consume 400mg+ of caffeine per day (it is actually neuroprotective, just need to cycle dosages for tolerance buildup), but caffeine has a half life of ~6 hours and WILL significantly disrupt sleep quality and time to fall asleep..."

  2. 6 Years in IB - Trying to Figure Out What’s Next - "I spent three years as an IB Analyst at a regional boutique in Chicago then landed an Associate role with a tiny boutique on the West Coast focused on a subsector within consumer. Spent the last 3.5 years here and was told there’s not a path to VP. The feedback was essentially there’s a personality mismatch between me and the VP role requirements. Honestly think the firms size and needs played a big factor as well, but that was unsaid. Regardless, I should’ve sussed out what future prospects looked like here a long time ago to avoid this situation..."

  3. Most MDs share this "dorky" skill - “Why you should pick it up this summer.”

3 Reasons Why You Are Striking Out At Your High Finance Job Search

The recruiting game is changing. Computers are taking over most aspects of application screening. You are filtered out before you get a chance to talk to the recruiter.

Gone are the days when you could afford to have a shit resume but still walk out with a job. Or get a job because you attended a certain school. The competition is much higher, and your odds are much lower.

The old-school mentality of let’s apply and hope we get an interview does not work. Below are 3 things you could be doing that will get you insane results.

  1. Crappy resume. Wrong format. Typos. Wrong keywords. Things no one wants to know about you. You name it. In our experience, 99% of resumes have massive gaps. And most of them think they could no better. Our academy students (including ones from the top target schools) are awestruck every time we complete a resume review session with them. Here’s just one review so you hear from them, not us.

“She was absolutely amazing - she evolved a resume review into a full-packaged guidance for recruiting strategy and how I should frame myself for the whole upcoming recruiting process.”

  1. 100-500 LinkedIn connections. Really? Those connection requests are free. You don’t pay for them. And it can be done while you take a break from scrolling on your phone🙂 No, seriously, what’s stopping you? At WSO Academy, we help you draft proven outreach templates to 10x your LinkedIn networking success rate and push you to achieve weekly targets. 

“He was phenomenal help and provided tangible steps to take in order to strengthen LinkedIn profile, in conjunction to additional feedback on courses to take to strengthen LinkedIn profile.”

  1. AI. You hear AI can pass standardized tests and will eventually rule over us, but you still haven’t started using it. At this point, there’s no excuse for not leveraging the power of AI. Tools exist. Many tools. And we use them at WSO Academy to supercharge your job hunt. From resume reviews to LinkedIn reviews and much, much more. As part of the academy, you have not just natural but artificial intelligence working for you. Here is a computer-scored report card of a resume before and after the mentor review and finally after the AI review.

As part of WSO Academy, we help you address these problems and much more and get you a job in high finance. Can’t wait to start hearing from recruiters? 

Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. How Are Hours RN for SA (Interns) - "Just want to know how the hours are like for the banks ur at rn."

  2. Background Check Issue IB Full Time - "I have a conditional offer and HireRight is struggling to verify an unpaid, informal startup advisory role that I disclosed on my CV. It wasn't employment, I wasn't paid, and there was never a contract, payslips or tax documentation. The founder is now unwilling to provide any written confirmation or reference. He isn't claiming the work didn't happen, he just doesn't want to formally confirm anything. I have plenty of evidence that the work was real (financial models, work product, messages, etc.), but HireRight says those aren't acceptable for employment verification. I've explained the situation to both HireRight and the bank and clarified that this was an informal unpaid collaboration rather than employment..."

  3. Q Dealflow Slowdown - "Overrated. Nobody wants to hear it. But the reality is it’s the year of financing and BBs are eating right now. If you can’t finance, you can’t serve your clients to the best of care. Also the senior departure to GS recently didn’t help."

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • How This 'Non-Target' Math Major Broke Into Investment Banking (Starting in January!)

  • From Pre-Med in Vietnam to Wall Street: How This Non-Target Student Broke Into IB

  • Before You Choose a Finance Career, Watch This

Hot Jobs 💼

2027 Hedge Fund Analyst (Full-Time) with a 2026 Summer Internship - "Your primary responsibility will be to research and analyze US public companies to help make investment decisions. We're looking for someone with a great deal of raw talent and intellectual curiosity, and a desire to learn what makes some companies great..."

Investment Associate, Partnership Fund for New York City - "The Partnership Fund for New York City (PFNYC) is hiring an Investment Associate with ~2 years of investment banking or equivalent financial experience who is looking to pivot into impact investing while continuing to do rigorous, institutional‑quality analysis..."

Senior Analyst, Private Equity Operations - "The Senior Analyst, Private Equity Operations leads the operational management of private deals, from approval and settlement through ongoing lifecycle events such as IPOs, restrictions, corporate actions, and liquidity events..."

Investment Banking Vice President - "This involves reviewing AI outputs for correctness, methodological rigour, and commercial relevance—then building evaluation criteria and model answers that reflect how things are actually done at top-tier banks…"

Private Equity Expert - "Mercor is recruiting U.S./UK/Canada/Europe/Australia-based Private Equity Experts for a research project with a leading foundational model AI lab."

Financial Modeling Expert - "In this highly visible role, you will deploy your deep expertise in financial modeling, valuation, and deal structuring to support major investment decisions across diverse sectors..."

WSO Mentor - "Are you an experienced professional with a background in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, S&T, venture capital, asset management, equity research, quant finance, corporate dev, real estate finance, or top-tier consulting? Passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders? Wall Street Oasis (WSO) is expanding its Mentorship Program, and we're looking for outstanding professionals to join our mentor roster—an elite network supporting students and young professionals as they prepare for high-stakes careers. Whether you’re looking to give back, stay connected to rising talent, or sharpen your coaching skills, this role offers you the chance to make a meaningful impact, remotely and on your schedule..."

On Deck - Training 🎓

All in Eastern Standard Time

Stay Strong,
Patrick Curtis
CEO and Founder, WallStreetOasis.com

WSO Mobile App: iOS | Android

PS - We're also always looking to add resume reviewers and WSO Mentors to our team. Set your own pay (from $40/hr to up to $400/hr) to increase or decrease mentee flow. To submit an application, go here.

PPS - Think you have an interesting story? Want to share it with our podcast listeners? Hit reply and let me know!




* PE Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the PE Interview Course
** FMV Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the Elite Modeling Package
*** IB Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the IB Interview Course