WSO Weekly Wrap-up

March 08, 2025



Hey WSO Monkey,

A wild mix of topics in the forums this week—from preparing for headhunter calls to whether Excel is worth mastering (spoiler: probably). On the unfortunate side, a BMO analyst had a heart attack…take care of yourselves out there.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. Q&A - Self-Employed Developer, Previously Worked On Principal Side - "After a bunch of twists and turns I worked in corporate finance at a REIT, switched to a role focused on funding development deals, started chasing small commercial real estate deals on the side, rezoned a site as a side hustle, lost my job after a bunch of changes occurred at the company i was at and decided to try to make it on my own as a GP/sponsor, been on my own for several years now, done a bunch of deals, living off fees/promote/etc, not missing the old desk job, hope to do it forever..."

  2. Analysts and Associates: Who Will Help Us? - "The short answer to who is going to help you is nobody. You are going to have to carve your own path. The system is a giant machine with many many cogs and unfortunately whenever one of us cogs falls off, there are countless others waiting to fill in. And unfortunately, as this downcycle persists, it's going to stay this way."

  3. BMO Analyst Had a Heart Attack - "In Toronto not sure what group anyone know? Seems like something that could make headlines... EDIT: Confirmed this was in their mining team."

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Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. Women in IB - "I am making this post because I’m genuinely curious. I’m a woman myself and I’ve noticed other women in finance are absolutely each other’s biggest haters. It’s unbelievable how many mean girls i have met. They literally never miss the chance to put you down or humiliate you. It just surprises me because this industry is already male dominated so why are we against each other as well. Basically nobody is your friend or ally. And older women that are supposed to be your mentor are way ruder than younger ones. It feels like this is just the women in the industry tho. Guys don’t seem such big bullies to each other. Actually they are all buddies or whatever. Someone correct me if I’m wrong but this is what i have noticed so far."

  2. How to Prepare for Headhunter Intro Calls (PE Associate Recruiting) - "The main differentiator is how dedicated to PE you come across. There’s a few things here. First, you need to come across as if you know exactly what you want. For example, you need to be confident that you are looking for MF / UMM Buyout Associate roles in X sector, because of X, Y, Z. If you don’t know yet, you still need to pretend like you know what you want. Just say buyout associate roles – don’t mention growth, secondaries, infrastructure, etc. People who say they want buyout still get looks from growth, etc. funds, but not necessarily the opposite. For each headhunter, ask about a few specific firms they cover, and mention you are reaching out to Associates at those firms to further your interest. Basically, headhunters need to believe that you won’t stop until you get the PE fund you want..."

  3. Is It Even Worth Learning Excel Modeling - "Your post misses the point of the modeling tests (and the skillset) as a condition precedent to employment --- as they are testing your root to tip fluency in evaluating and understandng investments not your ability to create a technical model for them. Most firms have 3-5 core model that they use and what matters is that the users understand the process deeply as they will be the ultimate clerks of the works. They don't need model builders as 90 percent of that work is already done by the time you get there. Your post conflates technical skills with the artisanship of dealmaking (which is an intersection of many disciplines and dispositions personality-wise and will arguably be the last thing to be replaced by AI)."

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Investment Banking Analyst - “A boutique IB practice focused on MM M&A. Lean, mean, entrepreneurial team of highly motivated deal makers who all ‘punch above our weight’. While other investment banks have large teams working around the clock, we work smart in small teams, and achieve outstanding results for our clients and still get home in time to see our families. Industry generalists…“

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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!




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*** IB Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the IB Interview Course