top of page

Cover Letter Advice

Preparing Cover Letters

​

Prepare

​

When preparing to write your cover letters make sure you have researched the firms VERY WELL. For your research you might want to look at each firm:

  • Core Values

  • Key Cultural Traits

  • Key Management Figures

  • Financial History/Performance

  • ESG/Social/ Philanthropy

  • Recent Deals

  • Recent News

 

Create a Template

​

Cover Letters can take a really long time to perfect and to write. In order to make sure that you do not have to waste time writing it is best to create a template that you use AND ADJUST for every firm. However, DO NOT use the same cover letter as this will lead to immediate rejection. 

Your template should consider:

  • Brief Intro to you (your uni, how you were introduced to the firm, etc…)

  • Why you are interested in that division

  • Why you are interested in that particular firm 

    • ​This has to be the main focus as you have to link your values and experiences with that particular firm to make sure that you seem a cultural fit

  • Brief conclusion summarising and expressing why YOU should be chosen compared to the thousands of other applicants

​

Don't Make Mistakes

​

It is crucial that in your cover letter you do not make silly and stupid grammar and spelling mistakes.

Some key tips for the finalizing and reviewing stage:

  • Use Grammarly to check 

  • Ask your friends/family to read through and have a look

  • Re-read several times until you are happy with it then re-read, print off (to check the layout), and re-read one final time

  • Make sure you name the pdf something suitable to your application

Cover Letter Structure

​

  • Paragraph 1  – Current status, the current first year or second-year student, studying x, on track for first or distinction applying for y.

​

  • Paragraph 2 – why you’re interested in them:

    • Use your firm profiles to support this – but don’t just make this a ‘ticking box’ for matching the firm’s values. It requires focus and genuineness. Usually ‘because of the people at the firm is a strong response and connecting with analysts (as an example) e.g. on LinkedIn for a brief call to gain an insight into the firm is a good approach for this – but depends on time constraints.

    • Give 2 or 3 points for why firm.

    • Getting involved in online webinars and workshops is a great way to gain an insight into ‘why the firm’

 

  •  Paragraph 3 – Why you’re a good fit:

    • List all the activities you’re involved with or have been involved with and select the most relevant skills you can draw from these.

    • If you’re entering your first year or are thin with experience to talk about e.g. struggling to find how you’re an innovative thinker, good communicator, like working under pressure, etc:

      • Make the most and get involved with uni societies/sports clubs; apply for positions of responsibility

      • Do anything you can to get actively engaged

      • Being involved with these activities gives you a greater bank of stories to draw upon

      • Linking it back to the firm – needs to be linked to skills for that division. You need to back these qualities you claim you have with specific examples.

 

  • Cover Letters might take you a long time at the start, but once you have written ‘why the division’ and ‘why you’ once round, this process quickly speeds up – but the quality assurance is very important.

 

  • One important thing to note is that speed must be prioritised. DO NOT wait a whole two weeks to perfect a cover letter before submitting the application if applications have opened – this will greatly minimise your chances. Being early is paramount to success. 

bottom of page