Since a resume always goes hand-in-hand with cover letters…

By Andrea Rice
Your cover letter is your elevator pitch tailored to the specific position and company you’re targeting. They are not always required, but if you plan on sending one, make sure it is concise and highlights key selling points. A poorly worded cover letter can knock you out of being considered.

Before we get to the cover letter example, here are some quick answers to common questions:

1. Address your cover letter to a specific individual, not “To whom it may concern” or some other variation that shows you haven’t done your homework. Call the company to find out if it’s not clear, and get the correct spelling of their name.

2. Triple check to make sure the company name, address and contact person are correct, and that there are no typos in the letter.

3. Unless the job posting specifically mentions not to include a cover letter, include one, even if you’re applying through on campus recruiting.

4. Capitalize the name of a division if used with the company name (e.g. Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division) but it shouldn’t be capitalized if you are writing investment banking (e.g. I’m interested in investment banking…).

5. Fixed Income is not hyphenated by any banks, although writers sometimes hyphenate it. Double check the bank’s website to see how they handle this.

Sample Cover Letter
[Contact Name]
[Company Address]

Dear Mr./Ms. [ ],

I am interested in the financial analyst position at [bank]. I recently spent time with [name] in [division] and feel that my academic, extra-curricular, and professional experience are highly relevant to the position.

I would appreciate the opportunity to share with you more details about my background, but here are a few skills that I believe I could bring to the position:

Industry Insight and Impact: For the past two years I have been closely following the financial news, meeting with alums on the Street to understand their jobs, and assuming growing amounts of responsibility within our school’s investment club. Last summer I interned on the buy side at Wall Street Global Advisors on the trading floor with the trader who managed the biggest accounts. I also manage my own money, trading a longshore equity account of $35K that so far has generated a 40% return.

Leadership: I am currently the Chief Investment Officer for the schools $115K student-run fund.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

[your name]

Why This Works
* It effectively highlights why you’re an interesting candidate by skills that are important for the position. This, by the way, also demonstrates that you know what’s important in the job.
* It provides a source of reference in a name of a colleague that individual can reach out to.