Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Cover Letters

Cover Letters. For some reason these are an unknown "animal" to most people. I remember the first time I tried to write a cover letter. I spent hours on the internet trying to track down usable and helpful resources on how to write a powerful cover letter. I spent what seemed like an eternity on Google and came up with a handful of websites and articles that I found helpful, but still didn't know exactly how to write one.

Over time and with the help of many people, websites, resources, etc... I was able to put together what I consider to be a very concise yet powerful cover letter. Below I have copied an example of the cover letter I have been using. Please feel free to use the same outline and some of the same wording.

In the cover letter below I have given a framework and "outline" to use. I encourage each of you to take the time to put your own spin and words into the main body paragraph of the letter. This letter is a great place to tell "Your Story" about why you want to do Investment Banking and how your past experiences have prepared you to enter the field of Investment Banking with XYZ Investment Bank. Be original and be yourself! This will help you stand out from the crowd!

Also, below my example there are two additional sample cover letters. The first is pulled directly off of Vault.com, and the second is a link to another professionally written cover letter. In my opinion, both are very helpful and give great insight on 'How to Write a Strong Cover Letter'.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

John A. Doe
Your Address ~ City, State Zip
john.a.doe@gmail.com ~ 555.555.5555



August 27, 2007



Mr. Eric Brown
101 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02199

Dear Mr. Brown:

I am writing to express my interest in an analyst position with “The Company”. I learned of the opening through my friend, John Anderson, a current analyst with the firm. His positive description of the company and program has inspired me to apply. My strong desire to be a part of “The Company” combined with my past experiences makes me a strong candidate for this position.

My education and work experience are well-suited for the world of “Pick Industry”. As an analyst with both “ABC Firm” and “XYZ Group”, I conducted fundamental industry research and analysis that is invaluable in this field. Through my extracurricular activities as “Past Position” of “Group/Team” and as the “Past Position” of “Group/Team”, I have developed strong leadership skills. These positions have taught me the importance of organization, intuition, and adaptability (Replace these with your own skills). My coursework, in both “Choose Subject” and “Choose Subject”, has taught me how to analyze numbers and information effectively. These skills, combined with my strong work ethic and an ability to bring out the best in myself and others will be added assets to “The Company” team.

I look forward to discussing with you the contribution I can make to “The Company” as a full-time analyst. If you have any questions, you can reach me at (555) 555-5555 or at john.a.doe@gmail.com. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,


John Doe

_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here is a Cover Letter off of Vault.com. Here is the link:

Vault.com Cover Letter



Mark Uberski
14 East Spring Street
Moneybury, CT 06903


October 1, 2005

Thom Flanton
Hiring Manager
Mock and Biddle
40 Wall Street
New York, NY 10001

Dear Mr. Flanton,

I recently graduated with a bachelors degree in economics and am looking for a full-time position in the investment banking field. I am extremely interested in beginning my career at Mock and Biddle. The investing history of Mock and Biddle, especially its stability during the 1980s junk bond and LBO craze, was the subject of my undergraduate thesis.

I feel I have much to offer in Mock's drive to involve a younger generation of investors. As the founder of the Oberlin Students Investment Group, I managed the capital of 31 of my peers, making 9 percent annual return over a three-year period, and raising the amount of capital from an initial $8,000 to $54,000 my senior year, all while maintaining a 3.8 average in my field. I want to apply that vision and multitasking ability at Mock and Biddle.

Mock and Biddle is my first choice for my entry into the professional arena, and I believe that my employment would be highly beneficial to Mock and Biddle as well. As co-founder Charles Anderson said in his 1962 commencement speech at Brown University, "There is no more sound investment than youth."

Thank you very much for your time and consideration, I look forward to discussing with you the ways I can contribute to Mock and Biddle's future.

Sincerely,

Mark Uberski
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________


_________________________________________________________________________________________________

The website where you can access the original source document is found at the following link: Sample Investment Banking Internship Cover Letter

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, you were true in saying unknown "animal", As when i was in India we never knew anything about cover letters, till i reach U.S.A, anyways this was wonderful info, thanks for sharing this with me!@bose

Cover Letter

Ruby Claire said...

Hello,

Your Story is quite like mine, I too used to search many sites for writing an effective cover letter.

But dear friend.. did you update your self?

Do you know Cv/Resume, cover letter Scanning?


What do you implement in cover letter after knowing the above fact?... please reply


Cover letter samples

Rubysyed

professional letter writer said...

It was an interesting post about cover letter and I would say that One of the problems is that many professionals do not bother to learn that there is no one-size-fits-all letter that will help a patient in every situation.

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Ibhacker213 said...

As I read your letter it is quite simple and impressive but if you want to know more on how to write letter try to read more to get further ideas in writing.