Best practice cover letter examples

Hi Rowan,

I can't share any cover letter, but can surely help with the structure. An excellent cover letter for consulting roles should include the following:

- Intro (name, current role in the current company, which role you are applying for and which company) - no more than 2 lines

- Why I want to be a consultant (this could include the career acceleration, travel, new challenges, frequent change of industry / function / clients / colleagues, new realities and new cultures, challenging environment where I feel I have always give my best, ...). If you have a "why this firm" this is the right section - 5-7 lines

- What your previous experiences and your intrinsics can bring to the firm (why the firm should hire you): (this could include great analytics developed in that university extracurricular project, team-working showed during that national championship, ...) - 5-7 lines

- Conclusions and closure - 1-2 lines

General tips:

- Total length about 1/2 page

- No repetitions of concepts already stated in the CV

- The HR team wants to read here your motivation, your passion, your enthusiasm. You cover letter should shout "I WANT TO WORK WITH YOU" (+ "I'm a genius, you should be mad not hire me)

Dear Rowan,

I have an examples of a good cover letter and CV with my comments inside, so if you would like to get the, just PM and I'm happy to share them. 

Best,

André

Hi,

I hope you got the job you desired. As people still look for answers to this question, I will provide a number of rules that they may find useful for preparing their cover letter.

1. Never write your cover letter before your resume. Cover letters, by their very nature, must address the issues your resume raises.
2. Ensure that your cover letter matches your resume in style and format
3. Write facts and not general statements “I am a result-oriented bla bla bla” is bull shit. Instead, say something like “I am a civil engineer with X years working experience and I have handled teams across X countries…”
4. Your cover letter is an accessory, it should not duplicate your resume.
5. Carefully write your cover letter to answer any key question your resume might raise such as an unemployment gap, reason for X number of job changes in 3 years.
6. Pay close attention to incorporating keywords relevant to the industry you are applying to.
7. Stick to making one point per paragraph.
8. Show insights in your cover letter.
9. End your cover letter humbly Never say “If you have some time, I will like to discuss my candidacy with you” They don’t have ‘SOME TIME” and who says they want to talk to you??? Instead say something like “If the firm finds me a fit based on my paper profile and would like to further discuss my candidacy, I would make myself available.”

The importance of a cover letter is hotly debated these days. Many recruiters don't even read it.  That said, it is better not to submit a cover letter than submit a poorly written one. Follow the rules, as proposed by Micheal Boricki, above.