Motivation Letter

Hi Muhammad,

In terms of cover letters (a motivation letter is slightly different): HR may not read them, in particular if you are referred. In some offices, the cover letter is not even compulsory as application material.

However, I would still prepare a good cover letter for the following reasons:

1. They may do read it
2. You can tweak a cover letter easily from one company to another. And it is very likely that at least one of the companies will read it. So why risk?

You can structure a cover letter in 4 parts:

1. Introduction, mentioning the position you are interested in and a specific element you find attractive for that company
2. Why you are qualified for the job, where you can report 3 skills/stories from your CV, ideally related to leadership, impact, drive and teamwork
3. Why you are interested in that particular firm, with additional 1-2 specific reasons
4. Final remarks, mentioning again your interest and contacts

In part 2 you can write about experiences that show skills useful in consulting such as drive, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and convincing others. Ideally you will craft this to the values they are looking for in that particular company.

It is important that in part 3 you make your cover letter specific to a particular firm – the rule of thumb is, can you send the exact same cover to another consulting company if you change the name? If that’s the case, your cover letter is too generic.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi Muhammad,

If you're wondering whether you should write a cover letter or not, quite simply you should. It will only ever help.

Does it matter? It depends on the company/office/recruiter (for example, McKinsey tends to not care).

However, if there is any action you can take that could improve your odds, wouldn't you take it? Cover letters, in general, still help your application overall.

That said, they're more a “table stakes” item (i.e. you have to have one, but the difference between having a good one versus and amazing one isn't big)

That's why I've created mass production techniques! Feel free to message for this!

Hi Muhammad,

You do need one and it does need to be of decent quality (well formatted, proper grammar etc.)

The motivation letter in most instances is not something where you can gain an interview, but you can lose one. As a CV reviewer most of the time you just skim read to see whether there is anything of note (and it is usually the bad things like using the wrong firm's name etc. that stand out).

Having said that, you can use the motivation letter to your advantage in some instances:
1) Where you are making an unusual career move, here is your opportunity to explain it and help the reviewer see your perspective on why your unusual credentials are relevant
2) Where you have some unique selling point that may not be immediately obvious in the CV for some reason, you can outline it here to make sure to draw attention to it

In both cases I would suggest keeping your letter short and to the point, so that when the reviewer is skim reading the letter you make sure these points stand out and don't get lost in blocks of meaningless text.

Hope this helps!
Kurt

Hi there, 

Yes, it's important. 

Do they read every word of it? Certainly not, but a well-written, well-structured letter will make them pause and take you further. 

Basically, the purpose of cover letter is to give a bit of background to your story BEYOND the CV and give an understanding of why you are interesting in getting into this job / firm. The whole trick here is to write your story in the cover letter (this applies to all types of cover letters) as if getting hired for that role is the natural next step in your career. As in, it makes sense and you have all the skills that it takes to do a distinctive job in that role. 

So that means that you shouldn't overcomplicate it, don't make it too long, don't make it too short, don't make it too technical, don't brag, but don't be modest, don't copy paste stuff off the internet. Be genuine, direct, in clear, normal-people language. If you need some expert help feel free to reach out. 

Best,

Cristian

Hey there,

Depends on the firm and office.

For McKinsey, it will not add anything to your application and is not needed. For other firms, it is required but carries much less weight than your resume and referrals.

Cheers,

Florian

Hey there, 

This really depends on the firm and the location. One thing I will say for sure is that writing one will not make you lose any points. It will allow you to show a lot more of your application and profile. Even in the event that they do not read it, it is probably better to submit one than not. 
 

Hi Muhammad, 

If the application has a provision for cover letter or motivation letter, always write one. It may just give you the extra points.

Recruiters appreciate the effort it takes and a well written cover letter can definitely help.

Hi there,

More than half of consulting candidates are rejected before interviews, based on their applications alone, the application usually includes both a resume and a cover letter and between the two, most job applicants will tell you that the resume is more important.

While your resume provides a more complete summary of your education, skills, and experiences, the cover letter also plays a key role during the application process.

An excellent cover letter is one of the first and most crucial steps toward a consulting job, a strong cover letter presents an excellent opportunity for you to demonstrate why you’re the best candidate for the job, it makes you stand out from the competition and ensures that your achievements aren’t overlooked when compared to other applicants.

The main goal of the cover letter is to help you secure an interview, you should write it as an introduction to you and your resume while highlighting key skills and relevant experiences that are most suited for the position, and offering the recruiters a taste of your character and level of interest.

You should make sure both your resume and cover letters are bulletproofed before you even begin the application process as they are things that you can control and refine, they represent the first impression a potential employer will see in you and they will help determine whether or not to invest time and resources to bring you in for an interview you, therefore you should invest a couple of hours in tailoring and perfecting them for the specific role you're applying to or risk not even getting screened in. 

Hello!

Long story short: no. In Amazon, we skipped them, we just didn´t have time for all!

Cheers, 

Clara