Cover Letter Guide for Consulting

The third part to the series of resources posted, this guide is meant to be illustrative of cover letter
templates/techniques that have worked in the past for students who successfully recruited for MBB. A
number of current second years have contributed to this to give you a sense of what good looks like in
different manifestations. Before perusing these examples and finding what works best for your needs,
please refer to the following guidelines:
Guidelines:
1. Do not copy the statements you see in this guide verbatim. We obviously dont want 150 cover
letters that all have the same structure/sentences to go to each recruiter.
2. Ensure you are answering three questions in your cover letter: (A) Why are you interested in
working for Firm XXX? (B) What about Firm XXX makes you believe you are a good fit? (C) What
skills/experiences do you bring with you to the table?
3. The cover letter should be only 1 page long Do not exceed this length.
4. Personalize Firms can see through generic cover letters that do not speak to who they are as a
firm. Make sure youve done your research and can synthesize the two or three skills/values the
firm youre applying to cares about the most.
5. Be SPECIFIC When speaking to interactions youve had or what you like about a firm, make sure
you show that you have a few discreet attributes/examples that appeal to you. When speaking
about your strengths, give clear examples that speak to those traits that make you effective and
ensure that you also show the impact youve had.
6. Proofread Make sure you read your cover letter out loud at least TWICE before you submit it
online. You are more likely to catch errors, missed commas, the wrong firm name, etc. Mistakes
on your resume or cover letter can (and most likely will) hurt your chances.
Table of Contents:
Templates
1. CDO template offered in CDO Cover Letter Handbook
2. Student-generated template with different inputs to customize for firm youre applying to
Examples
1. 1Y recruiting cover letter example #1
2. 1Y recruiting cover letter example #2
3. 1Y recruiting cover letter example #3 (Internal Consulting)
4. 2Y re-recruiting cover letter example

[STUDENT GENERATED real, sanitized examples from successful applicants to MBB]

Please use this in conjunction with the CDO & Consulting Club resources available.
If you have questions, feel free to email me at divya.srinivasan@yale.edu

B)Createanoutlineforyourcoverletter
Usethebelowtocreateinputforyourcoverletter(butnotcutandpaste).Pullintheexamplesfromtheabovelist.
Youllstillneedtocreatetransitionsandfleshoutthestorythattiesitalltogether.Youmayevenfindsomethingfrom
youropeningwillmakemoresensetoincorporateinthecontextofthebody.Butyoullatleasthaveelementstopull
fromasyoucraftyourletter.Usethistohighlighttheprimaryitemsyouwanttogetacrossineachsection.
Introduction(TheHook)
Howwillyouintroduceyourself?

Whatistheposition?

Whatcontactshaveyouspokenwith?Noteif
someonehasspecificallyreferredyoutothis
position.
Whatrelevant/intriguinginformationhaveyou
learnedfromyourcompanyresearch?
Whythecompany/industry/function?

Whatisyouruniquehookthatwillcompelthe
readertowanttolearnmoreaboutyou?
Body(TheSell)
Integrateexamplesfromtheskillmatchgridthattieyourqualities/experiencestotherequirementsofthejob
Example#1thattiesyourskillstothejob

requirements
Example#2thattiesyourskillstothejob
requirements

Example#3thattiesyourskillstothejob
requirements

Example#4thattiesyourskillstothejob
requirements

Closing(TheAsk)
Recapofwhyyouareagoodfitfortherole

Whatisyourask?

Whatnextstepsdoyoupropose?

Thankthereader

C)Crosscheckyourletteragainstthedefiningelementsofastrongcoverletter

Onceyouhavecompletedyourcoverletter,usethischecklisttoensurethatyourcoverletteraddressesallofthe
fundamentalsaswellasthedistinguishinganddifferentiatingcharacteristicsofastrongletter.

COVERLETTERCHECKLIST

GENERAL

Y/N?

Makesaclearstatementofwhatvalueyouwillbringtotheorganization
Makesiteasyforreadertoidentifywhatkeyskillsandattributesyouhavetooffer
Conveysyourpassionforthecompany,role,andindustry
Tailorscontentthroughouttheletter,notjusttheintroduction
Providesinformationbeyondwhatisfoundinyourresume
COMPANYRESEARCH
Usesspecificinformationgarneredfrominformationalinterviews,presentations,industrysourcesandcompany
newstodemonstrateyourinterestandfitwiththecompany
Mentionsbynameindividualswithwhomyouvehadmeaningfulconversations
Indicatesspecificdivisionsordepartmentsthatinterestyou,whereapplicable
MATCHTOJOBDESCRIPTION
Drawsdistinctconnectionsbetweenthejobrequirementsandyourskills,experiences,andattributes
Usesspecificexamplesandquantified(orqualified)resultstodemonstratecompetencies
Addressesmost/manyoftherequirementslistedinthejobdescription
Forcareerswitchers,clearlytranslatespriorexperiencestodemonstratepreparednessforthedesiredrole
FORMAT
Doesnotexceedonepage
Usesan11or12ptfont
Usesmarginsatleast1allaround
Usesproperbusinessformattingandspacing
Includesyourphonenumberandemail
Incorporatessufficientwhitespace
Includesspecificrecipientsalutationandcontactinformation(avoidgenericgreetingifpossible,butuseDear
HiringManagerifnoalternative)
WATCHOUTS
Usesthesamereasonsforinterestinthecompanyasareusedinletterstoothercompanies(orusesanoverly
genericreasons)
Sameskills/experiencesusedineveryletter(nottailoredtospecificjobrequirements)
Writtenfromthemeperspectivefocusesonwhattheopportunitywilldoforyouanddoesnttellthe
employerwhatvalueyoubringtotheirorganization
Restateswhatiswritteninyourresume
Includesspellingerrors,typos,grammaticalerrors,wrongcompanynameorothermistakes
RecyclesaCDOBestPracticesampleletter;coverlettersmustallbeyourownoriginalwork
Isboringlackstherelevanceorlevelofinteresttomakethereaderwanttolearnmore

Example #2: Cover Letter with customizable elements based on identity of firm youre applying to
December 04, 2015
XXX
XXX
XXX
XXX
XXX
Dear XXX,
I am a first year student at the Yale School of Management (SOM) and I am writing to apply for the 2015
Consulting Summer Internship at XXX. Through my interactions with XXX, I was very excited to learn
about XXX, and three things that really stood out for me in my conversations were X, X and X.
Working as a XXX for [insert past firm], I worked on [insert your role and its scope], and I have honed
my project management skills through X, X and X.
At this point, pick one or two of the paragraphs below that map to the particular identity of the firm
you are writing to. For instance, for a more innovation-design oriented consultancy, you may choose to
focus on client interaction and entrepreneurship. Potential examples (sanitized to protect identity)
follow below.
I have had substantial experience in [insert important skill 1] and [insert important skill 2] at [insert past
firm] and would like to build further on it by involving myself in [insert aspects of firm that appeal to
you]. I feel that my education at SOM has afforded me the right tools to analyze complex and large
business challenges. Since XXX has to use X as well as X lenses to truly help clients, I feel both my
strong quantitative, consulting background and my current learnings at SOM lend themselves to this role.
I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to interview with XXX. Thank you for your time and
consideration.
Sincerely,
Jane/John Bulldog

999 Whitney Avenue, New Haven CT 06511

| (999) 999-9999

jane.bulldog@yale.edu

Examples one or two of the paragraphs below:

1. [Example: quant background, research oriented, finance education]
I possess a strong quantitative mind, as demonstrated by my undergraduate major in Mechanical
Engineering as well as my participation in the premier design challenge at XX. This program is tailored to
be more research-oriented for students with high academic potential, with core subjects of greater
complexity than what the average engineering student. Additionally, I have also been acquiring
knowledge of finance through a minor in Business studies during my undergraduate degree, 3 years of
work experience in the financial services sector and currently through my studies at Yale SOM, where I
have succeeded in achieving Honors for courses such as Accounting, Statistics and Spreadsheet
Modeling.
2. [Example: Data analysis, investigation, presentation]
My first role at Accenture gave me the opportunity to employ my skills of data analysis and collaboration
through a data quality review of 1,800 attributes of data for a large IT services client we served. I began
the discovery process by cataloging all of the datasets within each product category of the client. My next
step was to create a detailed document that highlighted a description of the data field, usage statistics, and
integration points, working with the appropriate teams to get a comprehensive understanding of each
dataset. Finally, I synthesized my findings and presented my recommendations to senior management. At
the end of this exercise, I synthesized my findings in a reference document to present to management, and
this is used even today, 3 years later, as a basic resource to understand the usage of the data for the client.
3. [Example: Client interaction, process improvement]
For instance, I used my analytical skills and collaborative work style when I undertook the client
onboarding strategy for a new product launched in Singapore. The objective was to create a smooth
process from the point the client agrees to trade till the point their information and documents are signed
and stored securely in the banks records. By analyzing the best practices in our head office at Zurich and
working with the local teams in Asia, I created a process customized for Asian infrastructure, ensuring
that the process was streamlined from the customer perspective.
4. [Example: Working with senior management, cross functional collaboration]
I was able to hone my skills of cross functional collaboration and ability to interact with senior managers
when I was selected by the Head of Asia Change Management to create a unified view of the 50 projects
being run in the region. I was able to collaborate with 7 directors across the various product lines in Asia
to consolidate their project pipelines for the next year into an Asia-wide tracking document that was used
for senior management updates. A view into the project pipeline helps decreased costs, improve
integration, enhance governance, and increase adoption. Also, what was the size of the pipeline x
projects, y dollars, z teams. As a result, the senior management team was better informed on all of the
changes to be expected, and were further able to use this tool to quantify the benefits from the projects
completed.

999 Whitney Avenue, New Haven CT 06511

| (999) 999-9999

jane.bulldog@yale.edu

5. [Example: Initiative, peer coaching, training]

I also take a very keen interest in building capabilities and knowledge sharing to further develop the
organizations culture. I have initiated programs that have enabled cross functional learning among my
group of peers as part of the selective Graduate Trainee Program at Accenture. As a result, I was selected
at a very junior level to conduct the Hear Me Out program tailored for employees that need to improve
their communication skills to take the next step in their careers. I planned and conducted a series of
sessions on presentations, conference calls, impromptu speeches and feedback collection for the
participants. Through this program, I was able to develop and mentor the participants and impact their
future career trajectory as team leads and managers.
6. [Finance-y Example: Data Analysis, Working with Senior Management, Understanding of
Regulations]
I was able to leverage my analysis and presentation skills through a project to investigate the impact of
Hong Kongs regulations on the Foreign Exchange (FX) business line. I did a deep dive into the
Monetary authoritys regulatory documentation on reporting requirements for financial institutions. I
determined the relevant Barclays products and jurisdictions that the regulations would apply to and then
supplemented it with my knowledge of Barclays existing reporting infrastructure to propose a reporting
process to eliminate the risk of regulatory breach. I presented the findings and my recommendation to the
senior management in Asia, receiving approval to implement it as well.
7. [Finance-y Example 2: Front to Back Understanding of a business line, driving cross team
collaboration]
I exercised my skills of leadership, teamwork and influence during a company-wide update of the
payment intermediary agent used by Lazard. I was selected to direct the updates for FX Asia, including
internal updates on the systems as well as the communication strategy for the FX clients. I worked closely
with colleagues both globally (Zurich, London) and locally (Singapore) to understand which parts of the
process would be impacted by the change, and used that information to generate a detailed run-book of
tasks to be accomplished prior to the change-over date. I then ran stakeholder meetings to get buy-in from
the 4 teams involved to execute the plan in the days leading up to the date, and saw through a successful
implementation with no impact to the clients or the internal users.

999 Whitney Avenue, New Haven CT 06511

| (999) 999-9999

jane.bulldog@yale.edu

December 3, 2014
Ms. Jill Diamond
Senior Recruiter
Bain & Company, Inc.
1114 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York
Dear Ms. Diamond,
I am a first-year MBA student at Yale School of Management writing to express my interest in Bain &
Companys Summer Associate position. During Bains corporate presentation, I was excited to learn
about Bains impressive growth trajectory and its vast reach, counting 2/3 of the Fortune 500 and 75% of
private equity funds as its clients. Through my coffee chat with John Smith, I also learned about Bains
individualized staffing approach and apprenticeship culture, which Smith heavily praised and credited
with helping him tailor a unique experience that aligned with his interests while serving notable clients. It
is this combination of proven results, endless opportunities to help leading organizations solve key issues
and a feedback culture that emphasizes personal growth that draws me uniquely to Bain.
As a former technology consultant, I have demonstrated my ability to solve complex problems and
engage in collaboration to achieve tangible results for my clients. For example, I led the design activities
of a cross-functional team with members in Canada, India and Germany to create a comprehensive
solution plan to integrate North Americas third-largest transit provider into a common fare payment
system shared with nine adjacent transit operators. This not only enabled seamless transfers across the
regions combined transit network for three million daily commuters, but also provided the client with a
platform to introduce future valued-added services such as bundled pricing. In addition, I was the
principal architect of a novel location identification system for a clients 70-vehicle streetcar fleet,
allowing the client to better track fare payments and passenger flows across its streetcar network at a cost
that was $4 million lower than the alternative solution. I believe I can leverage these experiences at Bain
to create actionable solutions for clients across a wider range of industries and functions.
At Yale, I have focused on building a solid foundation of business knowledge and skills, as evidenced by
my achievement of academic distinction in six core courses. I have also further developed my leadership
capacity through roles such as Sponsorship Co-director for Startup Weekend New Haven, where I helped
raise over $10,000 in cash and in-kind funding, allowing the entrepreneurship-focused event to be run at a
surplus. I believe that the combination of these skills with my prior experience in client-facing roles
makes me a good fit for the Summer Associate role and will allow me to immediately make meaningful
contributions to both Bain and its clients.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my application and I look forward to having an opportunity to
further discuss the value I can bring to Bain this summer as a Summer Associate.

Sincerely,
John Doe

999 Whitney Avenue, New Haven CT 06511

| (999) 999-9999

john.doe@yale.edu

October 19, 2015

Pam Bolotin
MBA Recruiter
L.E.K. Consulting
75 State Street, 19th Floor
Boston, MA 02109
Dear Pam,
I write to express my strong interest in the Consultant position. As a candidate passionate about
healthcare, I value solutions that benefit both business and society. L.E.K.s ability to deliver
tailored, long-term client solutions while embracing its role as a global citizen aligns with my
personal value set. My conversations with Fred Rollins, Victoria Carter and Alexa Allen made it clear
to me that the firms values are more than simply words and, in fact, translate into the very fabric of
L.E.K.s culture.
Since graduating from the University of California, I've dedicated my career to helping
organizations solve complex problems. These experiences have equipped me with unique skills that
will enable me to thrive at L.E.K. Consulting, including:

A passion for strategic problem solving: Before graduate school, I worked as a consultant at
Accenture where I helped clients develop strategies in response to the shifting healthcare
landscape. During my tenure, I advised a Fortune 500 technology firm to offer medical benefits
through the New York State Insurance Exchange, an action first among its competitors. My
ability to translate complex data into actionable recommendations saved the company over
50% in projected Health Care Reform liabilities and enabled the firm to continue to offer
coverage to all its employees.

An entrepreneurial mindset: This past summer, I helped four early-stage entrepreneurs scale
their business impact. During four, week-long consulting engagements with business owners
across the US, I developed a deep appreciation for entrepreneurship and I was able to add value
to each enterprise. From creating an online marketing campaign to fundraise over $10,000 for
a local grocer to forecasting pro forma financials to help a local tea company secure a $50,000
equity investment, this experience has prepared me to succeed in entrepreneurial, self-starting
environments.

Demonstrated and impactful leadership: As former student body president, I led a sixperson executive team in providing resources for current students and increased the yield for
incoming students by 20%. Additionally, this past summer as a Summer Associate at Citi, I led a
$200M acquisition financing process and successfully partnered with two analysts and a
Managing Director in doing so.

Given my prior experiences and interactions with the firm, I believe that L.E.K. Consulting is a great
fit. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Bob Johnson

December 21, 2014

Ms. Angelica Jones

Recruiter
Royal Dutch Shell
The Hague Area
The Netherlands

Dear Ms. Spinaci:

I am a first-year student at the Yale School of Management and am writing to express my strong interest in
Shells Assessed Internship Program in the Netherlands. I have always been passionate about energy and
addressing the challenges of the growing energy demand, a passion that I harnessed to make measurable
impact throughout my academic and professional life. Over the years, I have grown to admire Shells
leadership in shaping the future of the energy industry and through my interactions with Shell employees
including John Smith, I am convinced that that there is no better place for me to develop professionally in
the industry that I care deeply about.
Prior to beginning my MBA, I was working in Michelin as an automation engineer. The experience working
in the greenfield project that set up the $4 billion Michelin facility in China helped me develop the skills
that enable me to thrive in demanding, fast-paced environments and lead transformations in a multinational
organization. For instance, faced with a shortage of trained manpower that challenged the timely
operationalization of the Shanghai plant, I redesigned Michelins technical support model by pioneering
real-time visual collaboration with experts across the world for troubleshooting manufacturing process
lines. I led a multinational cross-functional team through implementation and launch of the system,
successfully managed stakeholder expectations and achieved 25% cost savings in addition to timely
operationalization of the facility. This solution was adopted as part of Michelins global action plan to
address the anticipated 30% shortage in skilled manpower.
I came to Yale to increase the scale and impact of my initiatives and I am excited about the possibility of
bringing my strong analytical skills, result oriented leadership and broad international experience to Shell.
I am confident that the enabling combination of the uniquely global outlook, diverse human talent and a
forward looking approach at Shell will help me learn continuously and contribute to the growth of Shell at
a time when the energy industry is going through rapid transformations.
I would appreciate an opportunity to interview with Shell. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
John Bulldog

165 Whitney Avenue, Apt # 1, New Haven CT 06511 | 203 000-000 | john.bulldog@yale.edu

September 17, 2015

Jill Diamond
Three Times Square, 25th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Dear Ms. Diamond,
I am writing to express my interest in Bain & Companys Consultant position. Through research and
discussions with Jane Smith and John Doe, I found the companys supportive, office-based culture to
be a great match with my passion for leading cohesive teams to delivery of creative yet
implementable strategic solutions. I also admire Bains unwavering focus on realized results, fostered
by feedback transparency and employee development.
During my summer internship as a Senior Consultant with XY Management Consultants, I completed
numerous strategy engagements, including a $115MM Fair Market Valuation for a subsidiary
company formation and a $37MM go-to-market strategy project. Prior to Yale SOM, I worked at X
Firm as an Implementation Consultant for 5 years, where I managed a total of 16 electronic health
record implementations and also partnered with physician and executive hospital leadership to ensure
implementation success. The following characteristics and experiences exemplify my core
competencies and results not reports mentality:
Adaptable Led operational process improvement project for the United States Coast Guard
fleet. Redesigned radiology processes by leveraging mobile technology and consolidated
radiologist services with Army and Coast Guard, which reduced turnaround time by 18%.
Analytical Developed a valuation model for commercialization of clients mobile health
intellectual property. Forecasted products present value by developing a fully adopted pricing
recommendation, which resulted in $3MM of product sales in the initial two months.
Influential Alleviated go-live risk due to a McKesson integration bottleneck at Aurora
Healthcare by initiating contact with McKesson and garnering client support, which resulted in
a strategic vendor partnership. This partnership collectively saved Epic clients over $2MM.
I look forward to bringing the same energy and relentless focus on delivering tangible client results to
Bain & Company. The Consultant position is a tremendous opportunity to work across a variety of
industries while making a meaningful impact on clients businesses by taking an open-minded,
intellectually stimulating approach to solving problems.
I would appreciate an opportunity to interview for the Consultant position. Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
Steven Rogers

311 Orange Street #007 New Haven CT 06511 123-456-7890 steven.rogers@yale.edu