[Your Name]

[Your Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your Email Address]

[Date]

[Name of Recruiter]
[Title]
[Name of Bank]
[Recruiter’s Address]

Dear Mr. / Ms. [Recruiter’s Name],

My name is [Your Name] and I am currently [a Year in School and Major / Business School Student at
[School Name]] / [Working at Company Name in Division Name]. I was recently introduced to your firm
via [Friend / Contact at Firm / Presentation] and was impressed with what I learned of [Your Culture /
Working Environment / Bank-Specific Info.]. I am interested in pursuing an [Investment Banking Analyst
/ Associate] position at your firm, and have enclosed my resume and background information below.

I have previously [Completed Internships In… / Worked Full-Time In…]. Through this experience
[Working on Transactions / Leading Teams and Managing Projects / Performing Quantitative Analysis], I
have gained [Go Into Anything Relevant to Banking, Such As Analytical / Leadership / Teamwork /
Finance / Accounting] skills and honed my [Any Other Relevant Skills]. I also had the opportunity to
work on [High-Impact Project], which [Describe Results].

Given my background in [Summarize Internships / Work Experience] and my [Summarize Skills] skills, I
am a particularly good fit for the [Position Name] position at your firm. I am impressed by your track
record of [Transactions / Clients] at [Firm Name] and the significant responsibilities given to [Position
Name], and I look forward to joining and contributing to your firm.

A copy of my resume is enclosed for your reference. I would welcome an opportunity to discuss my
qualifications with you and learn more about [Firm Name] at your earliest convenience. I can be reached
at [Phone Number] or via email at [Email Address]. Thank you very much for your time and
consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Signature]

Enclosure: Resume
2301 Vanderbilt Place
VU Station B #XXXX
Nashville, TN 37235

September 15, 2015

Mrs. Q. Employer
J.P. Morgan
60 Wall Street
New York City, NY 10260

Dear Mrs. Q. Employer,

Please accept my attached resume for consideration for your Asset Management Analyst
position. My interest in J.P. Morgan has grown after attending two of your information sessions
(the most recent this fall) on the Vanderbilt Campus and getting to speak with Joe Dore, an
Associate in J.P. Morgan’s Atlanta office. I am impressed with the firm’s emphasis on building
and training a strong team of world citizens and am glad to see how this fits with my own values.
The Asset Management division’s recent creation of podcasts that aim to help businesses
navigate the current financial difficulties is a great way for banks to provide support and educate
their clients, and this is the type of project which I would be glad to play a part.

My interest in finance developed during my internship last summer with SunTrust Robinson
Humphrey’s Corporate and Investment Banking Group. At SunTrust, I increased my knowledge
of various securities by using different investment databases, including Bloomberg, to prepare
pitch books used by the Vice President with 11 separate clients. Due to my success with this, I
was part of a client meeting regarding a potential deal of $5 million. This experience has given
me a desire to spend more time working with individuals and businesses regarding their
investments. My coursework at Vanderbilt in Managerial Studies and Human & Organizational
Development has prepared me for working in a results-oriented, team-centered environment like
J.P. Morgan.

I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you further about your Asset Management
Summer Analyst position. In addition to applying here, I have also applied at your company
website (xx@jpmorgan.com), but if you have any other information that would be of help to you
as you review my candidacy, please contact me at 609-555-5555 or at
jane.intern@vanderbilt.edu. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Jane Q. Intern

Attachment: Resume
August, 20, 20XX

Melissa Stevens
Recruiting Coordinator
5215 North O’Connor Blvd., Suite 500
Irving, TX 75039

Dear Ms. Stevens:

I am applying for the Associate Consultant position with Bain & Company. As a senior at
Vanderbilt University majoring in Economics with a minor in managerial studies, I know
that I would be an ideal candidate for this position. My studies in economics have
provided me with the knowledge to apply my business and analytical skills to different
business scenarios. I have an avid interest in the management consulting industry, and I
believe that the Associate Consultant position with Bain & Company will provide me with
unparalleled experience in business strategy.

My experience with Accelerator, Vanderbilt’s Summer Business Institute, inspired my

enthusiasm for consulting, as well as granted me experience in applying my knowledge
by collaborating in teams. During the Accelerator program, I led a team of four on the
marketing initiatives for a global campaign for Yum! Brands. The team presented our
marketing plan to Yum! Brands representatives and was selected as the winners of the
competition to have it implemented throughout the corporation.

As I continue to strive for academic success, I enjoy working on teams and have had
significant experience through my extracurricular activities where I hold several
leadership positions. Currently, I serve as the Vice President for Interhall, the Student
Dormitory Government. I plan community events and fundraisers for the organization
which include Save the Children, Juvenile Diabetes Bike-a-Thon, and tutoring local
youth in math and reading. I’m also the Assistant Treasurer for Delta Gamma Sorority. I
created a more efficient process for the organization to maintain financial records for a
$50,000 yearly budget. I feel my strong work ethic and analytical, creative mind would
equip me to contribute meaningfully to Bain & Associates as an Associate Consultant.

I would like the opportunity to meet in person to share more about my background and
the skills I would bring to your company. If you need any additional information, please
contact me at (Jennifer.a.consultant@vanderbilt.edu) or phone (615) 123-4567. I look
forward to the opportunity to interview with Bain & Associates. Thank you for your
consideration.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Consultant
!
September!2015!
!
!
!
!
Dear!Sir/!Madam,!
!
In! response! to! your! open! position! for! a! Summer! Analyst! in! the! Investment!
Banking! Program,! I! have! submitted! my! résumé! for! your! review! and!
consideration.!This!position!would!allow!me!to!develop!my!professional!path!in!
this!area,!while!giving!my!best!to!utilize!my!hard!and!soft!skills!on!Citi’s!behalf.!
!
So! far,! my! academic! background! has! been! based! on! Economics.! Nevertheless,!
throughout!my!bachelor’s!degree,!I!strived!to!combine!academic!excellence!with!
other! activities! beyond! academia! —! which! ranged! from! school! clubs,! doing! an!
exchange!semester,!volunteering!and!internships.!In!all!of!these!experiences,!two!
aspects!stood!out!—!my!inclination!towards!a!mathematical!way!of!thinking!and,!
at!the!same!time,!a!great!interest!in!getting!to!know!and!working!with!as!many!
people! as! I! could.! Being! a! peopleOperson! by! nature! and! a! logical! thinker! by!
nurture,!I!believe!the!Institutional!Clients!Group!is!one!of!the!industry's!branches!
where!I!could!easily!apply!my!biggest!strengths.!
!
Choosing!Citi!than!becomes!a!natural!decision.!After!having!organized!a!lecture!
with!the!Portuguese!office!CCO!—!Mr.!Luis!Aguiar!—!during!my!undergraduate!
program,!I!was!able!to!understand!the!fascinating!atmosphere!across!the!firm.!Its!
global!approach!makes!room!for!unique!clients!and!projects.!The!commitment!to!
growth!and!success!implies!constant!learning!and!evolution!—!a!challenge!I!am!
eager! to! embrace.! Finally,! the! strong! emphasis! on! diversity! creates! the!
welcoming!culture!for!which!it!is!so!well!known,!a!crucial!aspect!in!my!choice!to!
work!with!Citi.!
!
All! in! all,! I! look! forward! to! contributing! with! my! hard! work,! ingenuity! and!
motivation,! while! being! a! part! of! a! firm! with! such! an! outstanding! story! of!
success.!
!
Thank!you!for!your!attention.!I!look!forward!to!hearing!from!you!soon.!
!
!
Kind!regards,!
!
Joana!Fontoura!

Find out who to address the
letter to. It will usually be the
graduate recruitment manager.
Make sure you check the
form of address to use:
should it be Ms, Mrs or Miss?
Mention employees you’ve
met, but only if they’ll
remember speaking with you.
Include events you’ve
attended where you have
engaged with staff – banks
like to see that applicants
have tried to engage with
them.
Show that you’ve researched
the employer and know what
its plans are.
Your covering letter shouldn’t
exceed one page of A4 or
three–four paragraphs.
Annotated investment banking covering letter
Write a formal letter with your
name and address in the top right
corner and the recruiter’s name
and address on the left.
James Manton
14 House Street
Roundabout Road
Swindon, SW1 4GT
8 December 2012
State the role that you’re
Dionne Delahunt
applying for.
Graduate Recruitment Manager
Goldman Sachs International
188 Glean Street
London, EC4B 2HE
Dear Ms Delahunt,
Mention where you saw the
Please consider my application for the investment banking analyst position at job advertised.
Goldman Sachs International, as advertised on TARGETjobs. My conversations
with Sandra Moorewood and Malcolm Willow at the investment banking careers day
organised by TARGETjobs Events on 3 November has reinforced my interest in the
Say why you want to work for
programme and organisation. I am eager to be part of a team that values teamwork,
this particular bank.
integrity and honesty, and puts these principles at the heart of its strategy.
The two-year graduate scheme will provide me with an excellent opportunity
Include examples.
to develop my existing skills and knowledge to support Goldman Sachs’ current
investment banking strategy. My summer internship with the bank, where I worked
on a long-term project that focused on emerging economies and the strengths and
weaknesses of potential acquisition targets for a large UK client base, has equipped Link your skills with those
me with the teamworking, analytical, research and organisational skills that you seek sought by the business.
in applicants.
Non-academic and non-
I have also demonstrated, both at university and in my working life, other qualities finance experiences should
that are relevant to the position, such as leadership potential and creativity. During be included if you’ve
my maths and economics degree at the London School of Economics (for which developed relevant
I have a current average of 77.8% and am on track to graduate with a first), I have transferable skills.
arranged several inter-university maths contests through the LSE Maths and Stats
society. My teammates and I increased the society’s membership by 38% in eight
months on the back of these competitions.
I’m keen to discuss this opportunity with you in person and am available
for interview at your convenience. I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
James Manton
Include the results of the
contribution you’ve made.
You should sign off your letter with
‘Yours sincerely’ if you have addressed
the letter to a named person.