CONSULTING COVER LETTER TEMPLATE EXPLANATION GUIDE
Your Name
Your Address
Your Phone
Your email
Date
Company Name
Company Address
To Whom It May Concern,
PARAGRAPH 1 - Part 1:
Provide key information to allow your application to be routed to the correct recruiting team.
I’m writing to apply for the XYZ position in your ABC office. State that you are applying for a job. A
surprising number of candidates don’t actually say that or don’t say that until the end of the letter. State
which job you are applying for. If you are applying for a specific office, state your office preference.
I will be graduating from XYZ university with an ABC degree in June 20XX. For on-campus
recruiting, state which school you attend, what degree you will be receiving and when you will be
receiving it. All 3 pieces of information will be used to determine which recruiting team member will be
reading your cover letter. If you don’t include this information, your application gets bounced back and
forth between different recruiting team members and you risk your application getting lost because it’s
not obvious who is supposed to be reading it.
I am an experienced hire candidate with a XYZ MBA/PhD/JD/MD and 5 years of post-graduate
school work experience in ABC company/field/industry.
(The purpose of this paragraph is so the reader can quickly determine which person within the firm
should be reading your letter. Depending on the firm, resumes are often sorted by campus vs. noncampus recruiting, specific schools, geography, internship vs. full time, and the experience level of
candidate.)
PARAGRAPH 1 - Part 2:
Provide a 1 - 3 sentence description of yourself. Mention as many “wow” factors as possible.
Wow Factors Listed in Order of Preference:
•
For On-Campus Recruiting
•
•
•
•
•
Big Brand Name (BBN) University that you’ve graduated from (even if not recently)
Quantified academic achievement (% rank, X of Y rank, scholarship with selectivity)
Big Brand Name employer
High standardized test score or GPA (not necessary in cover letter if you have two or more
BBNs)
For Experienced Hire Candidates
•
•
•
•
Big Brand Name Employer
Big Brand Name University
Standardized test score and GPA (if within 5 years of graduation; if 5+ years after
graduating only include if scores are unusually high.)
For PhD / Post Doc Candidates
•
•
•
•
Big Brand Name University
Big Brand Name Research Institution for post doc
# of peer-reviewed publications
Big Brand Name Employer
Important Notes:
•
•
BOLD your BBNs to make them easier to notice.
If you’ve already mentioned a BBN in Paragraph 1 - Part 1, do not repeat it in Paragraph 1 - Part 2.
PARAGRAPH 2:
Provide 2 – 5 sentences to concisely explain your interest in the firm and/or specific job. The objective
is to show that your cover letter is not a standardized form letter that you’ve sent to 400 employers.
Favorable things to mention:
• Your attendance at specific recruiting events
•
Names of specific people you know or have met at the firm
Important Notes:
 You want to get credit for doing your homework and taking the extra effort to show interest.
 Don’t write your life story in this paragraph. A few concise sentences are sufficient.
PARAGRAPH 3:
Provide 1 – 2 sentences to transition to Evidence Section.
I believe the following skills would allow me to perform well in XYZ position:
Here are a few relevant highlights from my career that you may find helpful in understanding my
background:
EVIDENCE SECTION:
List 3 - 5 key skills you possess with one or more examples from your achievements that provide
evidence of these skills OR list 3 - 5 measurable accomplishments in your career. Each skill or
achievement should either be listed as its own bullet point or own paragraph.
For each example, try to quantify your accomplishments. “I led a 10-person team” is more powerful
than saying “I led a team.” “I grew sales by 195% in one year” is more compelling than “I was
responsible for sales growth.”
•
Skill Area 1 Name: At XYZ company, I led a project to redesign the ABC process resulting in an
annual cost savings of 45%.
•
•
Skill Area 2 Name: During my research fellowship, I published 15 papers in peer-reviewed journals
in the XYZ field.
Skill Area 3 Name: As a residential advisor, I mentored and advised 120 first-year college students
in helping them transition to college life.
Skill Area 1 should ideally be quantitatively focused: Quantitative Skills; Analytical Skills; Computation
Skills; Data Analysis Skills; Scientific Research Skills.
Skill Area 2 should be interpersonal in nature: Interpersonal Skills; Communication Skills; Conflict
Resolution Skills; Leadership Skills.
Skill Area 3 can be based on your background. Be mindful of stereotypes. If you have a PhD in Applied
Mathematics from MIT, it’s presumed you can do arithmetic but may have poor social skills. In the
Evidence Section, don't just prove that your presumed strengths are true; be sure to devote room to
prove the stereotype is incorrect.
Note:
 I’ve italicized these bullet points to show they are examples of the writing concept I am illustrating.
In your letter you should not italicize your Evidence Section examples.
PARAGRAPH 4:
Thank the reader for their time and consideration. If you are an experienced hire and are applying to an
office location outside your current city of residence, indicate your availability to schedule. Here are
some examples:
Thank you for your time and consideration.
I look forward to your consideration.
In the event an interview opportunity is appropriate, I will be in town for holidays between XYZ date and
ABC date next month.
CLOSING: “Sign” your name.
Sincerely,
John Doe