Hey there,

I'd definitely do that and always recommend it to my candidates. It adds a personal touch + recruiters can follow-up with the said person to inquire about their experience with you.

Because of the latter, reach out to the person you want to refer to and ask if they are okay with it. In the best case, you get a referral out of it.

As for the positioning, should be in the first short paragraph of your cover letter.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

It definitely makes sense to add his name to the cover.

You can name-drop in paragraph 1 to catch the attention of the recruiter and then expand the topic in paragraph 3. In this way, you should maximize the effect on the cover.

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

Well done! Sounds like you had a good chat with him :)

I would 100% add his name in the "3) Why this firm" paragraph!

Yes, absolutely. Focus on what insights you got out from that conversation and how is that relevant to you story.

Structure of cover letter seems fine. Make it easy to read i.e keep it consise & punchy, not too long/wordy.

Hi A,

first of all I'd recommend you to keep the cover letter smooth and short ;-)

Secondly, yes, I would refer to the conversation you had with the consultant. He's most probably right, that it won't harm your chances and as this is true it could now be a disadvantage, if you would not refer to him (as HR might be aware of this fact and - after chatting with him - he might be negatively surprised, that you didn't refer to the conversation with him.

Last but not least, it doesn't really matter in which part of the CL you refer - a short reference in "why the firm" makes sense.

Hope it gives you a little bit of confirmation - wish you good luck!

Jasper

Hi there,

I think it's a great idea to name-drop.

Firstly, the recruiter will likely ask the person for their opinion, which is an instant differentiator for you (assuming it's positive!).

Secondly, it demonstrates the resourcefulness to find and use connections. (Which really isn't such a big deal, but so many people just don't do it.)

I always mention names up front. If you can successfully incorporate something you learned from them, that would be even more compelling. Maybe mention it briefly in the intro pgh and expand on it in paragraph 3?

Hope that helps!

Yes absolutely do! This is a great way to demonstrate you've gone above and beyond in your research and really want the job. Ideally, mention one thing in particular that came up in that conversation that aligned well to your personal values/motivation about the firm