Mentioning a personal conversation with a (junior) consultant of a firm in a cover letter?

Question

Hi, before sending out my application for a firm, i had a pleasant phone conversation with a consultants (around 2 years experience). He advised me to "name drop" him in the cover letter and referring to our conversation as this would increase (or at least would not harm) my chances. My cover letter is structured as follows:

(1) Intro (only "i want to apply" etc)

(2) Why consulting/why me

(3) Why this firm

How would you recommend mentioning the conversation? Do you think it makes sense to mention it at the very beginning in paragraph (1)? Or rather in the "why this firm" paragraph (3), for example, saying that he told me confirmed the great culture at the firm etc.?

Or do you have any other recommendations? :)

Best

Answer 1

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

Answer 2

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

Answer 3

Hello!

Yes, 100%, I would do it.

Mentioning the converation with this person:

Demostrates your personal inerest in the firm
Lets you talk about the company in 1st hand, in some aspects such as the culture, that are difficult otherwise

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 4

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!

Answer 5

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.

Answer 6

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!

Answer 7

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

Answer 8

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