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Should my cover letter include bullet points for my skills or should I tell a story with paragraphs?

consulting Cover letter interviews MBBS Resume
New answer on Apr 30, 2021
6 Answers
1.8 k Views
Chris
Skilled
asked on Apr 19, 2021

XX January 2021

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am excited to apply for the Junior Business Analyst at XX office.

Paragraph with "WHY this Company"

I am a bilingual MBA Graduate from Tel Aviv University, where I completed an exchange semester with ESCP Europe Business School, leading a consultancy project to define financial services industry intellectual property trends. In addition as someone who has lived and studied in multiple countries (studying in Cyprus, Tel Aviv and London) I understand the commitment required to live and work away from home.

Throughout my academic studies and professional experience, I have developed key skills in these areas:

  • Achieving results - I led a team of five for a consultancy project where we developed a go-to-market strategy for a US-based global patent database provider seeking to penetrate the financial industry. Our recommendations were well-received by the client, having conducted extensive market research, analysed and identified intellectual property trends and gained stakeholder validation.
  • Problem-Solving - While working at Pishiris Farm, we wanted to establish a brand and create a direct point of sales just outside the operations. To understand if this was a good idea I first did a focus group to identify if there is a market gap and what the market value and the challenges were. Secondly, I did on the ground research and I was analysing the traffic flow to estimate the demand/potential buyers. My last initiative was to create a financial model in excel to understand if it was financially feasible. Having identified the market gap and by providing the financial model, we were able to disrupt the market with a farm to fork shop and increase the sales of the business by 100%.
  • Leadership and teamwork - The time I spent as a Special Forces Sergeant in the Cypriot National Guard enabled me to develop both leadership and team working qualities to succeed in challenging environments and respond well under pressure. The experience taught me that collaboration, deliberate communication and leveraging peoples’ potential can lead to positive and effective results. Having lived and studied in multiple countries, I have also developed an ability to quickly adapt to environmental and cultural differences.

I look forward to hearing from you and appreciate your consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Overview of answers

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Best answer
Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 19, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi Chris,

I am very much of the viewpoint that 3 paragraphs that each relate to your core skills is the best route to go (i.e. what you have done). I personally prefer to not bold the sections, and make it more of an "essay" or letter format, but this is more of a personal preference.

At a quick glance, it looks like you're on the rigth track!

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Udayan
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 19, 2021
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

Either format works, it comes down to personal preference and your style of writing. Your Cover Letter is good and you should feel comfortable applying with it

Udayan

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Adi
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 19, 2021
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

What you have done is good and is the better way to show your skills. Just make sure what you are highlighting is what they are actually looking for via the job description.

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 21, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello Chris,

Both work, is a matter of personal style.

Personally, I would not include the bullet points, but you can change that easily by having a little bold action title in the beggining of each parragraph, and done!

Cheers,

Clara

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Florian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 20, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

I'd rather keep the paragraphs self-standing, without

  • a headline for a specific skill
  • bullet points

Keep it in an essay format and rather tell stories in each paragraph that demonstrate more than one skill. This will make your cover letter stronger and more multi-faceted.

Here some more tips on the cover letter: https://strategycase.com/how-to-write-the-perfect-consulting-cover-letter

Cheers,

Florian

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Raj
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 30, 2021
FREE 15MIN CONSULTATION | #1 Strategy& / OW coach | >70 5* reviews |90% offers ⇨ prep-success.super.site | MENA, DE, UK

Almost certainly keep the cover letter as such, a letter. Bullets belong on your CV. There is a well established and accepted structure for the cover letter being three paragraphs covering why consulting, why firm, why you. Its a proven recipe for a reason

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