What to write in the cover letter - Entry level role with 2 year post-bachelors experience

Question

Hi, what to include in the cover letter if you have worked for over 2 years in 2 jobs after the bachelor's and now applying for management consulting entry-level roles at MBB?
1- Is it important to justify the switch?
2- What is the best structure to a letter like this?

Answer 1

Hi there,

First of all, it's important to tell your story, not repeat your CV!

I would generally approach it like this:

1st paragraph (short): Explain what you're applying for and why, ideally mentioning who in the firm helped you realize that it's the best fit (referral or other friendly contact)

2nd paragraph (main section): Tell them who you are by sharing what you like and care about, which you should illustrate via a key experience or the rough evolution of your CV (be careful to not repeat your CV but rather narrate the drivers behind your decisions). There's no guidance as to what's in/out of scope and you are in control of the narrative.

3rd paragraph (short): Tell them why you and the target firm are a match made in heaven and why your trajectory shown in the previous section naturally led you to this point.

4th paragraph (1 sentence): Thank them for their time and consideration and tell them how excited you are to hear from them!

Writing cover letters and storytelling is a passion of mine and cannot be underestimated in its impact when done well (or poorly for that matter). Feel free to get in touch if you're seeking help with your letter!

Best,

Moritz

Answer 2

Hi there,

1) Is it important to justify the switch?

No need to do so directly. You can cover that indirectly as mentioned by Ian when talking about your experiences and why you want to work for that firm.

2) What is the best structure to a letter like this?

You can structure a cover letter in 4 parts:

Introduction, mentioning the position you are interested in and a specific element you find attractive for that company
Why you are qualified for the job, where you can report 3 skills/stories from your CV, ideally related to leadership, impact, drive and teamwork
Why you are interested in that particular firm, with additional 1-2 specific reasons
Final remarks, mentioning again your interest and contacts

In part 2 you can write about experiences that show skills useful in consulting such as drive, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and convincing others. Ideally you will craft this to the values they are looking for in that particular company.

It is important that in part 3 you make your cover letter specific to a particular firm – the rule of thumb is, can you send the exact same cover to another consulting company if you change the name? If that’s the case, your cover letter is too generic.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

You do not explicitly need to justify the switch in your cover letter, as long as you make clear why you want to join consulting and that specific company.
The cover letter should encompass two parts: 1) "Why you?", talking about your experiences and qualifications, and 2) "Why the company?", talking about the specific reasons why you want to work with this company.
I would be happy to provide more detailed information, share a template, and guide you through the process as part of my coaching.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 4

Hi there,

In general your cover letter should talk through the major experiences you have had and the skills you bring to the role. It should also make it clear why you are interested in the firm and consulting.

Inherently that covers “justifying the switch”.

Happy to provide you the actual template/structure as part of coaching!

Answer 5

You just have to communicate why you qualify to be interviewed (why you) and why you want the job (why you are aligned with them).

Whatever you state, it should go into one of those categories. If it doesn't help you, you don't need to state it.

Answer 6

Hi there,

There are a few great suggestions here already, but I just wanted to add one more.

If you already have work experience, you should rather be focusing on your skills and how they could contribute to the firm you want to join. When talking about your skills make sure to visualise them through examples / stories.

Best,

Cristian