Sample cover letter for Full Time position at CITI

Dear Sir/Madam,

An interest in the field of investment banking along with my skills make Citi a preferred choice for kick starting my career. It would be an honour to work for a company with such a rich history.

I have successfully completed MSc in Management (with specialisation in Strategic Management) from Cass Business School under City University London with Distinction as my degree result (November 2011). The MSc has taught me the “soft-skills” required to succeed in the corporate world. Working, coordinating and synchronising in a group of 160 people has honed my team-working abilities further. “Putting Yourself into Practice” is one of the unique features which I have learned during my masters. The MSc has provided me with a complete picture of what managers and employees of all the levels in a company need to enable proper flow of information, and hence effective and efficient decision-making.

I am an alumnus of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata (Autonomous under Calcutta University), which is the top ranked commerce college in India. I have developed and enhanced my social skills during my undergraduate study and been awarded a co-curricular certificate for my contribution in the field of social work. Representing my school as the School Senior Prefect and School House Captain has helped me develop strong leadership qualities and has instilled in me, a sense of responsibility and accountability. My tenure as the Joint Secretary of the Core-Committee of the school responsible for organising the inter-city school festival has allowed me to learn various aspects of management like exhibition logistics, financial direction, marketing and so on. Working as an articled assistant, in a Chartered Accountancy firm inculcated in me a strong sense of work ethic. It provided me the much-required practical work experience. Being involved in the management of the family owned stainless steel manufacturing company has broadened my knowledge and exposure towards different facets of management. Assisting in the management of the family owned charity trust running for more than 30 years has enabled me to learn the skills of Corporate Social Responsibility. My tenure as an intern in The Futures Company, UK has enabled me to gain experience of working in an international environment with stiff deadlines. It has greatly improved my research, analytical and communication skills.

The main reasons for selecting investment banking as a career option are; the learning curve in investment banking is very steep and opportunity to take on new challenges, interest in corporate finance and financial markets which is evident in the various courses pursued throughout my academic career, M&A transactions affect whole industries, and the opportunity to make a real impact, desire to be in the business world and more on the people or client side. Moreover, the variety of work involved in investment banking is huge.

The key reasons which make Citi a preferred choice are; the opportunity for genuine career advancement through training, the breadth of experience afforded by working in an organisation with as much experience and talent as Citi, the opportunity to make a difference by seeing projects through rather than just creating a report without a feeling of project ownership, recognition for hard work, high industry consolidation with strong international investment banking business, non-bureaucratic atmosphere where I can have direct contact with some of the best people in the business, and the winning corporate culture with low employee turnover.

I strongly believe having marketing, organizational, leadership, interpersonal and analytical skills together is an excellent mix and will help me to exceed the satisfaction of the clients. I hope you find my skills commensurate for the vacancy in hand.