Sample cover letter for Internship position at McKinsey

McKinsey & Company

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I write to you to express my keen interest in building a career with McKinsey & Company. I believe that this position would allow me to apply my analytical and problem-solving skills, and at the same time help me gain unique experience in a country which I am very passionate about.

Having always been interested in Maths and applied sciences, I chose to specialise in Mathematical Economics at the HIgher School of Economics, Russia’s premier institute for economics. It was the wisest decision of my life as it not only provided me with relevant knowledge in economics but also helped hone my analytical, problem solving and mathematical modelling skills . My interest in strategy consulting came about when as a third-year student I first heard about McKinsey during their presentation in my university. As strategic management and corporate finance was not part of my degree, I choose to specialise in those fields as an exchange student with Vienna University of Economics and Business, an opportunity I won via a competitive examination. Having learned in detail about corporate strategies and specifics of various industries, having been taught about real-life cases by former consultants, I came to realise that management consulting is the only field that gives you an opportunity to work across numerous industries with numerous clients and gives you a chance to make real impact in shaping their business.

Later on, I got a chance to do an eight month internship at the Boston Consulting Group, while writing my thesis on comparative analysis of FX rates dynamics for BRIC currencies. While that experience has only reinforced my objective to work in consulting, it also made me realise that the best way I can add real value to clients is by gaining and then leveraging on my own industry expertise. Therefore I have since went on to expand my exposure to the banking industry with Citi Asia Pacific in Hong Kong, where till recently I worked as assistant vice president. During my stint with Citi I gained invaluable experience in working and managing a complex trade finance portfolio across 16 countries as a product manager and work, manage and influence effectively in a multicultural work environment. I was also a part of the core team which was tasked with leading a global Business Transformation project, involving key stakeholders across all functions (sales, coverage, product, service, risk, operations and technology), aimed to deliver a world-class experience to Citi’s clients and productivity benefits for the franchise. This was a key Global Citi Client Experience and Network Management initiative and has been recognised as a one of the four significant change management project for Citi in the past 2 years.

I do believe now is the right time for me to apply those skills in management consulting. I trust that my diverse experience with BCG and Citi, my analytical abilities and initiative have given me the necessary skill set to contribute to the growth and success of your firm. Having had a chance to meet people from McKinsey and to learn more about its approach to work, its value-driven culture and extremely high standards of client service, I am confident that being part of such an amazing team would enable me to realise my full potential, learn fast and become a valuable asset to McKinsey.

I look forward to the opportunity of being interviewed in order to share more about my experience and skills that I could bring to McKinsey & Company. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours truly,

Alex Lelekov