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Sample cover letter for Internship position at Softchoice
Business Analyst
Here’s a good example:
I take pride in my passion to effect positive change for a wide range of institutions. What’s more, I have initiative and innate leadership potential. I look forward to speaking with you about this opportunity at your convenience. I sincerely thank you for your time.
What Great Cover Letters Have in Common
The five qualities common to all great letters are explained in the table below:
| Use a personal tone. | Your letter should sound like you and not somebody else. While you want your prospective employer to be impressed with your credentials, you should not use a generic voice. You may use consulting cover letter examples found online as guide but ensure to edit it to make it sound more like you. You can incorporate keywords but don’t make it sound too formal. |
| Be concise. | On average, recruiters only spend a minute per application. Great cover letters are short yet contain enough information to pass initial screening. Keep your letter to a single page—brevity is key. |
| Stimulate curiosity. | An effective cover letter encourages the employer to learn more about the applicant. Again, this will depend on how you present your background. Provide specific instances or experiences wherein you successfully demonstrated your expertise. |
| Prove your suitability to the target position. | Your highlighted accomplishments should always be related to the position you are applying for. There are many qualified people out there, but why you? Focus on details which will prove that you are the most suited applicant for the job. Great consulting cover letter examples effectively demonstrate how to do this. |
| Share your knowledge about the firm. | Make sure you research the company. As you express the reasons why you want to work for a particular firm, reveal your knowledge about their organization. For instance if you apply at McKinsey, ensure you demonstrate that you are a problem solver, an achiever and a leader capable of creating positive impact. |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Below are five common mistakes to avoid when drafting a killer cover letter:
Rehashing Information from Your Resume
Data redundancy is a common cover letter mistake. Your letter must be a summary of your work experience and skills, but it should not contain the same information as your resume. Use your cover letter to entice recruiters to refer to your resume for more details.
Inaccurate Details
Lack of attention to details can cost you your dream job. Listing the wrong firm name, position, or contact information can ruin your candidacy. This can happen if you are sending out a series of applications and forget to change the details. Or when you use some consulting cover letter examples online and forget to replace original details.
Rambling On and On
This document is not the place to write your autobiography. You will never catch the attention of your employer with a massive amount of content. Only the most relevant and proven qualifications (leadership experience, analytical thinking skills) or affiliations should be included. Other professional details should be listed on your resume. In addition, it is suggested not to elaborate on your educational background in your cover letter. However, you may do so if you’re a fresh graduate and has no working experience yet.
Getting Too Casual
Although you should use your own voice in your cover letter, don’t get too casual with your tone. A good letter exudes your personality but exhibits elegance and professionalism as well. Never use slang words and don’t use a lot (if any) of exclamation points. Notice how good consulting cover letter examples are structured. You should likewise structure your thoughts using appropriate style and language. Using fancy fonts can hurt your application and your choice of formatting will likewise reflect your written communication skills, so be very careful when choosing a design.
Typos and Grammatical Errors
Many aspiring consultants send out their letters without proofreading them first. As a result, some grammatical errors and awkward phrases are not corrected. These types of mistakes can greatly affect your candidacy. Consultants are expected to have a flair for communication, particularly in writing, as one of their responsibilities is to prepare presentations and reports for diverse clients. Errors in your letter reflect your inability to write quality deliverables. In fact, according to a survey titled Confessions of the Recruitment Industry, a single spelling or grammar mistake can incite employers to throw your application into the trash.
Submitting an effective cover letter is crucial if you want to outshine the competition. Read and study how great consulting cover letter examples are done. An interesting letter can improve your chances of being invited to the much-anticipated interview. Don’t waste the time and energy you’ve spent on devising the perfect resume by writing and submitting a poorly-structured cover letter.
