Sample cover letter for Internship position at mckinsey

Dear Ms. xxx,

I am a first year master student at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) concentrating in International Economics and China Studies. With sincere interest, I am writing to apply for the Business Analyst Intern position at McKinsey&Company. I had the pleasure of speaking with Allan Breed last week at a McKinsey alumni happy hour. His depiction on McKinsey’s emphasis on team collaboration, as well as the opportunity for personal development with mentors who are leaders across industries, motivates my application.

After completing my undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, I was invited to help build a HR software startup, ArmyAsap, based in my hometown, Hong Kong, with the goal to improve the inefficient and expensive process for temporary recruitment. As a fresh graduate, I was fortunate enough to be in charge of all business aspects of the company. Through LinkedIn, attending HR social events, and some web scripting, I compiled a contact list of over 500 recruiters and high executives of potential clients. After careful analysis, I convinced the team to focus on the F&B, event, and apparel sectors. With a more effective sales and targeting method, the company secured over 50 pitching opportunities with potential customers, including brand names like Aldo, LVMH, and Pico Global. After acquiring our first batch of clients, however, their concerns over the payment process, legal terms, and quality of candidates generated obstacles. Facing the problems, I suggested the team to reiterate our product, incorporating a rating and referral mechanism among job candidates. For the legal terms, I studied our competitors’ practice, even by reaching to their founders as a potential client, and revised our payment process and contract to fit into the Hong Kong system. Prior to my departure, I have helped acquire more than 15 corporate clients, 500 job candidates, developed a set of procedure to obtain contact information and arrange pitching to potential clients, and helped generated the first stream of revenue.

Apart from working experience, I was also involved on campus as the Finance Director of TEDxJHU during my time at Hopkins. My role was to lead the finance team to meet with and obtain sponsorships from local enterprises and startups. In one semester, my team has successfully raised $3000 sponsorship. This experience as a leader not only honed my ability to work within a team, but also to learn about the true value of business: understanding and offering what others’ need. This was also a lesson I have learnt from my time with ArmyAsap, where I acquired clients by demonstrating how we understand their problems and can offer helps.

With this thought that I believe matches McKinsey’s value, along with my analytical and communication skills, I am confident to not only bring positive contributions, but also to grow rapidly with this opportunity. I appreciate your time and consideration, and am looking forward to further discussing my qualification for this position.

Sincerely,

Man Yik Lau