Best Wall Street Cover Letter

There is a highly viral investment banking cover letter this January.  I have clipped it to share with you. 

I am aware it is highly unusual for undergraduates from average universities like (BLOCKED) to intern at (BLOCKED), but nevertheless I was hoping you might make an exception. I am extremely interested in investment banking and would love nothing more than to learn under your tutelage. I have no qualms about fetching coffee, shining shoes or picking up laundry, and will work for next to nothing. In all honesty, I just want to be around professionals in the industry and gain as much knowledge as I can.

I won't waste your time inflating my credentials, throwing around exaggerated job titles, or feeding you a line of crapp (sic) about how my past experiences and skill set align perfectly for an investment banking internship. The truth is I have no unbelievably special skills or genius eccentricities, but I do have a near perfect GPA and will work hard for you. 

From a hungry student looking for an intern job at an investment bank, this cover letter has been named ‘the best cover letter’ by some readers.  There is lots of feedback from the internet with likes and dislikes.  While many candidates are doing everything to boast about their skills and experiences, this is certainly a very ‘refreshing’ approach.  My suggestion is, no matter what strategy you use, do spell check and avoid typos!  An attention to details is a basic requirement of any IB job. 

Unconventional humble approach may attract interviews.  But the interviewer may simply want to see how this ‘funny guy’ looks like rather than interviewing for hiring.  

I would say a professionally well written cover letter is an ever lasting winning tool.  Need help to write?  View this free cover letter video from Jimmy Sweeney’s Amazing Cover Letters.

The One Big Interviewing Mistake That's on the Rise

In searching for senior bankers, I seldom use social media websites.  However I’ve been receiving a great number of LinkedIn invitations and therefore decided to give it a try. Though it is not a perfect source to look for senior investment banker candidates, but I find some of their articles interesting, such as this one.  

The One Big Interviewing Mistake That's on the Rise

By Jessica Liebman, Managing Editor of Business Insider

This headline indicates more and more people are making the same mistake - forgetting to follow up later that day or the next day with a quick email.

I’m not sure if you can read the article in case you are not a LinkedIn member yet, I’ve therefore clipped some of the highlights here:

If I DON'T get a Thank You Email, here's what happens: 

Ÿ           I assume you don't want the job

Ÿ           I think you're disorganized and forgot about following up

Ÿ           There is a much higher shot I'll forget about you

Jessica even suggests a sample of a good thank you email. See below.

Headline: Thank You – Business Insider Interview

Hi Jessica

I wanted to thank you for meeting with me yesterday. Learning more about the position and seeing the newsroom in action solidified my interest in Business Insider. I think it's a place where I could really hit the ground running, build up excellent clips on the market and ultimately transition to a full reporter. If you have any other questions for me, or need me to complete editing/writing tests, please don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you again and I'm hopeful that soon I'll be on the Business Insider team.

Cheers

Think about it in the employer’s perspective. It’s true. Unless you don’t like the job, do remember to write a good thank you email.  A short and sweet one of course.

Follow up work is required in almost any kind of job. Do take the effort to demonstrate to your employer that you are good at it. In fact, it won’t take too much effort in writing a thank you note, will it? Although Jessica’s thank you letter is reporter focused, it is a really good sample. Can you turn it into one for a banking role which you’ve recently interviewed?

Additional help from Jimmy Sweeney’s Amazing Cover Letter Creator

Investment Banking Cover Letter

Inside Investment Banking

Inside Investment Banking

If you want to break into investment banking but don’t have a degree from Harvard or an internship from Goldman Sachs, you should visit the website of Inside Investment Banking (IIB).

I find IIB interesting because it is created by 5 bulge bracket investment bankers whom all broke into investment banking in 2008/9 without Harvard or Goldman on their resumes. What made them successful was Preparation and Knowledge (as stated in their website). They spent 100s of hours of research so they knew more than any other candidates about writing resumes, answering banking interview questions, wining & dining bankers and basically how to game the IB recruiting system. And now you have the opportunity to get that same unfair advantage, since they’ve put together all of this knowledge in the IIB System.

Going through their website, you’ll be amazed that they’ll do almost anything to help you get a job in investment banking. Depends on your need, you can go a la carte to pick the services such as Top 50 Interview Q&As, Toughest Brainteasers, and the 6-in-1 Guide Pack is now on sale. Even more determined? You can join their membership and obtain all-round services and backup. I’ve contact them and obtained a discount of $100 if you decided to join their Premium Membership. Use discount code of ibankingresume when checking out. There is a 7-day refund guarantee.

If you decide not to buy anything, you should opt-in to access their Free 10-Part “Get into Investment Banking” Tutorial Series so that you will know more about how to land a job in investment banking than 90% of candidates.

Investment Banking Resumes - Inside Investment Banking

Investment Banking Cover Letter Examples

To write an impressive investment banking cover letter, I would like to introduce a website InterExec. This website is mainly used by headhunters, so you may not have heard about it. The reason I want you to visit this website is not for you to use their service, but to learn writing an impressive cover letter. Follow these steps.

Click on the website InterExecResources
Click ‘Current Candidates’
Discipline: Choose B – Financial/…
Click ‘Get Current List’

By doing so, you’ll come up with a number of candidates with financial backgrounds. From there I have copied several profiles for your reference. Please note that these profiles are written by highly professional executive recruiters. And the profiles all belong to extremely senior bankers and you may probably at a much junior level. What I want you to learn is the style of writing when writing your own cover letter. They are written in 3rd person, you can write it in first person.

In fact, for mid level executives who do not have a headhunter to represent them may write a blind profile like this just to make it less sensitive at the initial job search process. Until the employer replies and asks for your resume, you can politely demand for confidentiality.

A DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE FINANCE with expertise in leading the execution of public and private M&A, financing transactions and strategic reviews for Large Corporate and Private Equity clients and in materially influencing new business origination.

In the past 5 years has advised on transactions totalling some £20bn, including one of the largest in the UK in 2010. Has significant experience with highly complex and contentious corporate finance issues. Contributes to new business development activities and played a key role in originating two new clients in the last 12 months.
Qualifications: MSc, BSc, FSA Approved.

A CORPORATE FINANCIER / INVESTMENT BANKER with expertise in building Board relations and significant revenues from transactions and mandates with major Healthcare Corporations in Europe and Asia.

An exceptional record of building $60m revenues from corporate finance activity with a leading Global Investment Bank for International Clients with consolidated market capitalisation of +$500bn. Specialist knowledge of the Pharmaceutical / Healthcare sector, building from scratch significant presence and revenues in Europe and Japan with total mandated transaction values exceeding $100bn.

Further extensive experience in Corporate finance and development for a Global, market leading Pharmaceutical company.

Qualifications: MSc, CFA.
Courses: M&A – INSEAD.
Languages: Fluent German, Advanced French.


When you have to write a REALLY short paragraph summarizing your USP (unique selling point), you need to study the ad and see what qualities are most needed by the employer. If you are proactively approaching an employer, analysis what is most important in the role you are interested in. In any case, some words and phrases are highly useful and generally catching the eyes of the hiring managers.

I’ve written a few examples for mid level bankers.

Candidate impresses as a down-to-earth and competent senior banker who has a proven track record in originating Power / Energy transactions.

Having gained over 10 years in Project and Structured Finance in the Power and Energy space, Candidate brings an excellent understanding and exposure to international financing structures with the last 5 years deeply involved in Asian transactions.

Possessing strong industry networks with global corporates and sovereign houses in Asia Candidate can immediately add value to XYZ Bank.

Copy the style of these profiles and re-write with your personal details and make it the experience paragraph in your cover letter. Be short, include your USP and make use of numbers when mentioning deal sizes.

Investment Banking Cover Letters

Amazing Cover Letters - Would It Work For I-Bankers?

Have you notice one of the career tools I recommend in this blog – The Amazing Cover Letters? Just want to share a little statistics with you.

To be honest upfront, I’m an affiliate of Jimmy Sweeney’s Amazing Cover Letter creator. I’m making a decent income from my headhunting job, why am I selling this software?

This blog is aim to help young graduates to go into one of the toughest job markets - investment banking. I-banking is really tough and candidates are facing keen competitions. While some readers ask me to write cover letters for them, I refer them to Jimmy’s software for two reasons. One I don’t have the time to do it. Two Jimmy’s software program does the job of a professional cover letter writer but at a much lower fee. For many candidates, this did sound like a dream come true!

Amazing Cover Letter Creator has an extremely high product rating. If you ever do any research over the internet, you must aware of this. But the statistics I want to share with you is its low refund rate of 0.19% (meaning that out of every 500 people who purchase this product, 1 returns it, and 499 keep it!). I have been selling this product for four years and this close-to-zero refund rate makes me feel confident that this is a product worth my recommendation. So what is Amazing Cover Letter all about? You can visit its official website or continue reading my introduction.

The creator and author of the Amazing Cover Letter Creator is Jimmy Sweeney. Jimmy is a professional copywriter and the President and CEO of a California based marketing company. Jimmy decided to put some of his copywriting skills to work in the job seekers market by writing cover letters for prospective employees. The end result of his experiment was the job seekers got significantly more phone calls as a result of Jimmy's cover letters. What’s more interesting is that these cover letters work across all industries and level of jobs. So whether you are looking for an ibanking job or a teaching role, his letters work equally well.

The program is very easy to use. Once you downloaded it to your computer, the first thing you do is to open it and choose the kind of cover letter you want. After this you have to choose the size of the applicant job pool and here you can choose among large, small or medium.

Then you would be asked to say whether or not you have experience in the field you are applying for, after you have done this, the program automatically chooses a cover letter template for you which you can then personalize or customize using most common word processing programs like Microsoft word.

This software is extremely powerful in a way that it generates very well-worded cover letters. The only challenging part is to make modifications to make the letter specific for the job you are looking to apply to. However, the software has a section where you can see samples of each section to give you ideas on how to modify the letter for your specific situation.

The cost of $39.95 is only a fraction of what you would pay a professional cover letter writer and the quality of letter that the software generates is on par with what a professional would write for you. You simply aren't going to find a better bargain elsewhere.

PS: Amazing Cover Letters come with Three Free Stuff:

• Top 3 Award-Winning Cover Letter Templates
• Amazing Job Interview Success
• The 'BIG 3' Salary Negotiation Secrets!

Visit Jimmy Sweeney’s Amazing Cover Letters Official Website

Investment Banking Resumes - Amazing Cover Letters Review

140 Power Verbs To Electrify Your Resume

Today, four year back in 2007, I established this Investment Banking Resume Blog.  Here’s what I wrote in my inaugural page:

”The goal of this blog is to introduce resume writing skills for investment banking jobs.

The mission of this blog is to help undergraduates and young bankers to build a successful investment banking career.”

I enjoy the interactions with young people in these years.  I do hope your finding the information in this blog useful.  Marching into the fifth year, I have a little something for you.

1. A list of 140 Power Verbs to Electrify Your Resume – this does not only work well for investment banking resumes.  Feel free to forward to your loved ones in case they need to write a resume.  (By courtesy of DreamResume.com)
2. The 10% discount from DreamResume.com is still valid.  I’m glad that their ex-ibankers are willing to help my young readers to write their finance resumes at a discounted rate.  For more information, read this post.  Make sure to mention the discount code if you are placing an order over the phone. 
3. A FREE ebook – The Top 10 Secrets of The World’s Greatest Cover Letter – Attract Job Interviews Like A Magnet.  This is newly written by world famous career guru Jimmy Sweeney and I’m proud that he has given permission for my readers to download it for free.  See the download link on the sidebar of this blog. 

Finally I’ve decided to set up a new blog focusing on Resume Cover Letters only.  This will provide valuable information to job seekers of all industries and all job levels.  It’s going to be great news too as I’ve gained permission from my friend Jimmy Sweeney to publish some of his best articles there.  Jimmy is the President of CareerJimmy and Author of The Amazing Cover Letters. I’m sure you’ll be able to write excellent cover letters from reading his articles.  I’ll make a separate announcement when this new blog is up.

Anna Maria D'Souza

Investment Banking Resumes

March 1, 2011

Investment Banking Cover Letter

There is one BIG secret in writing a compelling investment banking cover letter – keep it short. There are two reasons to do this. The less you write, the fewer mistakes you will make and the higher chance to attract the eyes of the hiring manager.

Bankers read a lot of cover letters and resumes daily. One strategy for them to look for their best candidates is to spot errors (even typos) on any cover letter and resume and send them to the ‘no’ folder. To overcome this, your strategy is to keep it short. If you’ve read my previous post on a 20-second cover letter and do it well, you are on the right track.

To help you write compelling messages in a short cover letter, I’ve a little bonus here for you. My friend, career expert Jimmy Sweeney, has just published his new e-book The Top 10 Secrets of The World’s Greatest Cover Letter. This e-book is not i-banking focused, however works across all industries and level of jobs. I’ve asked for his permission for my readers to have a free download. Even more, Jimmy also allows you to send his e-book to your friends or loved one as long as you do not alter the contents in any way.

As this free offer is only for a limited period, I suggest your downloading it NOW and start crafting your investment banking cover letter and get yourself busy in attending interviews.

For A Free Download, Click The Link Below

The Top 10 Secrets of The World’s Greatest Cover Letter

How To Write An Effective Cover Letter

Writing an effective cover letter that generates interview is not easy. There are lots of skills and strategies in it.

When I do the resume critiques for my readers, I notice something in common. I can’t say these are errors, but things need improvements.

Repeat Experiences
Many tend to re-write their experiences which were mostly captured in their resumes. A better strategy is to summarise your USP (unique selling point), in other words, how your best strength would add value to the role you are applying. You may also include capabilities that were not stated in your resume, such as how your people skill contributed to your success; how you achieve results through team work.

Over Selling
Though cover letter is a sales tool, but we still don’t want to make it too aggressive, such as ‘hey, I’m here, hire me.’ An appropriate tone is very important.

Too Long
One of the most classic piece of work came from an undergraduate – perfect English, appropriate tone, excellent layout and good experiences – however one FULL page long. Actually the letter was so well written and there was nothing I could correct. I was thinking to refund the fee I was paid.

Listen! Remember my 20-second cover letter suggestion? 20 seconds does not only mean that the hiring manager is too busy and has only 20 seconds to read your letter. It is when a person read, what they read in the first 20 seconds will seed into their brain more firmly. If the phone rang when the hiring manager was reading your letter, and when he finished his long phone call, he may simply lost interest in continue reading your long letter. Your well written letter may go to the ‘no’ tray.

Bottom line: If you can’t write all you want to write in 20 seconds, set half page as a maximum.

More Writing Tips
If you are proactively approaching a bank, please include ‘3 WHYs’ on your cover letter: Why IB; Why HSBC (or name of the bank you are approaching), Why you. Show your passion in banking and don’t let the employer think that you only want a good-pay job.

Back to the question of how to write an effective cover letter.

If you enjoy writing – DIY – read guidelines from this blog. If you want some more reference tools, the Amazing Cover Letters is very popular among my readers. If you want a pair of professional eyes to go through your resume, hire my critique service. See details on the right hand side of this blog.

If you don’t enjoy writing – hire a former investment banker to write it for you. DreamResume who specialized in financial services resume writing, offers 10% discount to my readers. Read this post.


Investment Banking Cover Letter

Follow Up Your Cover Letter With a Follow-Up!

I have just received this article from Jimmy Sweeney and could not wait to share with you. It should work well for investment banking jobs or any other jobs.

How would you like to double your job search odds? Is that a 'yes?' If so, please read carefully because I have a bit of magic to share with you that can make that possible.

The secret formula is this: Contact the company you want to work for not once but twice—first in your initial cover letter and then in a follow-up cover letter, giving you a chance to be noticed two times instead of one.

Make a GOOD First Impression TWICE!

Most job-hunters neglect this important step. They send out cover letters and then wait and hope. If no response arrives, they get discouraged, and some give up. But you don't have to be one of them.

Take It Easy and Keep It Simple

Ten days after your first cover letter write a short opening paragraph and add it to a copy of that letter and send it to the same person you contacted before. By adding the new opening you’re reminding the individual that he or she has heard from you before and now you're writing to advise that you're still interested and available to fill the position.

Example:

Dear Ms. Smith:

I contacted you a week or so ago and am following up here with a copy of my original letter in case it missed you the first time. I'm extremely interested in the position of (insert type of job) and would welcome meeting you for an in-person interview. (Continue with the original cover letter from that point on).

Think twice before you pass up this great opportunity to double your chance of landing an interview for the job you want. Follow through and follow up!


By Jimmy Sweeney
President of CareerJimmy and Author of the new, Amazing Cover Letter Creator


Investment Banking Resumes - Cover Letter Follow Up

Powerful Words In A Cover Letter

I receive a beautiful summary essay recently. Let’s analysis what elements are good and how we can transfer these into an amazing cover letter and generate interviews.

I began my career in the finance industry 18 years ago as an intern at Goldman Sachs in New York. Since then, I honed my statistics and economics training at Stanford, implemented sophisticated quantitative strategies in emerging market currencies at ABC Partners, and helped bring my current employer, PQR, to the top of the industry in several areas from quantitative models to algorithmic trading. Over the past two years, I have been the Head of Sales and Trading in Asia ex-Japan for PQR, a global technology-focused broker-dealer. In this role, I have transformed PQR in Asia from a small outpost of an American company to a formidable brokerage with a large and growing footprint in the region. Throughout my career, I have developed strong relationships with clients and colleagues on the buyside and sellside of the finance industry in North America, Europe and Asia.

Analysis

Experience: clear – 18 years in finance industry
Skills: implemented sophisticated quantitative strategies in emerging market currencies; sales & trading
Geographic knowledge: North America, Europe and Asia ex-Japan
Achievements: transformed PQR in Asia from a small outpost of an American company to a formidable brokerage with a large and growing footprint in the region
Value added: strong relationships with clients and colleagues on the buyside and sellside
Choice of powerful words: see my highlighting.

Usually when writing a cover letter, you would need a paragraph to describe yourself. Many failed in this section by writing too long which caused the hiring manager to give up reading.

If you are writing to apply for an entry role, you might have only 18 months of intern experience. Use the above sample, specified what experience you have and where you gained them, together with the appropriate choice of powerful words (make sure to avoid exaggeration). Of course you won’t have much achievement to describe but you can describe how you achieve or exceed your target.

From the 20-second point of view, the above sample paragraph is a bit too long. Try to make it short and precise and make sure it will take about 20 seconds to finish reading.

amazing cover letter - more tips from Jimmy Sweeney

Investment Banking Resume Cover Letter

How to Generate Interviews with a Relatively Weak Resume?

Investment banks always look for best of the best. What if you have a relatively weak resume, with your GPA below 4 and not graduating from famous institutes like Harvard or INSEAD? Though 'to hire the best' is the rule, but sometimes people don't work to rule. Some very senior bankers do have only a basic degree without much outstanding academic credentials. And in my other posts, you would find some very senior executives even had no qualification at all.

To start your investment banking career, personality fit is more a determining factor rather than skill sets or academic results. However to persuade the hiring manager to grant you an interview and to find out more on your personality is a separate issue.

My peer, Jimmy Sweeny, always reiterate that an amazing cover letter will generate interviews, even with a relatively weak resume. You might want to browse his website and get some insights from him. Of course you can browse through my blog for more tips about writing an effective cover letter.

Investment Banking Cover Letter

"Season" Your Cover Letter With A Great Quote!

I received this article from Jimmy Sweeney which is really inspirational.

We shall talk about some investment banking related quotes afterwards.

Have you ever heard or read a quotation you just had to share with someone? How about one of these?

"Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan." Norman Vincent Peale

"Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love." David McCullough

"Success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone." Unknown Author

Each one provides good advice as well as inspiration. Consider including an appropriate quotation in your cover letter. It will pack a punch, give the hiring manager something fresh and motivating to read, and elevate you in his or her mind. Cover letters that offer more than simply a list of job skills, will rise to the top of the pile. Managers will notice such a person and want to call you in for an interview.

How to weave a great quotation into your letter

Suppose you are applying for a position as a sales manager for a book publishing firm. You thank the hiring manager for the opportunity to introduce yourself, let him or her know where you found out about the opening and the good things you read or heard about the company, why you believe you're a good fit for the position, and of course something about your previous employment. Add a sentence that asks the employer to look at your enclosed resume for further details. Next, start a new paragraph with a snappy, insightful quotation.

Example: "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means." (Albert Einstein)

Then add a sentence showing how you will do just that—set an example for the people you manage. Example: You can count on me to live these inspiring words. I know the importance of influencing people for good and that is what I want to be known for. I'd welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person so you can judge for yourself.

When it comes to cover letters, it is essential to make a strong, first impression. You can do that with a great quote from someone known and respected in the field you are aspiring to.

Imagine the results you'll experience in your job search when your cover letter includes not only details about your abilities but also insight into who you are as a person? A prospective employer will actually be excited to meet you, to discuss the job, and to hand it over to you! Potential employees who show creativity and color in their communication are a gift to any company.

So, include a strong, inspirational quotation to your next cover letter and then get ready for the phone to ring!

Quotes From Investment Banking Gurus
Couple of famous quotes for your reference. See if you can make use of them and incorporate into your cover letter.

A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason - J Pierpont Morgan

Man is the creature of circumstances - Robert Owen

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, Amazing Cover Letter.

The Worst Cover Letter

A good cover letter won't guarantee success, but a bad cover letter will guarantee failure, such as this one:

From: XXXX XXX
To: Anna Maria D'Souza
Sent: Mon Jan 12 00:40:56 2009
Subject: Seeking for Jobs

Dear Anna
I am currently seeking jobs. Please find attached CV for your reference. Please feel free to call me at 1234-5678

XXXX

You might not believe, but this is a true email which I received recently. I have decided not to include this candidate into our database.

Author of this cover letter is an analyst of over 10 years expereince. On the resume, his experience doesn't look bad. However, investment banking is a business which requires personality fit and as for analysts, above par English writing skills.

This particular cover letter reflects immature personality and poor writing skills. Though I always go for short - short cover letter, short resume, but please make sure not to write any cover letter as short as this one.


Amazing Cover Letter
Amazing Resume Creator

Cover Letter Tip: "Thank You" Magic

I received this article from Jimmy Sweeny, one of my most admired career-related author. This article is not investment banking focused, but will surely benefit anyone who wants to write an effective cover letter.

The holiday decorations are down. The carolers have put away their songbooks. A new calendar page awaits your comments and appointments and to-do list. It's also time to say thank you to everyone who sent you a gift or a card or a cheery e-mail.

It's also an ideal time to spread your appreciation to your business pursuits and contacts. As you write your cover letter to prospective employers, be sure to tuck in a few words of gratitude for the opportunity to introduce yourself and your skills, even as you ask for an interview for the job you want.

"Gratitude is the rosemary of the heart,"
according to 19th century American writer, Minna Antrim.

Keep in mind that the hiring manager has no obligation to respond to your cover letter. But if you sprinkle your letter with a bit of 'rosemary' he or she won't be able to resist contacting you. Why? Because you will be among the very few who are more concerned with gratitude than greed. You will display your good heart and your interest in others, not just yourself. This small addition to any cover letter will put you in a class by yourself and it will be a signal that you are someone who would be a welcome addition to the company staff.

Some Ways to Say 'Thank you' Within Your Cover Letter

Use clear and simple language in your cover letter to convey your appreciation while at the same time displaying your talent and skills for the job you are interested in.

1. Thank you for taking a moment to consider my cover letter and resume. I appreciate how busy you are.
2. I appreciate the time you give to prospective employees such as me. I do not take it for granted.
3. I welcome a chance to talk with you about my skills and your expectations. Thank you for this opportunity to hear about your company and to share how I might fit into your plans.
4. I appreciate the job application guidelines you provided online. I'd like very much the opportunity to express my thanks in person for making it easy to introduce myself and my background and to find out how I can contribute to your company.

Avoid gushing or being sentimental. Focus on clarity and sincerity. You have what it takes to land the job you want. Make gratitude a high priority and you will succeed.


Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, Amazing Cover Letter. Jimmy is also the author of several career-related books and writes a monthly article titled, “Job-Search Secrets.”

Investment Banking Cover Letter

Cover Letter Tip: Step Out of Your Career Comfort Zone!

I have borrowed this article from Jimmy Sweeney. It is not investment banking focused. However it is very universal and anyone in the job market should find it useful.

© Written By Jimmy Sweeney
President of CareerJimmy and Author of the new
Amazing Cover Letter Creator


There are cover letters––and there are cover letters. Some are cookie-cutter predictable. And some offer a tasty surprise—like a cherry under chocolate frosting. Which ones would you like to receive if you were a hiring manager?

You know the answer. You'd like the ones with a surprise—letters that show the job seeker has stepped out of his or her comfort zone and is willing to offer something special.

If you'd like to write such a cover letter, here's the most important thing to do:

Express yourself in a clear and friendly manner, using language that will engage the hiring manager, wording that draws a reader in and compels him or her to read all the way through to the end.

In other words, write as though you were sitting together over a cup of coffee or tea.

1. Greet the hiring manager by name if possible (not Dear Sir or Madam).
2. Create a headline that will grab his or her attention, such as:

Sales Executive Ready to Expand Territory

3. Write one or two sentences about your experience. He can read more in your resume.
4. ASK to meet for an interview and offer a selection of dates and times. Be proactive.
5. Provide your contact information clearly—especially your cell phone number.
6. Thank the employer for reading your cover letter.
7. Sign your name and then add a P.S. in a friendly tone. "I'm really looking forward to meeting with you in person."

A well-written cover letter that sets you apart from other job seekers is one that shows you're not afraid to step out of your comfort zone and show the real you!

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new, "Amazing Cover Letter Creator." Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."

Career Change Cover Letter

Let us review the elements of a 20-second resume cover letter which is best suited for investment banking.

A 20-second cover letter must answer all these questions precisely:

1. What are you doing?
2. What do you want to do?
3. What are you able to do?
4. What do you want the reader to do?

A career change cover letter is more or less in the same structure. Remember you don’t have to tell a full story on your cover letter or resume. Always reserve something interesting that the hiring manager wants to find out and you’ll win an interview.

Here is a recent career change cover letter that I receive and I find it impressive.

Subject: Director of Credit Risk Management

Dear Anna

A Hong Kong-based colleague referred me to you. I am very keen to build upon my senior management experience with the United Nations, and am seeking a director-level position with a Wall Street investment bank as head of credit risk management.

My background is in behavioral scoring, leading organizational change, advocacy, and fund-raising.

I would prefer to be based in Hong Kong, but am open to other cities in Asia.

I've attached my CV, and I look forward to the opportunity to talk with you or one of your colleagues about next steps.

Henry


Anna Maria’s Thought of The Day – Looooooong Resume / Cover Letter Won’t Work
Today I received a record-breaking resume of 32 pages in full colour powerpoint format. It was interesting to flip through the first few pages, but I gave up after page six. Too much information on a resume will only make you loss the chance of an interview. Either hiring managers don’t have the patience to read or they know your everything that they don’t need to see you. Always keep your resume and cover letter with the right amount of information and length.

Learn to write cover letters in an appropriate tone with persuasive power from Jimmy Sweeney's Amazing Cover Letters

Cover Letter

Ideal Investment Banking Cover Letter

Here is a sample of an ideal 20-second resume cover letter, extremely suitable for applying investment banking jobs. His one-page resume is also very well-written. A very good candidate though a little green for now. I'm sure he will be on my radar screen in a couple of years.

Dear Anna

I was referred to you by a friend. I am currently a third year analyst at Societe Generale Asset Management based in London. I am actively looking for opportunities in asset management or capital markets in Hong Kong/mainland China. Please find attached a copy of my resume. I would like to discuss in detail with you, please let me know if you will be available to speak on the phone in the next few weeks. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,
Henry

(note: all names are dummies)

Learn to write cover letters in an appropriate tone with persuasive power from Jimmy Sweeney's Amazing Cover Letters

Resume Cover Letter

Resume Cover Letter Sample

I read numerous cover letters daily. Today, two of them draw my attention. One is 3,000 words long, the other is 100. Obviously the latter one is more compelling. Whether his resume is impressive or not, I am interested to read his resume immediately.

A resume cover letter is not an autobiography. There is absolutely no need to write 3,000 words. If you write skillfully, 100 words is good enough to win attention from the hiring manager or win you an interview.

Take a look at this sample letter, it consists of all the information that is needed on a cover letter.

Dear Anna,

Happy New Year and best wishes for 2008.

Please find attached my resume. I am ready to move, flexible on terms & location, and continue to be interested in new opportunities to further my career in a new setting within the Asia region.

I am also open to new fields that will utilise my sales, marketing, general management, brand & business building experience and will present new learnings and new challenges.

Kindly contact me at this address or at +61-12345678 if you have suitable projects.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes
Henry Headhunter

More tips from Jimmy Sweeney on writing Cover Letters

Resume Cover Letter

Best Resume Cover Letter

If you happen to land on my blog to look for tips to write an effective resume cover letter, I am not going to let you down. Investment banking is one of the most demanding careers. If your cover letter impresses a banking hiring manager, it is likely to impress most hiring managers.

Let me reiterate the golden rules of a best investment banking resume cover letter: short and precisely. It should contain answers to these questions precisely:

1. What are you doing?
2. What do you want to do?
3. What are you able to do?
4. What do you want the reader to do?

Very often I receive excellent cover letters and resumes. However I am shame that I can’t get the candidates jobs, because they are not bankers.

Here is a beautiful resume cover letter that I receive recently. I don’t think the author is my blog’s reader, but this letter perfectly fits all the criteria I set forth.

Why don't you use it as a sample and tailor one for your own particular background?

Hiring managers usually spend 20 seconds reading a cover letter. We shall set this as a target.

I would like to introduce myself as a professional marketer with 17 years of marketing and sales experience in Healthcare and Diagnostics industries.

I am currently a Regional Business Manager in Famous HealthCare (Asia) and the countries under my responsibility include Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. I am now seeking a Marketing/ Business management position that will maximize use of my knowledge and experience.

A copy of my resume is enclosed for your reference.

I look forward to have a discussion with you on any current opportunities that you are undertaking.

Resume Cover Letter Tips from Anna Maria D’Souza
Some people think that sending in a hard copy cover letter and resume is more polite and personal. However they don't realise that many companies, especially headhunting firms, have to enter their data electronically. Feel free to send in your resume together with a cover email (which serves the purpose of a cover letter). Hard copy resume senders are usually requested to resubmit electronically.


Recommended career tools:

Amazing Cover Letter
A powerful cover letter is the perfect partner of your resume. Personalize and customize your amazing cover letter with Jimmy Sweeney’s help.

Amazing Resume Creator
A DIY resume is good enough for an entry level job. Investment bankers always want the best out of the best. To stand out from the crowd, get Jimmy Sweeney’s help to craft a best resume for yourself.


Cover Letter

Amazing Resume Cover Letter

Jimmy Sweeney’s Amazing Cover Letters
Lands the Exact Job Interviews You Desire

Comparing with Jimmy Sweeney, I am just a newbie in writing resume cover letters. In the past eight years as a headhunter, I dealt with investment banking resumes and cover letters intensively. However Jimmy has 23 years experience in writing result-focused sales letters.

Jimmy’s ebook Amazing Cover Letters dominates the number one best selling position among Clickbank’s marketplace on employment. FYI, Clickbank is the largest online information seller. All products are subject to immediate download after you made a payment.

With my tips on resume cover letter writing tailored for investment banking jobs, plus Jimmy’s help to write in an appropriate tone, you are going to be busy with the job interviews you desire.

Jimmy writes sales letters for a living. He has been writing the world’s most effective cover letters for thousands of thrilled men and women all over the world. He is currently the President/CEO of a unique marketing and advertising company located in California.

According to Jimmy, it is easy for job-seekers to stand out from the crowd in any field, landing the exact job interviews they desire if they had the properly-worded resume cover letter.

The main focus was to get the hiring managers to say to themselves, “hmmm, I want to meet this person. I like the tone of this letter… it’s straight to the point…I’m going to book an interview right now.”

His amazing cover letters had brought extraordinary results to thrilled clients worldwide, from college graduates to top level executives and everywhere in between.

To use his amazing cover letter creator is as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Point and click to choose the type of cover letter – hot, cold or other.
2. Point and click to choose the size of applicant job pool – large, medium or small.
3. Point and click to choose the amount of experience you have – yes, little or no.

Finally, you will personalize and customize your amazing cover letter step-by-step, quickly and easily using Jimmy’s powerfully-written sentences.

It is important that you customize your letter. Hiring managers can tell if you are using a canned letter from a library book.

Investment bankers want to hire outstanding people with good education and appropriate skill sets. However creativity is also highly desired. Make sure your resume cover letter is a good representation of yourself.

Check to meet Jimmy Sweeney and his Amazing Cover Letters.

Resume Cover Letter