mentioning connection in cover letter

Throw that in as having spoken to him and thats what got you more interested in the organization etc... "Having spoken to"

Dont make it a plug: I know xyz in Boston

Can also start the cover letter off by saying "XYZ suggested I contact you..." if you're writing to a specific recruiter. Otherwise, throw it in somewhere as mentioned above.

mention that you know the current ceo of the company or are dating the head md's daugther and don't even know why you're being bothered with the formality of writing a cover letter since its already in the bag.

We're about to enter a Great Depression. Don't you want a president who's already dressed for it?

Definitely mention it in your cover letter - you can talk about the specific topics you covered that got you interested in the firm/industry. Or you can mention that he's a role model because of XYZ (although don't lay it on too thick).

Would this advice apply if the contact is a relative who shares the same last name? I will certainly be asking this family member to help in any way possible but I'm not sure if mentioning it in my cover letter would be in poor taste. Thanks!

ironically, the culture is quite incestuous.

We're about to enter a Great Depression. Don't you want a president who's already dressed for it?

Out of curiosity (for someone who doesn't know how connections work), do you just mention the name and the recruiter looks up the position the person holds in the firm? Or do you tell the position if you know someone high up ("I'm writing to you because Bob Schmidt, a _____, with M/B/B recommended...")?

Do you mention your relationship to that person? ("I'm writing to you because my cousin, Bob Schmidt, at M/B/B recommended...."). If not, how do they tell the strong relationships from the weak ones (i.e. where you just talked to a guy once or twice)?

if the partner is in related group - like they do ibb in a regional office and your applying to nyc - then by all means include them.

if, for instance, you apply to s&t and they are in pwm or ib, then i'd leave it out and see if you can get the partner to call hr directly.

i used to have a line in my cover letter mentioning the people i met in the firm so that hr could circle back with them by simply saying "It has been a pleasure to learn firsthand about the culture at XYZ through conversations with a,b and c."

@Remedy - would avoid doing this if it's a direct relative. You can mention how why they're a source of education about the job/industry, but often it's better to avoid the issue entirely. Your relative can best decide how to shepherd you through the recruiting process internally.