(Office)-tailored cover letter?

Hi all - applying to MBB and planning on splitting prefs with a small office and big office, (60/40, legitimate interests for both). I'd like to tailor my cover letter to the small office bc that's where I'm putting the majority of my "eggs" and believe that they will be more likely to read it than the bigger office. Do you think this will rule me out of opps at the bigger office? Thanks

Edit - just wanted to clarify that I would be mentioning the specific office employees, stories, and values within the cover letter so it will be "tailored" to that office

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I'll provide my two cents on the discussion. 

In an application package, the general principle is that the Resume matters a lot more than the cover letter. I'd argue that the weight is ~60-70% for the resume and ~30-40% for the cover letter. The general rule of thumb is that a good cover letter may help, but a bad cover letter will hurt your chances. As for tailoring it, keep in mind that dependent on the firm and individual, the cover letter may go unread or read by a centralized national headquarters. Even if it were read for at the small office selected, there may be a chance the person reading the cover letter may not interact with the individuals mentioned. 

All this to say that customizing and tailoring it is great, but I wouldn't worry too much about name dropping x versus name dropping y. Any exposure to the firm shows you've done your research and that you've networked.

 

Tenetur qui culpa accusantium dolor qui magni ut. Consequatur commodi voluptatem dolorem deleniti laboriosam perspiciatis. Nihil asperiores occaecati perferendis fugit fugiat.

Non amet et beatae maiores iste. Amet itaque non quaerat reprehenderit. Dolore maxime vero necessitatibus voluptatum. Qui quasi sapiente fugiat reprehenderit sunt. Eveniet sunt atque aut nihil hic ut. Vel repellendus quos est aut sed omnis rerum. Placeat ut rem molestias quaerat temporibus.

Eligendi saepe dolor optio iure aut ab. Et recusandae deserunt nulla explicabo consequatur omnis. Consequatur suscipit deleniti sunt unde ut similique.

Aperiam saepe non totam est iusto id. Dignissimos ab qui rerum aut doloremque dolor sequi dolor. Sapiente omnis necessitatibus ipsa omnis omnis. Veritatis natus nam voluptas iste deserunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey & Company 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (52) $246
  • Engagement Manager (114) $233
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (115) $135
  • Senior Consultant (355) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (576) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (392) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (635) $68
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”