Being Bold in Cover Letter
I'm a sophomore applying to competitive programs like Goldman Securities and the like.
Although I'm at a target, I feel I won't really be competitive because I have no relevant work experience and nothing that really stands out.
What do you guys think of being bold/assertive/maybe a bit outlandish in one's cover letter to get the attention of recruiters. I think I know more than other sophomores when it comes to finance and markets (just because I've done more reading/research), so why not assert one's knowledge in the cover letter and do it in a bold manner to get the attention of recruiters? They could even interview me just on the basis of actually seeing if I know as much as I give off.
Appreciate some feedback.
hate to break it to you but most places won't even read the cover letter. It's straight to the resume (GPA, school, work experience).
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the best way to do this is to write your entire cover letter in bold font. and in caps.
seeing how many times you used 'bold' in your post i know i wasn't the only one thinking this.
lol
Cover Letter Experiences (Originally Posted: 12/15/2015)
How hard it is to stand out among hundreds of similar types of cover letters . You need to market yourself but still you can't be too arrogant. While you're too humble , no one want to give you any opportunities. How do you write praising but humble cover letter which sets you apart from the others and give you an interview?
This is the question which will surely occupy many of the people on this website. I hope that due this post someone could give tips to how to write good cover letter, or even to share their cover letter with others who have not found the right form for their words.
Thank you
why dont you intern somewhere else first
Check out http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/the-best-resume-and-cover-letter-po…
Not meant to be insulting, but the truth is, reading books and watching the news, etc, does not mean you are more knowledgeable than other applicants. You might know a lot of hard facts, or technical figures as published by someone in a few textbooks, but companies/bankers/etc care about professional knowledge acquired through work experiences, not what you've read in a book. Sure, technical knowledge is absolutely helpful, but at the end of the day, it is your professional experience that will act as your biggest supporter. That said, I understand that you lack internship experience and are trying to boost your candidacy in any way possible. Unfortunately, attempting to showcase your intellect by drafting a cover letter that intends to demonstrate your vastly superior intellectual skill set as acquired through "reading/research" is not the way to do it. This will probably make you come off more as a know-it-all or even a bit foolish, not as a shining star. Your best bet will probably be to focus on your academic performance and technical knowledge through coursework, your club or community involvement and try to pick up an internship (even if it is unpaid and at a small no-name shop as I mentioned in one of your other posts) to showcase your skill set and put some credibility behind your intellect.
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should i make outrageous cover letter to get their attention (example) (Originally Posted: 01/25/2013)
Talk about models and bottles, rolling up the the 1Oaks club, talk about Wall St the movie, and other ridiculous stuff. Since I decided not to send this to any banks, guys feel free to see my funny cover letter. Hopefully this wont affect my real career adversely.
EDIT: Dear Investment banks (reading this on WSO)
When I am writing this cover letter what I say is absolutely honest. Ever since I saw the movie Wall St, I wanted to become an investment banker. That movie captured my attention on how the financial world is so interconnected to the world it seems like it is the center of the universe. I would like to become a summer analyst at your firm.
In addition, to watching the movie Wall St, I also watched Margin Call, Trading Places, Rogue Trader, American Psycho, and Inside job. Clearly, I do not have anything else better to do than investment banking. Many people would see that comment having a negative connotation but I will tell you that it isn’t. To have nothing else better than to do than investment banking means two things either that you live a really boring life or you are really interested in investment banking and nothing else compares to it.
To me investment banking is life, and I would like the opportunity to purse that career path. I am a workaholic and would love to be in the investment banking industry. My passion for investment banking goes further than just watching movies, since I decided to purse a career in investment banking I have achieved a 3.87 GPA, went to multiple finance conferences, talked to industry professionals, and took a course on financial modelling.
Feel free to contact me through Wall St Oasis to further discuss my qualifications. Thank you so much for you time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely, Legitpro
If you want to end up like Aleksey Vayner...
^ wow, good thing i asked WSO first....close call. I never heard of Aleksey Vayner till now
definitely do this. PLEASE DO.
lol... you have a punctuation error in the first sentence. I thought you said you were a good writer.
edit: Found one in the second sentence too.
edit 2: Please tell me English is your second/third language.
Haha, I saw that in the other thread. "creative writer"
Spell check seems useful here too haha @legit
honestly if it was simply a matter of attesting to some claim regarding your talent or in this case 'superior knowledge on finance', then everyone would do it and you'd get it immediately. However, all banks have is the evidence that is on your resume to go by. You show them your smart by having a high GPA, regardless of whether this is the right metric, there are far too many candidates and too little time to pre-interview each person. Your attempts on your cover letter will largely be futile; i'd recommend cold-calling people you will work with and set up informationals.
right..
well I was not going to do in a manner where I simply say I'm knowledgeable about finance and markets. I was instead going to mention I have traded my own equity account and also present stock analysis for specific industries in my school's investment club. And I would include some technical terms and such. Whats wrong with that?
You should talk about how you trade on your own account, are actively involved in the investment club, etc. That would be part of a well rounded cover letter.
Don't provide any technical analysis, advanced terms, etc in a cover letter though. Doing so would clearly show that you don't understand the purpose of a cover letter (to introduce you as a candidate and provide a bit more flavor to your application). As someone mentioned, your cover letter probably won't even be read but will be skimmed for "red flags" such as poor grammar, spelling, formatting, etc.
If you're a sophomore then chances are most of you peers don't have too much experience either, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just stick to the basics.
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