Just a heads up - this advise isn't quite as useful for a formal industry like banking, but it still applies to a certain extent. You'll have to keep it more professional than, say, a cover letter for a startup, but the same idea applies in that you should be trying to convince them you're a scrappy go-getter who's genuinely interested in whatever the role is.
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When I was in college, a lot of people were intimidated by cover letters, and I imagine that's still the case. It's tough because it's this blank canvas, and often it's hard to figure out what to say.
There are a lot of resources that describe what to put in each paragraph of your cover letter, and I think that's helpful so it looks and sounds professional, but if you just follow their formula, your cover letter will blend in with every other cover letter. But you should try to stand out!
Approach the cover letter like it's the only chance you have to talk to the company. If you don't get an interview, it really is your only chance to talk to them. So you should put all of the enthusiasm you plan to bring to the interview—why you're excited about the role and why, even though you may not necessarily be a picture perfect candidate, you bring a few unique qualities to the role that they won't be able to find anywhere else.
They'd much rather hire 1 unique imperfect person and 9 robots than just hire a team of 10 robots. Don't be afraid to get a little bit personal or unprofessional (temper this by industry!), as long as it's genuine and tells what you really think about the role. You're trying to stand out, after all! If you're a 2020 grad, check out more tips and connect with other 2020 grads on the job search here.
