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Banking cover letter examples

If you’re hoping to land your next banking role, then you need a cover letter that’s right on the money.

In our step-by-step guide, we’ll share our top tips and advice for writing an impressive application.

We’ve also created some banking cover letter examples to inspire your own. Check them out below.

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Banking cover letter example 2

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These 3 Banking cover letter example s should provide you with a good steer on how to write your own cover letter, and the general structure to follow.

Our simple step-by-step guide below provides some more detailed advice on how you can craft a winning cover letter for yourself, that will ensure your CV gets opened.

How to write a Banking cover letter

A simple step-by-step guide to writing your very own winning cover letter.

Write your cover letter in the body of an email/message

When writing your Banking cover letter, it’s best to type the content into the body of your email (or the job site messaging system) and not to attach the cover letter as a separate document.

This ensures that your cover letter gets seen as soon as a recruiter or employer opens your message.

If you attach the cover letter as a document, you’re making the reader go through an unnecessary step of opening the document before reading it.

If it’s in the body of the message itself, it will be seen instantly, which hugely increases the chances of it being read.

Start with a friendly greeting

To start building rapport with the recruiter or hiring manager right away, lead with a friendly greeting.

Try to strike a balance between professional and personable.

Go with something like…

• Hi [insert recruiter name]
• Hi [insert department/team name]

Stay away from old-fashioned greetings like “Dear sir/madam ” unless applying to very formal companies – they can come across as cold and robotic.

How to find the contact’s name?

Addressing the recruitment contact by name is an excellent way to start building a strong relationship. If it is not listed in the job advert, try to uncover it via these methods.

• Check out the company website and look at their  About page. If you see a hiring manager, HR person or internal recruiter, use their name. You could also try to figure out who would be your manager in the role and use their name.
• Head to LinkedIn , search for the company and scan through the list of employees. Most professionals are on LinkedIn these days, so this is a good bet.

Identify the role you are applying for

Once you’ve opened up the cover letter with a warm greeting to start building a relationship, it is time to identify which role you want to apply for.

Recruiters are often managing multiple vacancies, so you need to ensure you apply to the correct one.

Be very specific and use a reference number if you can find one.

• I am interested in applying for the position of *Banking role* with your company.
• I would like to apply for the role of Sales assistant (Ref: 406f57393)
• I would like to express my interest in the customer service vacancy within your retail department
• I saw your advert for a junior project manager on Reed and would like to apply for the role.

See also: CV examples – how to write a CV – CV profiles

Highlight your suitability

The sole objective of your cover letter is to motivate recruiters into to opening your CV. And you achieve this by quickly explaining your suitability to the roles you are applying for.

Take a look at the job descriptions you are applying to, and make note of the most important skills and qualifications being asked for.

Then, when crafting your cover letter, make your suitability the central focus.

Explain why you are the best qualified candidate, and why you are so well suited to carry out the job.

This will give recruiters all the encouragement they need to open your CV and consider you for the job.

Keep it short and sharp

A good cover letter is short and sharp, getting to the point quickly with just enough information to grab the attention of recruiters.

Ideally your cover letter should be around 4-8 sentences long – anything longer will risk losing the attention of time-strapped recruiters and hiring managers .

Essentially you need to include just enough information to persuade the reader to open up your CV, where the in-depth details will sit.

Sign off professionally

To round of your CV, you should sign off with a professional signature.

This will give your cover letter a slick appearance and also give the recruiter all of the necessary contact information they need to get in touch with you.

The information to add should include:

• A friendly sign off – e.g. “Kindest regards”
• Your full name
• Phone number (one you can answer quickly)
• Email address
• Profession title
• Professional social network –  e.g. LinkedIn

Here is an example signature;

Warm regards,

Jill North IT Project Manager 078837437373 [email protected] LinkedIn

Quick tip: To save yourself from having to write your signature every time you send a job application, you can save it within your email drafts, or on a separate documents that you could copy in.

What to include in your Banking cover letter

Here’s what kind of content you should include in your Banking cover letter…

The exact info will obviously depend on your industry and experience level, but these are the essentials.

• Your relevant experience – Where have you worked and what type of jobs have you held?
• Your qualifications – Let recruiters know about your highest level of qualification to show them you have the credentials for the job.
• The impact you have made – Show how your actions have made a positive impact on previous employers; perhaps you’ve saved them money or helped them to acquire new customers?
• Your reasons for moving – Hiring managers will want to know why you are leaving your current or previous role, so give them a brief explanation.
• Your availability – When can you start a new job ? Recruiters will want to know how soon they can get you on board.

Don’t forget to tailor these points to the requirements of the job advert for best results.

Banking cover letter templates

Copy and paste these Banking cover letter templates to get a head start on your own.

Hello Harry

I am keen to showcase my interest in the Bank Manager position at Investec. With a distinguished career in the financial service industry spanning over 15 years, I am excited about the opportunity to lead a dynamic team, steer exceptional customer experiences, and contribute to the success of your company.

Throughout my career at Metro Bank, I have held progressively responsible roles, where I honed my expertise in optimising branch operations, client service, team management, and business development across all activities. Some of the significant contributions I have played throughout my time at Metro Bank include, increasing deposits by 30% through integrating targeted marketing campaigns and relationship-building strategies, developing training programs which enhanced branch staff’s cross-selling of bank products by 50%, and lessening annual expenses by £80K by negotiating favourable contracts with suitable vendors.

My passion for fostering a customer-centric culture has been the driving force behind my success, and I am confident that my collaborative approach and ability to build and maintain relationships will ensure continued growth for Investec as a whole. Thank you very much for considering my application and I hope to hear from you very soon regarding scheduling an interview.

Kind regards

Ellen Mount ¦ 07777777777 ¦ [email protected]

I hope you’re well. I am thrilled to apply for the Private Banker role at Santander, as advertised on Indeed. With a successful track record in wealth management and a deep commitment to delivering personalised financial solutions to high-net-worth clients, I am eager to contribute my expertise to your institution.

I possess 7 years of experience as a Private Banker at CitiBank, where I increased AUM by 20% since 2016, successfully generated £3M in revenue and exceeded individual/team targets through cross-selling financial products to clients. I also boosted CSAT scores by 10% within 3-months due to promptly addressing any complaints.

I am eager to leverage my skills to enhance your establishment’s reputation and ensure to its continued success. As a highly analytical professional, I thrive in dynamic market environments and excel at navigating complex financial landscapes. My dedication to providing exceptional service is matched by my commitment to stay abreast of industry trends and guaranteeing my clients receive the most relevant advice.

Thank you for considering my application and look forward to attending an interview at your convenience.

Simon Piles ¦ 07777777777 ¦ [email protected]

Good morning, Gary

I am excited to apply for the Junior Teller role at Fidelity Bank. I am eager to leverage my skills and commitment towards maintaining the high standards of service associated with your institution.

Throughout my academic journey and part-time experiences, I have developed a deep understanding of banking procedures, where I gained valuable insights into the importance of accuracy, confidentiality, and efficiency in handling transactions. As a recent HND Banking Graduate from Lincoln College, I possess theoretical knowledge in financial accounting and economics.

Additionally, I completed a one-year internship at TD Group where I was exposed to real-world cash handling, account management, and customer interactions. During this internship I assisted in the implementation of a new process for addressing inquiries that reduced wait times by 20%, as well as assuring a 100% record of compliance with bank policies which led to successful audits with no major findings.

Please feel free to reach out to me via email or by phone at your convenience to schedule an interview. Thank you for considering my application.

Lisa McKenzie ¦ 07777777777 ¦ [email protected]

Writing an impressive cover letter is a crucial step in landing a Banking job, so taking the time to perfect it is well worth while.

By following the tips and examples above you will be able to create an eye-catching cover letter that will wow recruiters and ensure your CV gets read – leading to more job interviews for you.

Good luck with your job search!

Banking Cover Letter Guide With Templates & Examples

Learn how to write a banking cover letter with templates, samples, and important tips to make your job application stand out.

Pansy Thakuria

Read more posts by this author.

Banking jobs usually require you to submit a cover letter and a resume for a more detailed job application. Bankers are very professional and value paperwork.

As a banking candidate, you must know how to craft a perfect cover letter that your employer will assess. In your banking cover letter, you get to explain and highlight your skills, work experience, and how you can contribute to the company you’re applying to.

In this guide, we will learn how to create a cover letter to make you stand out from other candidates. We explore all the contents of a cover letter and what are the most important things to include in it.

What is a banking cover letter?

A banking cover letter is a short letter you write when you want to work in a bank. It's like a note introducing yourself to the bank and explaining why you want to work there. You mention your skills and experiences related to banking to show why you'd be a good fit for the job.

It's a way to get the bank's attention and interest them in hiring you.

Let’s look at some templates and examples.

Banking Cover Letter Template For Beginners With No Experience

[Your Name] [Your Address] [City, State, ZIP Code] [Your Email Address] [Your Phone Number] [Date]

[Hiring Manager's Name] [Bank Name] [Bank Address] [City, State, ZIP Code]

Dear [Hiring Manager's Name],

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am reaching out to express my genuine interest in the [specific position] at [Bank Name], as mentioned in your recent posting.

A Bit About Me:

I recently graduated with a [Your Degree] from [Your University], where I delved into subjects like Finance and Accounting. It was an exciting journey that fueled my interest in the dynamic world of banking.

While I may not have direct banking experience, I've developed a solid understanding of financial principles during my studies. I'm also quite handy with Microsoft Office, especially Excel and Word.

Why [Bank Name]?

[Bank Name] caught my eye because of its stellar reputation and commitment to [mention something specific about the bank, e.g., community involvement innovative services].

I am genuinely eager to be a part of a team that values [mention a key value of the bank, e.g., customer satisfaction, integrity].

What I Bring:

I am a quick learner, ready to absorb new information and contribute my best to the fast-paced banking world.

Beyond my academic qualifications, I bring a strong work ethic and a genuine passion for learning. I am confident that my adaptability will be an asset in a dynamic banking environment.

Let's Chat:

I am genuinely excited about the prospect of contributing to [Bank Name]'s success. I would love the opportunity to discuss how my eagerness and skills align with the goals of [Bank Name]. I am available for an interview at your convenience.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to possibly joining the [Bank Name] family.

Warm regards, [Your Name]

A cover letter first-timer? Let’s help you with our easy-to-follow guide with customizable examples: Cover Letter Guide.

Banking Cover Letter Template For Experienced Professionals

[Your Name] [Your Address] [City, State, ZIP Code] [Your Email Address] [Your Phone Number]

As advertised, I am writing to express my interest in the [specific position] at [Bank Name]. With a robust background in banking and a proven track record of success, I am eager to bring my expertise to your esteemed institution.

Professional Snapshot:

Experience:

• Over [number] years of experience in various roles within the banking sector.
• [Briefly mention specific roles, e.g., Branch Manager, Financial Analyst].

Achievements:

• Successfully [mention a significant accomplishment, e.g., increased branch profitability by X%].
• Demonstrated proficiency in [mention relevant skills, e.g., risk management, portfolio analysis].
• I have been following [Bank Name]'s commitment to [mention a specific aspect, e.g., technological innovation, customer-centric services] and am eager to contribute to its continued success.

Key Strengths:

• Proven ability to develop and execute strategic plans to enhance overall branch performance.

Team Leadership:

• Successful track record of leading and motivating teams to achieve and exceed targets.

Customer Relationship Management:

• Adept at fostering strong relationships with clients, ensuring satisfaction and loyalty.

Let's Collaborate:

I am excited about the opportunity to contribute my skills and insights to [Bank Name]. I believe my experience aligns well with the goals of your institution.

I would welcome the chance to discuss further how my background and skills can benefit [Bank Name]. I am available for an interview at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of joining your dynamic team.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

Banking Cover Letter Example And Sample For Experienced Professionals

Sarah Baker New town street Metropolis, MS 56789 [email protected] 999-000-222

Jess Anderson Prestige Bank 123 Financial Avenue Metropolis, MS 56789

I am writing to express my interest in the Senior Financial Analyst position at Prestige Bank, as advertised. With over 10 years of experience in the banking sector and a proven track record of success, I am eager to contribute my expertise to your esteemed institution.

• Over 10 years of experience in various roles within the banking sector.
• Worked as a Financial Analyst at Financial Excellence Inc. for five years, managing complex financial portfolios and conducting risk assessments.
• Successfully implemented a risk mitigation strategy that resulted in a 15% reduction in overall portfolio risk.
• Consistently exceeded quarterly revenue targets by 20%, contributing to the overall profitability of Financial Excellence Inc.

Why Prestige Bank?

I have followed Prestige Bank's commitment to technological innovation and its reputation for delivering customer-centric services. I am eager to bring my skills to an institution that values forward-thinking strategies and client satisfaction.

Strategic Planning:

• Developed and executed strategic plans to enhance overall branch performance, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Successfully led and motivated cross-functional teams, achieving and exceeding financial targets.
• Established and maintained strong relationships with clients, ensuring their financial goals aligned with the bank's offerings.

I am excited about the opportunity to contribute my skills and insights to Prestige Bank. I believe my experience aligns well with the goals of your institution.

I would welcome the chance to discuss further how my background and skills can benefit Prestige Bank. I am available for an interview at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely, Sarah Baker

How to write a banking cover letter?

Writing a banking cover letter involves conveying your interest in a specific banking position, showcasing your relevant skills and experiences, and explaining why you are a strong fit for the role. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Contact Information

• Include your full name, address, phone number, and email at the top of the letter.
• Include the current date.

Employer's Information

• Add the hiring manager's name, bank name, address, and other relevant details.
• If possible, address the hiring manager by name (e.g., "Dear Mr. Smith"). If you don't know the name, use a generic greeting like "Dear Hiring Manager."

Introduction

• Start with a clear and concise introduction expressing your interest in the specific banking position.

Why You Are a Good Fit

• Briefly mention your relevant skills, education, and any specific achievements. Tailor this section to the job description.

Why the Bank

• Explain why you want to work for this particular bank. Mention any unique aspects, values, or services that attracted you.

Key Skills and Experiences

• Highlight the key skills and experiences that make you a strong candidate. Use bullet points for clarity.
• Express your enthusiasm for the position and eagerness to contribute to the bank's success.

Closing Salutation

• Use a professional closing, such as "Sincerely" or "Best regards."
• Sign your name if sending a hard copy.

Email/Phone Number

• Include contact information again.

Tips for Writing a Banking Cover Letter:

Tailor to the Job Customize your letter for each application by addressing the specific requirements in the job posting.

Be Specific Use concrete examples to demonstrate your achievements and skills.

Quantify Achievements Where possible, quantify your accomplishments (e.g., "Increased branch profitability by 20%").

Research the Bank Show that you've done your homework by mentioning details about the bank's operations, values, or recent achievements.

Be Concise Keep the cover letter concise and focused, typically one page in length.

Proofread Eliminate spelling and grammatical errors to present a polished and professional letter.

Show Enthusiasm Convey genuine excitement about the opportunity to work for the bank.

The goal is to make a strong and positive impression that encourages the hiring manager to consider you a potential candidate.

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5 Banking Cover Letter Examples Landing Jobs in 2024

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• Write Your Banking Cover Letter

The banking industry requires a detail-oriented mindset with compliance as a top concern. You shine in that role by overseeing client accounts, monitoring transactions, and providing excellent customer service.

Are your banking resume and cover letter helping you connect with hiring managers to show you’re right for the job?

When banks are looking for skilled employees, they’ll perform detailed reviews to ensure they bring in the most qualified applicants for interviews. To ensure you stand out, use our banking cover letter examples as templates, or leverage the power of our free cover letter builder to help display your abilities successfully.

Banking Cover Letter Example

USE THIS TEMPLATE

Microsoft Word

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Block Format

Copy this text for your Banking cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue Austin, TX 76208 (123) 456-7890

November 5, 2023

Zoey Mitchell Citibank 123 Fictional Lane Oakland, CA 94601

Dear Mr. Mitchell:

Having long admired Citibank’s commitment to precision and customer service excellence, I’m thrilled at the opportunity to contribute to your mission of delivering exceptional banking experiences that serve clients and promote financial success. I share your goal of providing reliable and accurate financial services to individuals globally. My valuable experience in this field can help enhance customer satisfaction, streamline banking procedures, and foster stronger client relationships as your bank teller.

As an operations associate at 1st United Credit Union, I handled, on average, $267,124 in cash transactions daily. This task necessitated meticulous cash management and record keeping, aiding a 24% reduction in transaction anomalies.

With a penchant for technology integration, I was instrumental in implementing Jack Henry Check processing software at First Republic Bank. Adopting this systematic check-processing tool optimized our transaction processing correctness by 32% and decreased check fraud occurrences by 17%. Furthermore, at First Republic, I strategized an efficient record-keeping system that increased record retrieval speed by 22%.

Grasping the criticality of trust in the banking industry, I tread beyond my role-given responsibilities to ensure transparency, accuracy, and respectful collaboration. It would be an honor to champion these values as a bank teller at Citibank, and I’m eager to share more about how my expertise will beef up the operational excellence of your Oakland team. Thank you.

Leila Hassan

Enclosures: Resume Application 2 letters of recommendation Academic transcript

Why this cover letter works

• Speaking of the structure, craft a compelling intro diving into your passion, motivations, and possibly, company knowledge; a middle highlighting your professional experiences in reverse chronological order, and a conclusion reinstating your interest and encouraging further discussion.

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Mortgage Banking Intern Cover Letter Example

Copy this text for your Mortgage Banking Intern cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55401 (123) 456-7890

John Perez Wells Fargo 123 Fictional Lane Minneapolis, MN 55401

Dear Mr. Perez:

Wells Fargo’s emphasis on innovation in the mortgage banking landscape commands my attention as a budding professional eager to advance my expertise in credit analysis, loan documentation, and regulatory compliance. A crucial part of my approach to internships is the driving desire to grow and learn while empowering clients with practical financial tools to streamline their home ownership ambitions. This ethos is embedded in all my academic projects and past roles. I’m eager to cultivate these skills further at Wells Fargo, intertwining my individual growth with the bank’s objective to lead in mortgage services.

During my internship at Affinity Plus, I gained hands-on experience in credit analysis. Within a five-month window, I effectively assessed borrower creditworthiness for 73 unique cases, using tools like Moody’s and RiskCalc. The first-hand experience of understanding borrower credit profiles and mitigating risk reinforced my belief in the importance of sound credit analysis in the loan approval process.

At the University of Minnesota, I contributed to streamlining a loan documentation process for a hypothetical firm. The project was acknowledged for its efficiency, and we observed a decrease in error rate by 14% in our simulation.

Financial Regulations was a particularly enlightening module during my course at the University of Minnesota. It offered me a deep understanding of risk and compliance norms in the banking sector. Utilizing financial risk management software such as IBM OpenPages within class simulations, my peers and I improved adherence to financial regulations by 18% across various hypothetical portfolios.

My dedication to assisting clients to achieve their dream homeownership fuels me to seek further opportunities to enhance my knowledge and skills. I’m confident that my drive and acquired knowledge would contribute meaningfully as Wells Fargo’s next mortgage banking intern. I eagerly anticipate discussing my candidacy further with you. Thank you.

Anton Ivanov

• Following Anton’s lead, kick off by strategically aligning your career aspirations with the hiring company’s mission and values. From there, intertwine your objectives for the roles with the shared values, showing your readiness to inject passion and drive into the role.

Electronic Banking Specialist Cover Letter Example

Copy this text for your Electronic Banking Specialist Cover Letter Example cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue Tulsa, OK 74101 (123) 456-7890

Madison Roberts Bank of Oklahoma 123 Fictional Lane Tulsa, OK 74101

Dear Mr. Roberts

I agree with the belief that finance is the backbone of the modern world, and I stand in awe of the Bank of Oklahoma’s mission to provide seamless, intuitive, and secure banking experiences at the tip of anyone’s fingers. My penchant for conquering novel problems and challenges makes me a natural fit for the electronic banking specialist position. With five years of diverse experience in electronic banking, I’m prepared to work independently, lead assertively, and bridge the gap between your technology and client-facing teams at the Bank of Oklahoma.

My passion for the financial industry burgeoned at TTCU Federal Credit Union, where I contributed significantly to its fraud detection and prevention department. I immersed myself in implementing state-of-the-art measures aided by tools such as FICO Falcon Fraud Manager. My commitment and results-driven approach led to a significant 31% decrease in financial losses, a testament to the potency of refined risk mitigation efforts.

At QuikTrip, I was entrusted with database management using SQL Server. My responsibilities extended to enhancing database performance and guaranteeing data integrity—a task I fulfilled by advancing an initiative to streamline our data management processes. Notably, I spearheaded an initiative that streamlined data management processes, improving database efficiency by 17%.

I refined my data analysis expertise at ONEOK. Utilizing Tableau and Python for data visualization and analysis, I provided insight that facilitated nimble decision-making and strategic alignment. This process led to actionable business improvements with a notable 29% increase in operational efficiency. This statistic validates my contributions and underscores the tremendous impact of data-driven strategy on organizational performance.

The prospect of contributing to the Bank of Oklahoma’s vision by improving electronic banking services, creating meaningful client journeys, and reinforcing security safeguards sparks great enthusiasm in me. I’m thrilled at the potential of contributing to the financial growth within Tulsa, OK, and beyond. Looking forward to connecting with you soon to discuss how I can foster your drive. Thank you.

Freja Larsen

• Quickly draw attention to your career’s landmarks that saw you apply relevant industry-relevant skills, such as fraud detection and prevention, database management, and data visualization and analysis, solidifying each experience with numbers. Did you slash financial losses by 31%? Improved operational efficiency by 29%? Flaunt these triumphs, but concisely.

Deutsche Bank Cover Letter Example

Copy this text for your Deutsche Bank cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue New York, NY 10005 (123) 456-7890

August 14, 2024

Grace Hill Deutsche Bank 123 Fictional Lane New York, NY 10005

Dear Ms. Hill:

A fervent desire to devise cutting-edge financial strategies propels me toward a position on Deutsche Bank’s vibrant corporate banking team. The esteemed record of Deutsche Bank in forward-thinking and placing clients at the forefront resonates with my professional goals. Analyzing intricate financial environments and a solid background in fostering relationships, I stand poised to enhance your team’s capabilities.

At Bank of America, supervisory responsibilities for teller operations fell under my purview. I meticulously processed transactions that often summed up to $138,000+ daily, maintaining unwavering accuracy. A focus on maximizing teller team performance led to the honing of customer satisfaction, enhanced sales techniques, and strict adherence to regulatory practices, all crucial for a corporate banker.

My initiative at Popular Bank bore fruit as sales surged by 12% within a single quarter, a testament to my knack for engaging customers and intelligently recommending products. The seamless initiation of 79 new accounts reflects my adeptness at spotting and nurturing potential business opportunities. It’s this acute understanding of client needs and delivery of bespoke financial solutions that I’m excited to bring to Deutsche Bank to fuel further growth.

At HSBC, the challenges of problem-solving and precise attention to detail were my daily companions, ensuring clients’ needs were met seamlessly. Partnering with account managers and loan officers, I facilitated top-notch service, managed cash reserves and ATMs without error, and meticulously organized transaction documentation for efficient processing. My demonstrated proficiency in credit evaluations, financial proposals, and credit risk oversight will serve well in the intricate landscape of corporate banking.

The opportunity to drive growth and innovation at Deutsche Bank ignites a sense of enthusiasm in me. I’m deeply appreciative of your consideration of my candidacy and am looking forward to elaborating on the ways my experience, skills, and qualifications will resonate with the unique demands of the corporate banker role.

Felix Larsen

Enclosures: Resume Transcript Letter of recommendation

• Ditch those overused phrases like “I work hard.” Show your potential employer the real deal, instead. Perhaps toss in quantified metrics such as “… processed transactions that often summed up to $138,000+ daily” and “seamless initiation of 79 new accounts.” In addition, mimic the hiring company’s language in your piece—simply dive into the job ad and pick keywords and phrases that precisely echo their needs.

World Bank Cover Letter Example

Copy this text for your World Bank Cover Letter Example cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue Washington, DC 20433 (123) 456-7890

Jackson Rodriguez The World Bank 123 Fictional Lane Washington, DC 20433

Dear Mr. Rodriguez:

Driven by a fervent zeal for global finance and sustainable development, the role of investment officer at the World Bank appears to be a perfect arena for me to apply my deep well of expertise. Having navigated the complex world of investment banking with a keen focus on nurturing economic growth in emerging markets, my career trajectory seems to be in harmonious alignment with the ambitions and aspirations of your esteemed organization.

During my tenure at Wells Fargo, the complex labyrinth of teller operations was my battlefield, where I led the charge in implementing cutting-edge cash management techniques and tackling high-stakes customer service dilemmas. Tasked with the reconciliation and processing of daily transactions that sometimes soared to $223K, my initiatives to refine operational processes and foster staff development boosted efficiency by 26%.

At United Bank, my leadership catalyzed a team of tellers to consistently surpass our upselling goals, achieving an impressive 94% completion rate each quarter. This feat underscored my prowess in negotiation and deal structuring, skills directly transferable to the elaboration and negotiation of investment agreements and the crafting of proposals for the World Bank.

While at JPMorgan Chase, my role entailed rigorous management of client accounts, where precision and operational efficacy were paramount. My strategies yielded an 18% increase in portfolio returns over a year, underlining my aptitude for portfolio management. This experience is invaluable for overseeing the Bank’s investments, ensuring robust governance, and optimizing returns.

To conclude, my journey through financial operations, customer service, and leadership landscapes has sculpted me into an ideal candidate for the investment officer position at the World Bank. Fueled by a dedication to sustainable investing, I’m keen to explore how my array of skills and experiences will resonate with the foundational goals of the World Bank. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to adding value to your team.

• You see that line about being the golden child at a former workplace: “Everyone loved me at United Bank because I was clearly a catch”)? It doesn’t belong to your cover letter. Try something like this: “At United Bank, my leadership catalyzed a team of tellers to consistently surpass our upselling goals, achieving an impressive 94% completion rate each quarter.”

Related cover letter examples

• Banking resume
• Bank teller
• Financial analyst

How to Optimize Your Banking Cover Letter

While all banks have standardized processes to ensure compliance, that doesn’t mean that each one won’t have unique qualifications they’re looking for applicants to possess.

For instance, one bank may be seeking a reconciliation expert, whereas another may be looking for a customer-centric teller who can create a great experience for everyone who walks through their doors. You’ll want to customize each cover letter you submit based on the job description .

Write an attention-grabbing intro to your banking cover letter

When someone walks into the bank, you know the importance of creating a friendly atmosphere since every customer makes a first impression quickly. The same is true when bank hiring managers are reviewing cover letters.

The first step to stand out is greeting a specific hiring manager by name if it’s listed in the job description or on the bank’s website. It’s the same as connecting with customers by learning their names before discussing investment opportunities.

Then, once you get into the first paragraph, you’ll want to show how you connect with the bank’s mission and where your skills fit in. For instance, how you want to use your knowledge of debt consolidation and index funds to help customers make smart financial decisions.

The intro below doesn’t make enough of a connection since it lacks key details about the applicant’s specific mortgage banking skills and the company’s mission.

Not connecting enough!

Hello Mr. Halbert,

Upon seeing the mortgage banking job you have available, I immediately thought this sounded like a great role for my skills. This sounds like a great company to work for, and I would be excited to join your team.

The opener below makes a better connection since the applicant showcases an evident passion for Citibank’s commitment to customer service excellence and exceptional banking experiences.

A well-connected opener based on the bank’s mission!

Dear Mr. Mitchell,

How to make the body of your banking cover letter more impactful

As you get into the body section when writing a cover letter , it’s time to think about how you can share more details about the customer service and financial solutions skills you highlighted in the opening paragraph.

A great way to illustrate your impact as a banker is by using metrics since every financial solution requires data to make accurate decisions. Depending on your role in the bank’s success, everything from customer satisfaction rates to loan-to-asset ratios could work well in this section.

Additionally, if you’re applying to a role like a mortgage banker or investment banker that requires some education, you could also explain how your degree in finance or related fields has equipped you to succeed.

A well-formed body paragraph with banking metrics!

Make the closer of your banking cover letter stand out

As you begin the closing paragraph of your banking cover letter, you’ll want to relate back to some of the key financial solutions skills and your connection to the bank’s mission. For example, your passion for the bank’s commitment to excellence and how you want to use your financial analysis skills to provide accurate service to every customer.

After that, it’s a good idea to thank the bank’s hiring manager for their time and end with a light call to action. It’s similar to thanking customers for banking with you and saying you look forward to seeing them again to increase customer retention rates.

The closer below lacks impactfulness since the applicant doesn’t use a call to action or reference the bank’s mission.

Lacking impactfulness here!

Overall, I believe my experience as a mortgage banker will be a valuable addition to your team. Thank you for considering my qualifications.

Lucy Carlson

The closer below makes a much better impact by referencing the applicant’s passion for helping clients achieve their dream of homeownership.

An impactful closer relating to the bank’s needs!

My dedication to assisting clients to achieve their dream of homeownership fuels me to seek further opportunities to enhance my knowledge and skills. I’m confident that my drive and acquired knowledge would contribute meaningfully as Wells Fargo’s next mortgage banking intern. I eagerly anticipate discussing my candidacy further with you. Thank you.

Reviewing the job description and understanding the bank’s needs is the best way to include job skills that stand out. For instance, if the position requires cross-selling, you could write about previous experiences cross-selling credit cards or business banking solutions.

The best way to optimize the tone you write in is by reviewing the job description and trying to match the tone each bank uses. For instance, if a bank uses a formal and logical tone, matching that shows how you’ll fit in with their professional and knowledgeable work culture.

If you haven’t worked in banking before, you could emphasize translatable skills like other jobs involving customer service or data entry. Or you could emphasize relevant education like a bachelor’s degree in finance that equipped you with the necessary skills.

6 Professional Banking Cover Letter Examples for 2024

Your banking cover letter must immediately highlight your understanding of financial trends and economic regulations. It should demonstrate familiarity with the specific banking institution to which you're applying. Be sure to showcase your previous banking experience and your ability to foster client relationships. Your cover letter needs to reflect both your analytical skills and your commitment to customer service excellence.

All cover letter examples in this guide

Commercial Banking

Corporate Banking

Loan Officer

Loan Processor

Phone Banking

Cover letter guide.

Banking Cover Letter Sample

Cover Letter Format

Cover Letter Salutation

Cover Letter Introduction

Cover Letter Body

Cover Letter Closing

No Experience Banking Cover Letter

Key Takeaways

Crafting a banking cover letter can often feel daunting. You might have already dived into job applications, only to realize a punchy cover letter is a must-have. It's not about echoing your resume; it's about showcasing a key professional triumph and bringing your journey to that success to life. Remember, formality is key, but dodging clichés will make you stand out. And keeping it concise to one page is crucial. Let's guide you through writing a cover letter that opens doors.

• Create a banking cover letter to persuade the recruiters you're the best candidate for the role;
• Use industry-leading banking cover letter templates and examples to save time;
• Dedicate your banking cover letter space to your best achievement;
• Make sure your banking cover letter meets recruiters' expectations and standards.

Avoid starting at the blank page for hours by using Enhancv's AI - just upload your resume and your banking cover letter will be ready for you to (tweak and) submit for your dream job.

If the banking isn't exactly the one you're looking for we have a plethora of cover letter examples for jobs like this one:

• Banking resume guide and example
• Financial Accountant cover letter example
• Public Accounting Auditor cover letter example
• Finance Coordinator cover letter example
• Corporate Accounting cover letter example
• Bank Manager cover letter example
• VP of Finance cover letter example
• Tax Manager cover letter example
• Cost Accounting cover letter example
• Finance Manager cover letter example
• Tax Director cover letter example

Banking cover letter example

Alex Johnson

New York, NY

+1-(234)-555-1234

[email protected]

• Explicitly stating relevant previous experience, such as managing relationships with over 500 customers at Chase Bank, provides concrete evidence of capability in the field and assures the hiring manager of the candidate's qualifications for the customer relationship role.
• Quantifying achievements, like citing a 95% customer satisfaction rate and a 30% reduction in customer complaints, helps to objectively demonstrate the candidate's impact and effectiveness in the previous position.
• Identifying a specific initiative, such as leading the integration of a new CRM system, exhibits the candidate’s ability to innovate and improve processes, which could translate into similar successes in the new role.
• Expressing eagerness to apply strategic vision and skills to the potential employer's institution, and aligning personal commitment with the company's core values, shows the hiring manager that the candidate is not only qualified but also genuinely interested in the company's mission.

What about your banking cover letter format: organizing and structuring your information

Here is one secret you should know about your banking cover letter assessment. The Applicant Tracker System (or ATS) won't analyze your cover letter.

You should thus focus on making an excellent impression on recruiters by writing consistent:

• Introduction
• Body paragraphs (and explanation)
• Promise or Call to action
• Signature (that's optional)

Now, let's talk about the design of your banking cover letter.

Ensure all of your paragraphs are single-spaced and have a one-inch margins on all sides (like in our cover letter templates ).

Also, our cover letter builder automatically takes care of the format and comes along with some of the most popular (and modern) fonts like Volkhov, Chivo, and Bitter.

Speaking of fonts, professionals advise you to keep your banking cover letter and resume in the same typography and avoid the over-used Arial or Times New Roman.

When wondering whether you should submit your banking cover letter in Doc or PDF, select the second, as PDF keeps all of your information and design consistent.

The top sections on a banking cover letter

• Header: This should include your contact information, the date, and the employer's contact details, providing a professional appearance and ensuring that the recruiter can easily identify and get in touch with you.
• Greeting: A personalized greeting addressing the hiring manager by name demonstrates that you have done your research and are genuinely interested in the position at their banking institution.
• Introduction: In this section, you should clearly state the banking position you are applying for and give a brief overview of your relevant experience, capturing the recruiter's interest and showing immediate relevance.
• Body: Here, you elaborate on your previous banking experience, quantitative achievements, and understanding of financial principles, showing how your background makes you the right fit for the specific banking role you are pursuing.
• Closing: The closing should reiterate your enthusiasm for the role, include a call to action politely prompting an interview, and thank the hiring manager for considering your application, leaving a professional and courteous final impression.

Key qualities recruiters search for in a candidate’s cover letter

Understanding of Financial Regulations: Banks must adhere strictly to financial regulations, and showing knowledge in this area indicates a candidate's readiness to operate within legal and ethical boundaries.

Attention to Detail: Handling financial transactions requires precision, and even small errors can have significant repercussions, making this trait critical in banking roles.

Customer Service Skills: Bankers often interact with customers, requiring the ability to manage relationships, address concerns effectively, and maintain customer satisfaction and trust.

Sales Experience: Many banking positions have sales components, such as promoting credit cards or loans, hence experience in sales reflects the potential for revenue generation.

Risk Management: The ability to identify and mitigate financial risks is crucial in banking to protect the institution's assets and maintain financial stability.

Numeracy and Analytical Skills: A strong aptitude for numbers and the ability to analyze financial data are essential for making informed decisions in a banking context.

What greeting should you use in your banking cover letter salutation

A simple "Hello" or "Hey" just won't work.

With your banking cover letter salutation , you set the tone of the whole communication.

You should thus address the hiring managers by using their first (or last name) in your greeting.

But how do you find out who's recruiting for the role?

The easiest way is to look up the role on LinkedIn or the corporate website.

Alternatively, you could also contact the organization via social media or email, for more information.

Unable to still obtain the recruiter's name?

Don't go down the "To whom it may concern path". Instead, start your cover letter with a "Dear HR team".

List of salutations you can use

• Dear Hiring Manager,
• Dear [Bank Name] Recruitment Team,
• Dear [Hiring Manager's Name],
• Dear [Department Name] Team,
• Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name],
• Dear [Position Title] Hiring Committee,

Your banking cover letter intro: showing your interest in the role

On to the actual content of your banking cover letter and the introductory paragraph .

The intro should be no more than two sentences long and presents you in the best light possible.

Use your banking cover letter introduction to prove exactly what interests you in the role or organization. Is it the:

• Company culture;
• Growth opportunities;
• Projects and awards the team worked on/won in the past year;
• Specific technologies the department uses.

When writing your banking cover letter intro, be precise and sound enthusiastic about the role.

Your introduction should hint to recruiters that you're excited about the opportunity and that you possess an array of soft skills, e.g. motivation, determination, work ethic, etc.

Structuring your banking cover letter body to add more value

You've hinted at your value as a professional (this may be your passion for the job or interest in the company) in your introduction.

Next, it's time to pan out the body or middle of your banking cover letter .

When creating your resume, you've probably gone over the advert a million times to select the most relevant skills.

Well, it's time to repeat this activity. Or just copy and paste your previous list of job-crucial requirements.

Then, select one of your past accomplishments, which is relevant and would impress hiring managers.

Write between three and six paragraphs to focus on the value your professional achievement would bring to your potential, new organization.

Tell a story around your success that ultimately shows off your real value as a professional.

Finishing off your banking cover letter with what matters most

So far, you've done a fantastic job in tailoring your banking cover letter for the role and recruiter.

Your final opportunity to make a good impression is your closing paragraph.

And, no, a "Sincerely yours" just won't do, as it sounds too vague and impersonal.

End your banking cover letter with the future in mind.

So, if you get this opportunity, what do you plan to achieve? Be as specific, as possible, of what value you'd bring to the organization.

You could also thank recruiters for their interest in your profile and prompt for follow-up actions (and organizing your first interview).

No experience banking cover letter: making the most out of your profile

Candidates who happen to have no professional experience use their banking cover letter to stand out.

Instead of focusing on a professional achievement, aim to quantify all the relevant, transferrable skills from your life experience.

Once again, the best practice to do so would be to select an accomplishment - from your whole career history.

Another option would be to plan out your career goals and objectives: how do you see yourself growing, as a professional, in the next five years, thanks to this opportunity?

Be precise and concise about your dreams, and align them with the company vision.

Key takeaways

Writing your banking cover letter doesn't need to turn into an endless quest, but instead:

• Create an individual banking cover letter for each role you apply to, based on job criteria (use our builder to transform your resume into a cover letter, which you could edit to match the job);
• Stick with the same font you've used in your resume (e.g. Raleway) and ensure your banking cover letter is single-spaced and has a one-inch margin all around;
• Introduce your enthusiasm for the role or the company at the beginning of your banking cover letter to make a good first impression;
• Align what matters most to the company by selecting just one achievement from your experience, that has taught you valuable skills and knowledge for the job;
• End your banking cover letter like any good story - with a promise for greatness or follow-up for an interview.

Banking cover letter examples

Explore additional banking cover letter samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

Cover letter examples by industry

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• Content tailored to the job posting you're applying for
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Bank Teller Cover Letter Examples and Templates for 2024

• Cover Letter Examples
• Cover Letter Text Examples

How To Write a Bank Teller Cover Letter

Your bank teller cover letter should demonstrate your ability to provide exceptional customer service and help grow the bank’s reputation through positive daily interactions. This guide provides examples and expert insights to help capture the most compelling aspects of your experience within the banking industry and land your next interview.

Bank Teller Cover Letter Templates and Examples

• Entry-Level
• Senior-Level

Bank Teller Text-Only Cover Letter Templates and Examples

Anthony Gentile Bank Teller | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | New York, NY | LinkedIn

January 1, 2024

Caleb Morris Hiring Manager Wells Fargo (987) 654-3210 [email protected]

Dear Mr. Morris:

I’m reaching out in regard to the bank teller position at Wells Fargo. With over three years of experience within the banking industry, I’ve cultivated an expertise in both customer service and sales. In 2023, I achieved a 94% customer satisfaction rating on surveys. I am confident I can achieve similar results for your company in the bank teller role.

Wells Fargo’s reputation for delivering an exceptional customer experience strongly aligns with my professional background. During my time with PNC Bank, I communicated with a diverse range of customers to understand their unique banking needs and recommend ideal products. I can help your bank continue to grow its reputation as a customer-first organization based on my previous achievements:

• Interfaced with bank customers to identify banking needs, recommend financial solutions, and identify ideal products to achieve client goals, resulting in a 94% customer satisfaction score
• Managed customer requests quickly and efficiently, including cashing checks and money orders, depositing and withdrawing cash, checking account balances, and providing account information
• Cross-sold products using advanced knowledge of bank practices, accounts, and personal loans

I look forward to telling you more about how my customer service experience within the banking industry could benefit your customers and team. Feel free to contact me via phone or email at your convenience. I appreciate your time and consideration.

Best regards,

Anthony Gentile

Meeta Patel Bank Teller | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | Detroit, MI 12345 | LinkedIn

Lori Taylor Hiring Manager TD Bank (987) 654-3210 [email protected]

Dear Ms. Taylor:

I would like to apply for the bank teller position with TD Bank that I found on Indeed. As you can see from my resume, I have over six years of customer service experience at notable banking institutions. Throughout my career, I’ve exceeded sales quotas by 25% to 50% month over month. My expertise in cross-selling would be a strong asset to your organization.

TD Bank’s reputation for diversity and inclusion is what draws me to apply for this position. As a banking professional, I believe a forward-thinking culture is essential for delivering exceptional customer service. I can exceed both sales and customer satisfaction goals for your company based on my career achievements:

• Supported banking clients with unique needs, recommended banking products based on personal financial goals, and exceeded annual sales quota by up to 50%
• Provide suggestions to clients to deliver ideal banking products, including bank accounts and investment accounts
• Communicated empathetically with bank customers, identified conflict resolutions, ensured positive interactions, and achieved customer satisfaction ratings of 90% to 93%

I hope to schedule an interview to provide more insights into how my cross-selling expertise can help drive sales for TD Bank. Feel free to contact me via phone or email at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Meera Patel

Raheem Richardson Bank Teller | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | Philadelphia, PA 12345 | LinkedIn

Amy Smith Hiring Manager Chase Bank (987) 654-3210 [email protected]

Dear Ms. Smith:

I’m reaching out to apply for the bank teller position with Chase Bank. During my time with Wells Fargo, I received three awards for exceeding goals in both sales and customer service delivery. I am confident that my knowledge and experience within the banking industry will allow me to drive positive results for your company.

Chase Bank’s reputation for trust, integrity, and ethical banking practices is what draws me to apply for this opportunity. Throughout my career, I’ve successfully exceeded sales goals while promoting products that are in the best interest of the customer’s long-term financial goals. I can provide valuable contributions to your organization based on my previous successes:

I look forward to speaking with you further regarding how my expertise in sales and customer service could be a strong asset to your team. Feel free to contact me via phone or email at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Raheem Richardson

To write a stand-out bank teller cover letter, you need to transform your everyday job duties into powerful achievements. While not all of your responsibilities can be backed by hard numbers, it’s possible to make even the most mundane duty sound more proactive using the right language. Focus on demonstrating how your positive interactions with customers have contributed to your branch’s overall success. Below, we’ll provide guidance for each section of the bank teller cover letter:

1. Contact information and salutation

List all essential contact information in the header of your bank teller cover letter, including your name, phone number, email, and LinkedIn URL. Be sure to address the hiring manager by name — Mr. or Ms. [Last Name]. Doing so adds a personal touch to your cover letter and shows you’re truly interested in the position. If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, use a variation of “Dear Hiring Manager.”

2. Introduction

Open your bank teller cover letter with a strong introduction to peak the hiring manager’s interest. Feature your years of experience within the banking industry and key qualifications the bank is looking for in a teller. Close your opening paragraph with one of your most notable accomplishments to immediately show you can create value for potential employers. For example, you might mention a high customer service rating or sales quota attainment.

3. Body paragraphs

In the body paragraphs of your bank teller cover letter, provide an overview of your banking career. Start by highlighting details about the bank’s reputation or culture and why you’re interested in the role. Feature accomplishments that demonstrate your customer service, sales, and interpersonal skills, as these are essential for delivering a positive customer experience. Pay close attention to the job description when writing your body paragraphs, as it’s important to tailor your content toward the bank you’re targeting.

• Cross-sold products using advanced knowledge of bank practices, accounts, credit cards, and personal loans

4. Bank teller skills and qualifications

Although you’ve already captured most of your professional skills on the resume, it’s best to still reinforce key terms from the job description in your bank teller cover letter. This is an opportunity to further highlight your knowledge of banking terminology and customer service best practices using tangible examples from your career. Below, we’ve compiled a list of common skills you may encounter while pursuing bank teller positions:

5. Closing section

The last paragraph of your bank teller cover letter should include a call to action. Invite the hiring manager to schedule an interview or contact you for additional information on your background. Also, further demonstrate how your background within the banking industry can benefit their clients and team. Be sure to thank the hiring manager for their time and consideration in the last sentence.

Bank Teller Cover Letter Tips

1. emphasize your customer service experience.

As a front-line team member, hiring managers want to see you have the customer service skills to help grow the bank’s positive image and reputation. Every daily interaction plays a small but important role in this, so it’s important to showcase this aspect of your experience using tangible examples from your career. One way you can achieve this is by highlighting your customer service metrics or awards you’ve received for exceeding performance goals. You could also emphasize your ability to connect with banking customers and identify ideal solutions for their needs.

2. Showcase your knowledge of the banking industry

When building your cover letter, emphasize your understanding of banking terminology, services, and products. For example, you might mention you educated clients on potential types of personal loans based on their financial goals and referred them to appropriate specialists. Although you won’t be handling loan consultations yourself, having this extra layer of knowledge might give you an edge over other applicants during the job search.

3. Quantify your bank teller achievements

Incorporating performance metrics and hard numbers can greatly enhance the impact of your accomplishments. Focus on featuring data that demonstrates your expertise in customer service and sales. In the example below, the candidate highlights their proven track record exceeding sales quotas and achieving high customer satisfaction ratings:

Bank Teller Cover Letter FAQs

Why should i include a bank teller cover letter -.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , bank teller positions are expected to decline by 15% over the next decade. With a lower number of opportunities available on the open market, submitting a cover letter can help differentiate you from the competition during the job search. This allows you to convey your genuine enthusiasm and say something specific about why the bank’s reputation fuels your interest in joining their team.

How long should my bank teller cover letter be? -

It’s generally best to keep your cover letter concise during the application process. Limit your document to three or four paragraphs, with an emphasis on your most notable contributions and achievements. Including too much information may cause the hiring manager to lose interest, so always opt for a more straightforward approach.

Should I use artificial intelligence to write my cover letter? -

While it may be acceptable to use an artificial intelligence (AI) tool such as ChatGPT to get you started, relying on a machine learning algorithm to write your cover letter is the wrong approach. The purpose of this document is to provide a strong introduction that emphasizes unique insights into who you are as a professional. AI will never be able to capture these aspects the way you can.

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• Bank Teller

Bank Teller cover letter example

Primary purpose of the Bank Teller cover letter

Secondary purpose of the bank teller cover letter, how to land a bank teller job with no experience.

IfIf you love working with others and you happen to be a whiz with numbers, a job as a Bank Teller might be your perfect next career step. Half financial, half customer service, an entry-level job as a Bank Teller can lead to limitless opportunities in finance and banking.

Bank Tellers rely on a unique mix of technical and interpersonal skills to help customers with all types of financial transactions plus investment and loan services. To land this position, you’ll need to prove your knack for money handling, upselling bank products, and accurate records keeping, all while offering a helpful disposition that draws customers back in the door.

So how do you express the dynamic personality needed to succeed as a Bank Teller? 

A great cover letter is the first step to introducing your strengths, experiences and the unique qualities that make you a perfect fit for the Bank Teller position. Our Accounting & Finance cover letter examples plus Resume.io’s collection of resources are designed to help you land the job – hassle free.

This Bank Teller cover letter example along with our adaptable sample sentences will:

• Explore the reasons why a cover letter is your secret weapon in landing a bank teller job
• Provide free cover letter examples, samples and templates to simplify the writing process
• Explain how you can create a cover letter for a Bank Teller even with no experience
• Help you create attractive formatting that stands out and impresses your potential employer

Bank Teller cover letter sample and general info

There are some things to keep in mind when writing a Bank Teller cover letter. You can find a cover letter sample below, but knowing the nuances of the job is also important. Unlike many other entry-level positions, Bank Tellers candidates must possess a specific set of traits that qualify them for the role. Great mental math skills, ability to learn new computer programs and a strong sense of ethics are combined with a helpful personality and a great sense of customer service standards.

With such unique needs, hiring managers often rely on cover letters to help them gain more insight into the candidate behind the resume. A Bank Teller cover letter is a one-page document (about 200-400 words) that expresses your goals, experiences and skills to convince a branch manager that you’re the right choice for their bank.

In a nutshell, a cover letter (including one for a Bank Teller) has one primary purpose: increase your chances of getting the position compared to other candidates. It usually does so by expanding on your personality, impressing hiring managers with your personal qualities, and explaining anything your resume couldn’t.

Your cover letter should expand on the relevant experience from your resume and offer brief examples of how you’ve handled situations similar to those you might face in the bank. It also gives a taste of your professional demeanor in order to encourage the hiring manager to contact you. We’ll dig deeper into the structure of the document later in the guide, but the Bank Teller cover letter sample below already shows the basic elements. See if you can guess them.

What if the job application DOESN’T require a cover letter?

A cover letter is one of the most commonly requested application materials, but sometimes online applications mark them as optional. So does this mean you don’t really need to write a cover letter?

Unless an application or hiring manager specifically asks you NOT to submit a cover letter, we recommend writing and sending one anyways. This document is one of the most important tools you have to convince a hiring manager that you’re the right candidate for their opening. It allows you to say anything you didn’t have space for on your resume while highlighting the right achievements and skills – a cover letter is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss!

A great cover letter isn’t just about good writing. Formatting also plays an important role in how a hiring manager perceives your application. To stand out from other candidates without overdoing it, you’ll want to follow general guidelines on fonts, sizes and colors, as well as making sure your design is appropriate for the exact bank you’re applying to. You can find all our formatting tips, tricks, and advice right in our comprehensive cover letter writing example.

Now let’s take a look at an actual Bank Teller cover letter example that can be adapted to your exact experience and the job opening:

Dear Mrs. Flight,

Combining my love for numbers with my passion for helping others makes working in a customer-facing banking role an ideal start to a financial services career.

I worked at the Fayetteville branch of Crawford bank as a bank teller for two years after graduating with a BABS in 2018. I am proficient in all manner of banking transactions: verifying loan and mortgage payments, preparing cashier’s checks, exchanging foreign currency, and checking transactions. It is one thing handling complex duties, but another entirely when you have a customer who may have other needs. My product upselling rate was the best in the branch (out of seven tellers).

I am a trusted and reliable handler of cash – balancing drawers, handling night deposits, and correcting branch discrepancies. My eagle eye spotted many a mistake, and my accuracy level won me five Employee of the Month awards.

In terms of my ability to handle a large volume of work accurately:

• Dealt with an average of 200+ customer accounts a week
• Sold 170% more new products than the branch average
• Beat team cash register average by 30% each quarter
• 28% of my customers purchased another service with us.

I am interested in a role at Mandrill Bank because your social responsibility agenda fits in with my beliefs. Many of my friends bank with you for exactly this reason, and I would be proud to become an employee/advocate for your broader agenda.

I have more than 50 customer references from my previous role and I would welcome an interview to take you through how I received a 98% customer satisfaction rating.

Ian Michaels

If you want a broader look at cover letters, check out our related accounting and finance cover letter samples: 

• Accounting cover letter sample
• Finance cover letter sample
• Banking cover letter sample
• Administration cover letter sample
• Bookkeeper cover letter sample
• Finance Assistant cover letter sample
• Finance Manager cover letter sample
• Auditor cover letter sample
• Private Equity cover letter sample
• Accounting and finance cover letter sample
• Bank Manager cover letter sample
• Loan Processor cover letter sample
• Accounting Internship cover letter sample
• Financial Advisor cover letter sample
• CFO cover letter sample

The second purpose of a cover letter is to cover/explain any gaps in experience, skills or qualifications that you might have — to smooth them over and provide context. This is especially important if you are transferring from another field or just starting your career fresh out of college.

As you might have gathered from the previous section, a cover letter is really about one thing: maximizing your chances of success in landing the position. For entry-level jobs, this becomes even more important since many candidates will be applying without previous experience.

If you’ve never worked as a Bank Teller before, your goal should be to highlight the transferable qualities and personality traits that you believe make you an excellent candidate to learn the field.

If you already possess some banking experience, you may be able to leverage that for a more experienced Bank Teller role. As ATMs and online banking allow customers to complete more and more transactions from the comfort of their homes, Bank Tellers are being asked to take on more complex duties. Knowledge of banking systems and the most frequent customers’ needs can give you an advantage when it comes to securing your next Bank Teller position.

Although writing a cover letter is an important part of the application process, there’s one more step you’ll need to complete before your letter is ready for submission. Customizing your cover letter can be done right from the very start – or – if you’re applying to many Teller positions, you may choose to create a general letter and then customize it with more specific skills and situations for each job opening.

Whichever method you choose, the most important element is making sure a hiring manager sees your interest in their bank – not just your desire for any Bank Teller position. The extra time it takes to tailor your cover letter will pay off big when your application checks all the boxes the branch manager was looking for.

Application letter for Bank Teller structure, writing examples

Some applicants fear the cover letter writing process because they think it lacks structure. While it may be more free-form than a resume, in this section we’ll walk you through the sections that make up a complete cover letter. And what’s more – this cover letter format can be applied to any field or job title so you’ll be prepared no matter where your career takes you.

Here are the key components:

• The cover letter header
• The cover letter greeting
• The introduction
• The letter body
• The cover letter conclusion and call to action
• The sign-off.

You can find even more tips on writing each of these parts, plus sample sentences and formatting advice in our overall guide on cover letters.

Cover letter header

As a hiring manager begins to scan your cover letter, the first thing they’ll likely notice is the cover letter header. This section sits at the top of the page and serves two main purposes. The first is to identify your document with your name and contact information so a hiring manager can quickly get in touch with you should they want to schedule an interview. 

Your header is also likely the only place on your cover letter where you’ll get to add some creative design elements and maybe even a touch of color. Therefore, this section also serves to capture a hiring manager’s attention, distinguish you from other applicants and express a bit of your personality.

The goal of the cover letter header: Label your document with your personal information so a hiring manager is never wondering whose cover letter they are reading, add attractive formatting to differentiate your application.

If you’re looking for a quick way to increase your application’s chances of getting noticed, one of the easiest things to do is align the document styles of your cover letter and resume. This means choosing a matching visual format to create a cohesive look and feel across all your application materials.

You can achieve this in a few clicks by choosing corresponding cover letter and resume templates. For Bank Tellers, we recommend Resume.io’s collection of professional cover letter templates – perfect for formal industries like accounting and finance. Choose a design as your starting point, then make sure to customize it to align with the branding and tone of your prospective employer.

Cover letter greeting

Your Bank Teller cover letter greeting is your first chance to speak directly to the hiring manager so it’s worth getting right. Here’s the golden rule: whenever possible, try to address the hiring manager by name. Since banks are professional institutions, you’ll want to opt for a formal greeting. “Dear” followed by the correct salutation and last name of the branch or hiring manager is generally the right choice. It may be helpful to inquire about the name of the hiring manager to personalize your salutation (but be careful to respect barriers if you encounter any, as you don’t want to come off as prying or unethical). 

The goal of the cover letter greeting: Set a friendly and respectful tone for the rest of the letter by using the hiring manager’s name in your greeting or addressing the hiring team/department as a whole.

The importance of names and addressed greetings.

Why is it so important to use the hiring manager or letter recipient’s name in the greeting of your cover letter? Names make us feel good and they help to establish a personal connection when the speaker shows they care about the person on the receiving end. That’s why anyone who works in customer service, sales and even banks make it a point to use customer’s names. And the evidence is more than anecdotal – studies have shown that humans have a positive neurological response upon hearing their own names.

When applying directly to a local branch, the branch manager’s name is generally a safe bet to address your letter. For large institutions, however, it can be much trickier to discern who the right letter recipient is. If you can’t say for sure, you still have options. Try a collective greeting like “Dear (Bank Name) Hiring Team” or even “Branch Family” for local institutions with more sentimental branding. These are also great alternatives to the cold and outdated “To Whom It May Concern.”

Cover letter introduction

Many hiring managers are inundated with applications for each opening they post. That means your Bank Teller cover letter introduction – even just the first sentence – can be the deciding factor as to whether they continue to read your cover letter. There’s no reason to stress, though. By avoiding dull, generic openings and opting instead for a relevant anecdote, statistic, or skill, you can surpass dozens of candidates and pique a reader’s interest.

The goal of the cover letter introduction: Encourage a hiring manager to keep reading your cover letter by offering them an interesting statement, fact, anecdote or statistic that gets to the point and flows into the rest of the letter.

Dear Mrs. Flight, Combining my love for numbers with my passion for helping others makes working in a customer-facing banking role an ideal start to a financial services career.

Cover letter body 

Your Bank Teller cover letter body takes up the bulk of your page because it’s the place best suited for all your most relevant experiences, traits, and skills. In the first body paragraph, you can use the STAR method to offer examples of times you dealt with difficult customers, went above and beyond to meet someone’s needs, or otherwise accomplished something relevant and noteworthy relating to the Bank Teller position. First list a Situation, then the Task, your Action and the positive Result you achieved.

In the next body paragraph of your cover letter, you can more directly point out the appropriate skills and traits you possess based on the job description and answer the questions Why me? and Why this position in this bank?

The goal of the cover letter body: Use the STAR method to highlight examples of your strengths in action, offer your potential contributions and make your case as the right choice for the bank’s opening.

I worked at the Fayetteville branch of Crawford bank as a bank teller for two years after graduating with a BABS in 2018. I am proficient in all manner of banking transactions: verifying loan and mortgage payments, preparing cashier’s cheques, exchanging foreign currency, and checking transactions. It is one thing handling complex duties, but another entirely when you have a customer who may have other needs. My product upselling rate was the best in the branch (out of seven tellers).

• 28% of my customers purchased another service with us

How to end a Bank Teller cover letter (conclusion & and sign-off)

Once you’ve made it to the conclusion of your Bank Teller cover letter, you’ll want to wrap things up with a Call to Action. This line expresses your interest in the position and invites a hiring manager to contact you without sounding demanding or entitled to an interview. You can then finish your letter with a professional and formal signature. “Best regards,” and “Sincerely” can work well.

The goal of the cover letter conclusion (and call to action): End your letter with an effective Call to Action that encourages a hiring manager to get in touch, sign off with a polite and professional “Best regards” or “Respectfully”.

Ian Michaels 

Writing psychology – cover letter tools and strategies

When applying for a bank teller position, there are a few key qualities you’ll want to convey in your cover letter.

• Integrity: It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that a job like a bank teller (that involves handling money all day) requires a healthy dose of integrity and a strong moral code. Your future employer will likely check your credit score and other financial indicators but a tone of professionalism and trustworthiness in your cover letter can go far.
• Interpersonal skills: Customer service is at the heart of what bank tellers do. You can convey great communication and a knack for helping others not only through the examples on your cover letter but also with error-free writing and an upbeat tone.
• Willingness to learn: While you should already know your way around a computer, you’ll likely be learning the banking software and other key programs on the job. An eagerness to learn and a teachable spirit are a must.
• Attention to detail: Accuracy is key when it comes to handling deposits, withdrawals and transfers. You can demonstrate attention to detail through previous positions you’ve held – even as a volunteer – that involved accurate bookkeeping or records keeping.

Today’s Bank Tellers aren’t just rote money counters. They are helpful, friendly assistants who are growing increasingly involved in more complex transactions and a variety of bank services and products. And what’s more, you don’t even need a college degree to get started as a Bank Teller. This role can serve as a jumping off point for career moves in the financial industry all with just a high school diploma.

So how do you land a Bank Teller job with no experience? The secret is to leverage your transferable skills and highlight qualities like interpersonal skills and a strong moral code that are hard to train in others if they don’t already possess it.

If you’re a fresh graduate looking to work as a bank teller, you might be well-served to first try your hand at another customer service role. From there you can paint yourself as the right person to be the face of your local branch.

Here are some related roles that may help you find qualities to highlight on your bank teller cover letter.

• Customer service representative
• Sales associate

Even work as a restaurant server or a medical receptionist can be used to make the case for your people skills, attention to detail and professionalism. Make sure to choose examples of tasks or accomplishments that have a clear connection to the bank teller role, such as closing out the cash drawer, upselling products or services or handling many transactions efficiently.

Bank Teller cover letter format and common mistakes

You can instantly put yourself ahead of a large percentage of candidates applying for the same Bank Teller position by avoiding these common pitfalls:

• Grammar and spelling errors: Not only do these types of mistakes call your attention to detail into question, too many of them can also make your cover letter unreadable. Show a hiring manager you care about hearing back by asking a friend to proofread and make sure your cover letter is free of typos before you submit.
• Poor tone: Banks are formal, financial institutions, yet the Bank Teller role is all about friendly customer service. Striking that balance is one of the most critical aspects of your cover letter. You should strive to come across as approachable without sacrificing your professionalism.
• Formatting mistakes: Too many bright colors, not enough white space, and other poor formatting choices can leave a hiring manager with a bad impression right from the start. Make sure your Bank Teller cover letter is highly readable with just a touch of style. When in doubt, less is more.
• Generic letters: Even though many Bank Teller roles require similar duties, a one-size-fits-all cover letter is not the right approach. While you don’t have to change every word, make sure you customize each letter to explain why you’re drawn to the particular bank or branch and what you can offer them based on the job description.

According to a survey by the U.S. Federal Reserve more than 80 percent of Americans say they’ve visited a physical bank branch and interacted with a teller in the past year. Although some teller jobs are being lost to automation, contact with a teller remains the preferred banking method for both elderly folks and younger people who encounter tech issues with online banking, according to USA Today .

Key takeaways

• Your cover letter is the perfect place to expand on key accomplishments, skills or traits from your resume – don’t pass up the opportunity!
• Each cover letter you submit should be customized for the specific bank and branch you’re applying to. Use the job description to make sure you present yourself as the right candidate.
• Follow the trusted cover letter structure to make sure your document includes all the necessary components, in the right order and strung together with the right tone.
• If you don’t have any experience as a Bank Teller, use other work experiences to draw out similar skills, tasks or qualities that would help you quickly adjust to the banking industry.
• Your formatting plays a big role in how hiring managers perceive your application. When in doubt, use a neutral and professional cover letter template that blends with the bank’s branding.

Free professionally designed templates

Bank Teller Cover Letter Example

Cover letter examples, cover letter guidelines, how to format an bank teller cover letter, cover letter header, cover letter header examples for bank teller, how to make your cover letter header stand out:, cover letter greeting, cover letter greeting examples for bank teller, best cover letter greetings:, cover letter introduction, cover letter intro examples for bank teller, how to make your cover letter intro stand out:, cover letter body, cover letter body examples for bank teller, how to make your cover letter body stand out:, cover letter closing, cover letter closing paragraph examples for bank teller, how to close your cover letter in a memorable way:, pair your cover letter with a foundational resume, key cover letter faqs for bank teller.

You should start your Bank Teller cover letter by addressing the hiring manager directly, if you know their name. If not, use a professional greeting like "Dear Hiring Manager." Then, introduce yourself and state the position you're applying for. Make sure to mention where you found the job posting. For example, "I am writing to express my interest in the Bank Teller position I saw advertised on your website." Immediately follow this with a brief statement about why you are a strong candidate for the position. Highlight your relevant skills or experiences that make you a good fit for the job. This will grab the reader's attention and encourage them to read further.

The best way for Bank Tellers to end a cover letter is by expressing gratitude for the reader's time and consideration, reiterating interest in the position, and indicating a desire for further discussion. For instance, "Thank you for considering my application. I am very interested in the Bank Teller position and I am confident that my skills and experience make me a strong candidate. I look forward to the possibility of discussing my application with you further." This ending is polite, professional, and shows enthusiasm for the role. It also opens the door for further communication, which is crucial in the job application process.

In a cover letter, Bank Tellers should include the following: 1. Contact Information: At the top of the cover letter, include your name, address, phone number, and email address. 2. Salutation: Address the hiring manager by their name if it's known. If not, use a general salutation like "Dear Hiring Manager." 3. Introduction: Start with a compelling introduction that grabs the reader's attention. Mention the position you're applying for and where you found the job listing. 4. Relevant Skills and Experience: Highlight your skills and experiences that are relevant to the job description. As a bank teller, these might include cash handling, customer service, accuracy, attention to detail, and familiarity with banking software. Use specific examples from your past work experience to demonstrate these skills. 5. Knowledge about the Bank: Show that you've done your research about the bank. Mention something you admire about the bank or explain why you're interested in working there. This shows your enthusiasm for the role and the organization. 6. Conclusion: In your closing paragraph, reiterate your interest in the position and the value you can bring to the bank. Thank the hiring manager for considering your application. 7. Professional Closing: End with a professional closing like "Sincerely" or "Best regards," followed by your full name. Remember, your cover letter should complement your resume, not repeat it. It's your chance to tell a story about your experiences and skills, and to show your personality. Make sure to proofread your cover letter carefully for any errors before sending it.

Related Cover Letters for Bank Teller

Related resumes for bank teller, try our ai cover letter generator.

WTO / Letters and Emails / Banking Cover Letter (Guide and Examples)

Banking Cover Letter (Guide and Examples)

Over recent decades, there has been an increased rate of economic growth in most societies. In response to this, banks have also widened their horizons to meet the financial demands of such growing economies. This has made banking jobs popular, especially with extreme competition. Therefore, the following tips will help you write a job-winning cover letter .

How to Write a Cover Letter?

To write a cover letter effectively, follow the following basic steps:

Contact information

First and foremost, you need to include your contact details in the cover letter. You can start by listing your name, address, phone number, email address, and date.

Just below it, you need to mention the contact information of your recipient. If you don’t have the recipient’s contact details, you can simply write the company’s name and a greeting, just as explained below.

Global Bank Ltd.

Dear Sir/Madam,

If you are sending the cover letter via email, you will have to omit the recipient’s address. Instead, just include the greetings at the top.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

The first paragraph is all about explaining to your recruiter who you are and why you are writing. Always remember to keep this paragraph short and sweet. Also, ensure you are creative enough to grab the reader’s attention. Mention the post you are applying for and how you heard about the job.

Paragraph 2

This is one of the most extended paragraphs in your cover letter. Here, you need to start selling yourself. Make the recipient know why you are a hot catch. To achieve this better, express your personality, your relevant experiences, and skills related to banking such as financial modeling, analytical capability, leadership , and teamwork, among others. Always remember to concentrate more on the most recent internships or jobs. Also, refrain from using empty phrases such as “ I am a hardworking and self-motivated person. ” Instead, look at the critical skills related to the job you are applying for.

Paragraph 3

You need to inform the reader that you are fit for this job. Link your experience and skills directly to the job position and explain ways in which you can contribute to success.

Paragraph 4

This paragraph should be very brief, as it is your concluding paragraph. You can use this paragraph to cover any practical issues, such as your availability for the interview. It’s also important to appreciate them for their time. Once again, remind them of your attached or enclosed resume. Lastly, don’t forget to include your contacts. If you know the name of the recipient, you can end the letter with “ Yours sincerely. ” However, if you don’t get the recipient’s name, you can write “ Yours faithfully” before following with your name.

Free Template for a Banking Cover Letter

[Your Name]  

[Your Address]  

[City, State, ZIP Code]  

[Your Email Address]  

[Your Phone Number]  

[Employer’s Name]  

[Bank/Financial Institution Name]  

[Company Address]  

Dear [Employer’s Name],

I am writing to express my interest in the [Position Name] position at [Bank/Financial Institution Name], as advertised on [Job Board/Company Website]. With a strong background in banking and a proven track record in delivering exceptional customer service and driving operational efficiency, I am confident in my ability to contribute to the success of your team.

In my previous role as a [Your Previous Position] at [Your Previous Bank/Financial Institution], I successfully [mention an achievement or responsibility that demonstrates your skills]. This experience has honed my expertise in [mention a key skill relevant to the position, such as customer relationship management, risk assessment, or financial analysis].

I am particularly drawn to [Bank/Financial Institution Name] due to its reputation for [mention a specific aspect or value of the bank, such as customer-centric services, innovation, or community engagement]. I am eager to contribute my skills and knowledge to enhance your team’s success and uphold the high standards for which [Bank/Financial Institution Name] is renowned.

Key strengths that I bring to the role include:

• [List a key strength or skill, e.g., strong analytical skills, attention to detail, effective communication].
• [Another relevant strength or skill, e.g., proficiency in financial modeling, compliance expertise].
• [A third strength, e.g., dedication to maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction].

I am excited about the opportunity to further discuss how my skills align with the needs of [Bank/Financial Institution Name]. I am confident that my experience and enthusiasm make me a strong fit for the [Position Name] role.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of discussing how my skills and experiences align with the goals of [Bank/Financial Institution Name].

[Your Full Name]

Teller Cover Letter Sample

Dear Mr. Johnson,

I am writing to express my strong interest in the Teller position at CityScape Bank, as advertised on your website. With a solid foundation in banking operations and a commitment to delivering excellent customer service, I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the efficient and client-focused atmosphere at CityScape Bank.

I constantly showed accuracy and attention to detail when managing cash transactions in my previous position as a Teller at Downtown Bank. My ability to balance daily transactions efficiently and maintain a high level of accuracy contributed to the overall success of the branch. Additionally, I actively engaged with customers, addressing their inquiries, and providing assistance with various banking services.

I am impressed by CityScape Bank’s commitment to customer satisfaction and its reputation for fostering a positive banking experience. With my background in cash handling, customer service, and familiarity with banking software such as FinTech Pro, I believe I can make significant contributions to your team.

• My experience in accurately processing and balancing transactions ensures a reliable and trustworthy banking experience for customers.
• I take pride in building rapport with customers, addressing their needs, and providing guidance on banking services, contributing to a positive customer experience.
• I am proficient in utilizing various banking software and adapting to evolving industry trends, ensuring efficiency and compliance with banking regulations.

I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the success of CityScape Bank and uphold the standards of service excellence that your institution is known for. I am confident that my skills and enthusiasm make me an ideal candidate for the Teller position.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of discussing how my experiences align with the goals of CityScape Bank.

Jason Moore

Experienced Banker Cover Letter Sample

I am writing to express my keen interest in the Senior Risk Analyst position at ABC Bank, as advertised on your company website. With an extensive background in risk assessment , a track record of implementing robust risk management frameworks, and a dedication to ensuring the financial integrity of organizations, I am eager to contribute my expertise to the success of ABC Bank.

In my previous role as the Head of Risk Management at XYZ Bank, I successfully implemented comprehensive risk assessment processes that resulted in a 30% reduction in potential financial exposures. I led a team of risk analysts in developing and executing strategies to mitigate operational, credit, and market risks, ensuring compliance with industry regulations. My hands-on experience in identifying, analyzing, and mitigating risks aligns well with the responsibilities of the Senior Risk Analyst position at ABC Bank.

I am particularly drawn to ABC Bank due to its reputation for innovative risk mitigation strategies and a forward-thinking approach to risk management. I am eager to bring my skills and knowledge to enhance your team’s capabilities in maintaining a resilient risk management framework.

• Strategic Risk Assessment: Proven ability to assess and prioritize risks, developing and implementing strategies to safeguard financial stability and minimize potential losses.
• Regulatory Compliance: Adept at navigating and ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements, keeping the organization in compliance with industry standards.
• Team Leadership: Experience in leading and motivating cross-functional teams to achieve common risk management objectives.

I am excited about the opportunity to discuss how my skills align with the specific needs of ABC Bank. I am confident that my experience and commitment to effective risk assessment make me an ideal candidate for the Senior Risk Analyst position.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of discussing how my experiences align with the goals of ABC Bank.

Marie Cromwell

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Bank Teller Cover Letter Example

Start a Bank Teller cover letter that gets employers to act and helps you get the job faster. Impress hiring managers with the aid of ResumeCoach’s Bank Teller example letter template and professional tips and tricks for success.

Congratulations! You’ve stumbled upon a Bank Teller job opening with excellent benefits and working hours, what’s next?

First, start by making sure you have an outstanding resume that fits the job description. If you do not have it, take advantage of our easy-to-use  resume builder  and get a customized version in minutes.

Besides a resume, it’s critical that you  include a cover letter  with your application that highlights your strengths and accomplishments to grab the recruiter’s attention and get you the interview.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Create a cover letter that sets you apart from other applicants
• Write a Bank Teller cover letter with or without experience
• Address any employment gaps

Plus access to expertly written samples tailored for Bank Teller positions!

How to Write a Cover Letter for Bank Teller with Experience

If you have previous job experience, writing a cover letter may seem like a straightforward task.

However, it’s essential to ensure that your cover letter effectively  highlights your skills and qualifications  for the position you’re applying for.

Looking over the  Experience section  on your resume can help you know exactly what to mention, such as your  past responsibilities and results .

Below are some tips on how to write a Bank Teller cover letter with experience.

1. Customize Your Cover Letter for the Job Posting

Tailoring your letter to the specific job posting can help you stand out from other applicants. Point out the  abilities and work history that are most relevant  to the job.

For example, if the job advertisement mentions  cash handling  as a requirement, mention in your cover letter how your experience relates to that.

Here is one way to do it:

I was pleased to see in the job posting that you are looking for someone who is comfortable working with customers and has experience in handling cash transactions.

During my previous job as a cashier, I learned how to provide excellent customer service while accurately processing transactions. I also have experience in reconciling cash drawers and preparing daily deposits, which I believe will be beneficial in this role.

Ensure that you use the same keywords used in the job advertisement to avoid  Applicant Tracking System (ATS)  filters and getting disqualified.

2. Start With a Strong Opening

Your opening should  grab the reader’s attention  and clearly state the position you’re applying for. You may also want to briefly explain why you’re interested in the job or why you’re a good fit for the company.

The examples below provide some  effective ways to start  your Bank Teller cover letter:

• I am thrilled to apply for the Bank Teller position at your Chatham branch. With over three years of experience in customer service and cash handling, I am confident that I possess the skills and expertise necessary to excel in this role.
• I am writing to express my interest in the Bank Teller position at your Chatham branch. With a strong background in cash handling and customer service, including three years of experience in a similar role, I strongly believe I would be a valuable addition to your team.
• I am excited to apply for the Bank Teller position at your Chatham branch. With a proven track record of success in customer service and cash handling, including three years of experience in a similar role, I believe I have the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in this position.

Remember that the purpose of the first paragraph is to get the reader’s attention so that they want to read the rest of your cover letter!

3. Provide Specific Examples

Use specific examples from your previous job experience to demonstrate your skills and accomplishments. This could include projects you’ve worked on, awards you’ve received, or  specific metrics  that show how you’ve contributed to your previous company.

Don’t just say “ I collaborated in a project to improve cash handling ”.

Say “ I collaborated with my team to develop and implement a new process for reconciling cash drawers and preparing deposits, which resulted in a 20% reduction in errors and discrepancies ”.

The more specifics you provide,  the more credible your claims  become.

4. Emphasize your transferable skills

Even if your previous job experience isn’t directly related to the position you’re applying for, you likely have  transferable skills that are relevant . Make sure to emphasize these abilities and explain how they would be valuable in the new role.

The list below showcases some  basic skills  all Bank Tellers should have:

• Active listening
• Strong verbal communication abilities
• An ability to satisfy customers while adhering to bank standards

According to the  Bureau of Labor Statistics , some similar occupations where applicants can acquire these abilities include cashier, customer service representative, receptionist, or information clerk.

5. Close With a Strong Call to Action

Your closing paragraph should  reiterate your interest in the position  and include a call to action, such as requesting an interview or expressing your availability to discuss the position further.

When closing your cover letter for a Bank Teller position, a powerful call to action can help you stand out from other applicants and showcase your enthusiasm for the job.

For example, you could write something like, “ I am eager to contribute my strong communication skills and passion for customer service to your bank. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my qualifications with you further and answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience to schedule an interview ”.

Mastering the Art of Bank Teller Cover Letters: Illustrative Examples

Now, let’s take a  look at another 2 examples  to recap and get a deeper understanding of how to write a powerful Bank Teller cover letter:

I am applying for the Bank Teller position at West Coast Bank. I have worked as a Bank Teller for two years. I am familiar with handling cash and providing customer service. I am also a quick learner and work well under pressure.

The previous example  lacks specific details  about the applicant’s achievements or contributions in their previous Bank Teller roles.

The statement merely points out basic job duties and traits that are expected of a Bank Teller, which does not make the applicant stand out or showcase their unique qualifications.

During my two years as a Bank Teller at West Side People’s Bank, I consistently exceeded my sales goals and achieved a 98% customer satisfaction rating. I also implemented a new cash management system that reduced cash handling errors by 30% and saved the bank over $8,000 annually.

This example is very effective because it points out the candidate’s ability to perform well, provide excellent service, and think critically about their work. It’s also  very specific  by mentioning numbers and percentages, adding a lot of credibility.

Example Cover Letter for Bank Teller With Experience

To familiarize yourself with the elements of a strong cover letter for a Bank Teller with experience, you can examine the sample cover letter below.

Hiring Manager’s name

Company name

Company address

Dear Mr/Ms. [Hiring Manager Name]

I am writing to apply for the Bank Teller position being advertised by [Company]. As an accomplished Teller with over three years of experience working with customers and financial services, I am certain that I fit the profile perfectly.

In my current position with [Current Company], I have played an active part in helping the branch achieve a record increase in revenue. During the last 3 sales campaigns, intake and sales have increased by around 12% on average.

Furthermore, I demonstrably showed my abilities to enhance customer service in-branch. My personal customer feedback score has never fallen below 90% and my performance has often helped to improve repeat trade by over 30%.

My resume is enclosed with further details on my career successes so far. Naturally, I would be delighted to talk in person to discuss any queries you may have about my credentials.

Please feel free to contact me via my personal phone number and email address. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, Name

Address Phone number Email address

Along with reviewing these types of examples, using a  cover letter writing guide  to assist you can significantly streamline the entire writing process.

How to Write a Cover Letter for Bank Teller with No Experience

Many job applicants are discouraged from applying when they come across job postings that require prior job experience.

It’s no wonder that fresh graduates and those looking to  transition  into a Bank Teller position ask themselves, “How do I write a cover letter for a Bank Teller with no experience?”

It’s important  not to give up on applying  even if you don’t have any relevant work history.

Instead, you can create a compelling cover letter that highlights  how your skills and qualities align  with the job requirements.

To do this, you need to thoroughly understand the company’s needs and goals.

Take some time to analyze what they are looking for in an employee.  Use your education and any relevant internship experience  to demonstrate how you are a good fit for the position.

In your cover letter,  focus on 3 key areas :

• the company’s needs
• your relevant achievements,
• and your valuable skills.

By addressing these points, you can show the hiring manager that you understand what they are looking for and that you have the potential to be a valuable addition to their team.

If you don’t have as much experience as other applicants, you can still demonstrate your enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Use your cover letter as an opportunity to showcase your motivation and dedication, and convince the employer that you are the best candidate for the job.

Look at the following  examples tailored to Bank Teller positions  to get some ideas:

I have no experience as a Bank Teller, but I am a quick learner and am excited to start my career in banking. I have great customer service skills and am a team player.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t provide any specific examples or evidence of skills or qualifications that would make the candidate a good fit for the position.

Also, the statements “I am a quick learner” and “I have great customer service skills” are  generic and overused phrases  that don’t provide any tangible evidence of the candidate’s abilities.

Although I don’t have direct experience as a Bank Teller, my previous customer service internship at Amazonics taught me how to interact with customers, solve problems efficiently and handle cash transactions accurately. I am excited to bring these skills to your team at Atlantica Bank.

This is an excellent example because it highlights transferable skills gained from a previous customer service internship and  shows enthusiasm for the position .

It also specifically mentions relevant abilities such as handling cash transactions accurately, which are important for a Bank Teller role.

Example Cover Letter for Bank Teller With No Experience

When you are  just starting in the profession , the blank page before you begin typing your letter may be nerve-wracking!

We get that, but there are  tricks for writing a great cover letter  when you have little to no experience.

Refer to the sample Bank Teller cover letter for fresh graduates provided below to familiarize yourself with the components of an effective letter for someone who would like to get a job as a teller in a bank but has no prior experience.

I am writing to express my interest in the Bank Teller position at [Bank Name]. Although I do not have any direct experience in the banking industry, I am excited about the opportunity to learn and grow in this role.

As a recent graduate with a degree in finance, I have developed strong analytical and problem-solving skills that I believe will be valuable in the position. Additionally, my part-time job as a retail sales associate has provided me with customer service experience and sales skills.

During my time as a retail sales associate at Mediazon, I consistently met my sales targets and was able to upsell to customers, resulting in a 15% increase in revenue compared to the previous quarter. I also maintained a 99% accuracy rate when handling cash and credit card transactions, ensuring that there were no discrepancies in the store’s financial records.

My experience in retail sales and customer service, combined with my attention to detail and accuracy when handling financial transactions, make me a strong candidate for the Bank Teller position at [Bank Name].

While I understand that the role of a Bank Teller requires a specific set of skills and knowledge, I am confident in my ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations. I am a detail-oriented individual who takes pride in providing excellent customer service and ensuring accuracy in all tasks.

I am excited about the prospect of joining a team of professionals at [Bank Name] and contributing to the success of the organization. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss my qualifications further.

Please let me know if you require any further information or if there are any next steps I should be aware of.

Cover Letter for Bank Teller with Employment Gap

If you have experienced a gap in your employment history, you may struggle to determine what to include in your Bank Teller cover letter and resume. It can be disheartening to think that this gap may decrease your chances of landing the job.

However, a gap in your career does not necessarily disqualify you from the job. There are various  legitimate reasons  why someone may not have worked for a certain amount of time, such as to take care of a sick family member.

When applying for a Bank Teller position,  it’s crucial to clarify any employment gaps  since banks value attention to detail, accuracy, and credibility in their highly formal work environments.

Providing clear explanations for any gaps in your employment history is important when applying for a role, particularly in highly regulated industries such as banking where  adherence to strict protocols and guidelines is essential .

By demonstrating professionalism, honesty, and commitment to the job application process, you can  establish yourself as a trustworthy and reliable candidate  for the position.

There are some things you should and shouldn’t include in your cover letter to address the issue:

• Explain why:  Briefly describe the reason for the gap. A hiring manager may find out about it anyway and draw their own conclusions. You’re better off taking the first step.
• Don’t worry about old or really short gaps:  It’s important to note that not every single gap needs to be addressed in your cover letter.

During the interview process,  be prepared to answer any questions  related to your employment gap. You could even try to turn it into a positive by shortly mentioning any relevant skills you acquired during that time.

Remember to  adhere to the proper cover letter  and  resume format  when creating your documents.

Let’s analyze 2  examples customized to Bank Teller roles  for deeper insights:

I have a gap in my employment history, but I am eager to start working as a Bank Teller. I have great customer service skills and can handle cash transactions efficiently. I am a quick learner and can adapt to new situations easily.

Simply stating that you have gaps in your employment history  without providing any context  or explanation may raise concerns for the employer.

Additionally, the example does not provide any information about what the candidate has been doing during their time away, which could be perceived as a lack of productivity or commitment.

During my previous employment, I took a break to care for a family member who was ill. During that time, I volunteered at a local non-profit organization where I gained experience in cash handling and customer service.

I also took online courses to keep my skills up-to-date. I am excited to bring my experience and dedication to your team at Southern Entrepreneurs Bank.

The candidate mentions that they took a break to care for a sick family member, which is a valid reason for a gap in employment history.

The applicant also explains that they spent their time productively volunteering at a non-profit organization and taking online courses to improve their skills, which  emphasizes their dedication  and positions them as a strong candidate.

Example Cover Letter for Bank Teller With Employment Gap

If you are a Bank Teller with an employment gap in your resume, you may be wondering  how to explain this  to potential employers.

While taking time off from work can be a  great opportunity for personal growth and development , it can also be a challenge when it comes to job searching.

However, with the right approach, it is possible to address the gap in a way that highlights your strengths and  shows your commitment to your career .

In this example cover letter for a Bank Teller position, you can learn how to approach such an employment gap in a  positive and professional manner .

I am excited to apply for the Bank Teller position at Bankomatic. I am confident that my experience and skills make me a strong candidate for this role and I am eager to contribute to your team’s success.

After several years working as a Bank Teller, I took a sabbatical to travel around Asia and gain new experiences. During this time, I had the opportunity to visit many different countries, learn about different cultures and customs, and enhance my communication and problem-solving skills.

I believe that these experiences have made me a more well-rounded and adaptable person, and have given me a fresh perspective that I can bring to my work.

Although I took time off to travel, I have stayed up-to-date on industry trends and have continued to develop my skills and knowledge. I have taken online courses to improve my understanding of financial regulations and procedures, and have stayed connected with the banking industry through networking events and industry publications.

As a Bank Teller, I am committed to providing excellent service to customers, building strong relationships with clients, and ensuring that their needs are met efficiently and effectively. I am also a quick learner, and am always looking for opportunities to grow and develop my skills.

I am excited about the opportunity to join ABC Bank and am confident that my experience, skills, and passion for customer service make me a great candidate for this position. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss my qualifications in further detail.

Creating a Bank Teller Cover Letter That Speaks to Employers: Key Takeaways

Are you ready to unlock the vault to your dream job as a bank teller? Your cover letter holds the key to making a lasting impression.

Here are some key takeaways for crafting an effective cover letter that will present your cash-handling skills, customer service experience, and passion for the banking industry:

• Powerful opening:  Highlight your relevant experience, skills, and passion for banking, while also emphasizing why you are a good fit for the specific Bank Teller position you are applying for.
• Experience in other fields:  Even if your previous work experience may not seem directly applicable to banking, demonstrate how your skills can benefit you in your new role.
• Specificity:  Showcase your banking skills in action and provide concrete details about your achievements in the banking industry. Include metrics to make your claims more credible.
• Tailor your letter to the position:  Use the same keywords and phrases that are used in the job advertisement to emphasize your relevant skills and experience in banking.
• Employment gaps:  Taking time off for personal reasons can actually be turned into an advantage. Point out the skills and experiences you gained during that time.
• Request an interview:  Conclude your cover letter expressing your eagerness for an interview and thanking the employer for their consideration.

Finally, make sure your  spelling and grammar are perfect . Little mistakes in the text of the letter can get you immediately rejected from the hiring process; so it’s worth taking the time to proofread everything before you hit send.

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The Investment Banking Cover Letter Template You’ve Been Waiting For

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A long time ago I said that we would never post a cover letter template here :

“I was tempted to post a Word template, but I don’t want 5,000 daily visitors to copy it and to start using the same exact cover letter.”

But hey, we already have resume templates that everyone is using, so why not go a step further and give you a cover letter template as well?

Plus, “investment banking cover letter” is one of the top 10 search terms visitors use to find this site – so you must be looking for a template.

The Template & Tutorial

Let’s jump right in:

Investment Banking Cover Letter Template [Download]

Download Template – Word

Download Template – PDF

And here’s the video that explains everything:

(For more free training and financial modeling videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel .)

And if you’d rather read, here’s the text version:

Do Cover Letters Actually Matter?

At bulge bracket banks, people barely read cover letters.

Cover letters matter 10x less than resumes and 100x less than networking.

But there are a few special cases where they’re more important:

• Boutiques and Local Banks – Sometimes they actually read cover letters.
• Unusual Backgrounds – If you’re NOT in university or business school at the moment, you may need to explain yourself in more detail.
• Outside the US – In Europe, for example, some banks pay more attention to cover letters, online applications, and so on.

Similar to grades and test scores, a great cover letter won’t set you apart but a poor one will hurt you – so let’s find out how to avoid that.

Keep your cover letter compact and avoid 0.1″ margins and size 8 font.

With resumes you can get away with shrinking the font sizes and margins if you really need to fit in extra information, but this is questionable with cover letters.

Go for 0.75″ or 1″ margins and at least size 10 font.

With resumes there were a couple different templates depending on your level – but with cover letters that’s not necessary and you can use the same template no matter your background.

1 Page Only

Ok, maybe they do things differently in Australia (just like with resumes) but aside from that there is no reason to write a multi-page cover letter.

If you actually have enough experience to warrant multiple pages, do it on your resume instead and keep the cover letter brief.

Contact Information

List your own information – name, address, phone number, and email address – right-aligned up at the top.

Then, below that you list the date and the name and contact information for the person you’re writing to, left-aligned on the page.

If you don’t have this information you can just list the company name and address and use a “Dear Sir or Madam” greeting.

That’s not ideal – especially if you’re applying to smaller firms where cover letters actually get read – but it’s all you can do if you can’t find a person’s name.

If you’re sending the cover letter via email as the body of the email, you can omit all this information and just include the greeting at the top.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

This is where you explain who you are, where you’re currently working or studying, and how you found the bank that you’re applying to.

Name-drop as much as possible:

• Impressive-sounding university or business school ? Mention it. Even if it’s not well-known, you still need to mention it here.
• Your company name , especially if it’s recognizable, and the group you’re working in, especially if it’s something relevant to finance like business development.
• How you found them – specific peoples’ names , specific presentations or information sessions where you met them, and so on.
• The position you’re applying for (Analyst? Associate?) – especially for smaller places that are not well-organized.

This first paragraph is all about grabbing their attention.

Example 1st Paragraph:

“My name is John Smith and I am currently a 3rd year economics major at UCLA. I recently met Fred Jackson from the M&A group at Goldman Stanley during a presentation at our school last week, and was impressed with what I learned of your culture and recent deal flow. I am interested in pursuing an investment banking summer analyst position at your firm, and have enclosed my resume and background information below.”

Paragraph 2: Your Background

You go through your most relevant experience and how the skills you gained will make you a good banker right here.

Do not list all 12 internships or all 5 full-time jobs you’ve had – focus on the most relevant 1-2, once again name-dropping where appropriate (bulge bracket banks / large PE firms / Fortune 500 companies).

Highlight the usual skills that bankers want to see – teamwork, leadership, analytical ability, financial modeling and so on.

If you worked on a high-impact project / deal / client, you can point that out and list the results as well.

This may be your longest paragraph, but you still don’t want to write War and Peace – keep it to 3-4 sentences.

Example 2nd Paragraph:

“I have previously completed internships in accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers and in wealth management at UBS. Through this experience working directly with clients, analyzing financial statements, and making investment recommendations, I have developed leadership and analytical skills and honed my knowledge of accounting and finance. I also had the opportunity to work with a $20M net-worth client at UBS and completely revamped his portfolio, resulting in a 20% return last year.”

Paragraph 3: Why You’re a Good Fit

Now you turn around and link your experience and skills to the position more directly and explain that leadership + quantitative skills + accounting/finance knowledge = success.

There is not much to this part – just copy the template and fill in the blanks.

Example 3rd Paragraph:

“Given my background in accounting and wealth management and my leadership and analytical skills, I am a particularly good fit for the investment banking summer analyst position at your firm. I am impressed by your track record of clients and transactions at Goldman Stanley and the significant responsibilities given to analysts, and I look forward to joining and contributing to your firm.”

Paragraph 4: Conclusion

This part’s even easier: remind them that your resume is enclosed (or attached if sent via email), thank them for their time, and give your contact information once again so they don’t have to scroll to the top to get it.

Example 4th Paragraph:

“A copy of my resume is enclosed for your reference. I would welcome an opportunity to discuss my qualifications with you and learn more about Goldman Stanley at your earliest convenience. I can be reached at 310-555-1234 or via email at [email protected]. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.”

Unusual Backgrounds

These examples cover how to apply to a bank if you’re in university, business school, or you’ve been working for several years.

If you have a more unusual background (e.g. you went to med school, graduated, started your residency, but then decided you wanted to be an investment banker), then you might need to add a few sentences to paragraph #2 or #3 explaining yourself.

Resist the urge to write your life story because no one will read it – interviews are a much better venue to prove how committed you are.

Email vs. Attachments

If you’re emailing your cover letter and resume, do you create a separate cover letter attachment?

Or do you make the body of your email the cover letter?

I think it’s redundant to create a separate cover letter and attach it, so don’t bother unless they ask specifically for a separate cover letter.

If you’re making the body of your email the cover letter, make it even shorter (4-5 sentences total) and cut out the address bits at the top.

Optional Cover Letters?

If you’re applying online and it says “Optional Cover Letter” should you still upload one?

You might as well because it takes 2 minutes once you have a good template – it’s not the end of the world if you don’t include one, but you never know what everyone else is doing and it’s not terribly time-consuming.

Cover Letter Mistakes

Remember the role of cover letters: great ones don’t help much, but poor ones get you dinged.

The biggest mistakes with cover letters:

• Making outrageous claims (“I’m a math genius!”) or trying to be “creative” with colors, pictures, fonts, and so on.
• Going on for too long – 10 paragraphs or multiple pages.
• Listing irrelevant information like your favorite ice cream, your favorite quotes from Wall Street or Boiler Room , and so on.

If you think this sounds ridiculous, remember the golden rule: do not overestimate the competition .

For every person reading this site, there are dozens more asking, “What it’s like to be an investment banker?” at information sessions.

Sometimes you hear stories of people who write “impassioned” cover letters, win the attention of a boutique, and get in like that …

…And I’m sure that happens, but you do not want to do that at large banks.

If you do, your cover letter will be forwarded to the entire world and your “career” will be destroyed in 5 minutes .

More Examples

As with resumes, there are hardly any good examples of investment banking cover letters online.

Most of the templates are horribly formatted and are more appropriate for equities in Dallas than real investment banking.

Here’s a slightly different but also good templates you could use:

• Best Cover Letters – MBA Template

More questions? Ask away.

Still Need More Help?

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We will take your existing resume and transform it into a resume that grabs the attention of finance industry professionals and presents you and your experience in the best possible light.

When we’re done, your resume will grab bankers by the lapels and not let them go until they’ve given you an interview.

Specifically, here’s what you’ll get:

• Detailed, line-by-line editing of your resume/CV – Everything that needs to be changed will be changed. No detail is ignored.
• Your experience will be “bankified” regardless of whether you’ve been a student, a researcher, a marketer, a financier, a lawyer, an accountant, or anything else.
• Optimal structuring – You’ll learn where everything from Education to Work Experience to Activities should go. Regional badminton champion? Stamp collector? You’ll find out where those should go, too.
• The 3-point structure to use for all your “Work Experience” entries: simple, but highly effective at getting the attention of bankers.
• How to spin non-finance experience into sounding like you’ve been investing your own portfolio since age 12.
• How to make business-related experience, such as consulting, law, and accounting, sounds like “deal work.”
• How to avoid the fatal resume mistake that gets you automatically rejected . Nothing hurts more than making a simple oversight that gets you an immediate “ding”.
• We only work with a limited number of clients each month. In fact, we purposely turn down potential clients in cases where we cannot add much value. We prefer quality over quantity, and we always want to ensure that we can work well together first.

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Other Options for Personalized Help: Wall Street Mastermind

Finally, if you want to go  beyond your cover letter and also get help with your resume, work experience, networking, and interview prep, check out Wall Street Mastermind .

They’ve worked with over 1,000 students to help them secure high-paying investment banking jobs out of school (and internships while in school), and their coaches include a former Global Head of Recruiting at three different large banks.

They provide personalized, hands-on guidance through the entire networking and interview process – and they have a great track record of results for their clients.

It could be a great fit for you if you’re looking for comprehensive coaching through the entire process rather than just a new version of your resume or cover letter.

You can book a free consultation with them to learn more .

About the Author

Brian DeChesare is the Founder of Mergers & Inquisitions and Breaking Into Wall Street . In his spare time, he enjoys lifting weights, running, traveling, obsessively watching TV shows, and defeating Sauron.

Free Exclusive Report: 57-page guide with the action plan you need to break into investment banking - how to tell your story, network, craft a winning resume, and dominate your interviews

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279 thoughts on “ The Investment Banking Cover Letter Template You’ve Been Waiting For ”

I love how hand downs and direct this page is. Trying to break into IB come from a (semi-)target school but very bad GPA, love how you are always motivating, but realistic. Keep it up!

I am a sophomore and have a low gpa (2.5) should I include this on my cover letter? how do I stand out and not get dinged, low gpa because had to work full time freshman year because my dad lost his job, and my family had health issues. Am an only child.

All you can really do about a low GPA is network extensively so that people who know you can recommend you, and so you can avoid being filtered out by screening tools. See: https://mergersandinquisitions.com/low-gpa-investment-banking/

Maybe include a brief mention of why your GPA is lower in your cover letter, but focus on how you’ve improved since your first year (mention the higher GPA since then).

Thanks for the write up!

If i am writing my cover letter in the body of the email, Do i write the name of the recipient instead of dear Madam ?

I like it not bad

Hey Brian – thanks for this article. Quick question: is there a certain point in your career (in my case, I’m an associate) when you can stop with the cover letters even if they give you the option?

Cover letters are pretty much always optional unless they ask for one.

I was wondering for your template, you gave a solid and formal introduction. I also see other career advice sites that recommend making the cover letter “memorable” and straying away from the cookie cutter method with more flashy intros. As an example just from another online source: When I was seven, I wanted to be the GEICO gecko when I grew up. I eventually realized that wasn’t an option, but you can imagine my excitement when I came across the events manager position, which would have me working side by side with my favorite company mascot. So what’s your opinion on this? I’m sure it’s different for every field, so would you say the average investment banker appreciates something like this, or would it just make them roll their eyes and make you seem too keen/tryhard.

Same Andrew again…

Sorry I should’ve watched your video fully before asking. But you mentioned to not get too fancy with fonts, photos, etc. But would the bit of personal information outside the cookie cutter approach separate you in the slightest? To me, cover letters sound like they have the same purpose as GPA. A 4.0 (good but generic cover letter) won’t give you any advantages, but a 2.5 (poorly done letter) will eliminate you from the application process.

Yes, cover letters are basically used to weed out people, not to select them. You can include some personal information such as an interesting student group, study abroad, or experience that led you to IB, but don’t go overboard with trying to appear “interesting.” Save that for actual networking and interviews.

If you are applying to traditional “high finance” roles such as investment banking, private equity, etc., you should not do anything creative with your cover letter. It will only backfire. Firms either do not read cover letters, or if they do, they simply look at them to make sure you didn’t do something silly or inappropriate. You’re taking a very big risk by writing a “creative” cover letter, and one that has very little upside with tons of downside.

For online applications that request your resume, but do not specify whether a cover letter should be included, should I submit a cover letter? Also since you can only submit one document in these cases, should you compile resume and cover letter into one document?

Thanks so much.

If they just request your resume, just include your resume. I would not even bother with a cover letter or combining them into one document.

Do we have to leave

“Enclosure: Resume”

At the bottom of the Cover Letter? Many thanks

*In Online Application where they ask you to attach your CV and Cover Letter – if that makes any difference

Brina, many thanks for the quick answer. Just a last question:

Shall we sign between sincerely and our name or under our name?Both options are good?

Alternative A:

(Signature)

Alternative B:

The first one is slightly better.

I just wanted to thank you for not only this Cover Letter template but also your Resume template. I have used both and I have received great feedback from interviewers and getting my foot in the door for asset management.

Thanks! Glad to hear it. Good luck!

This question targets the paragraph listing relevant experiences & skills gained through it.

As a University Student with some corporate finance and consulting experience but nothing directly related to investment banking, do you think it would be relevant to list explain skills gained during university classes (e.g. a term project that simulated the entire M&A process based on a real life deal) that involved valuation, simulated investor calls, etc. Or do you believe sticking to actual work experience would be best suited.

Thanks a lot for all the content you post.

Stick to your work experience if you have actual CF and consulting internships. Maybe add a line or brief phrase within a line that mentions your learnings from university classes as well.

I live in the UK and I’ve been told cover letters carry a lot of weighting in the initial application process. I have written a cover letter which is 8 paragraphs but it’s still 1 page. Do you think this would be ok or should I take some stuff out? Thanks in advance, great website you have.

By the way, it’s still size 10 font but I had to reduce the line spacing between the paragraphs to fit it all in.

Cover letters only matter in the “negative” sense, i.e. if you write something stupid or have typos, you could lose an offer or interview opportunity. Your cover letter should be as short as possible, so 8 paragraphs is too long, especially if you had to reduce the font size to 10, which is too small. So, be more concise and realize that bankers glance at hundreds/thousands of these letters each recruiting season…

How do one relate a tax internship experience which I acquired In an accounting consulting firm to an investment banking internship I hope to start with with BofA

Talk about how your tax findings/work affected the big picture… did they potentially change the company’s valuation? What was the impact on the company’s financial statements? Did anything you did result in changes to the internal controls at the company? Did you do any tax work related to M&A or equity/debt deals?

Hi Brian, I have read that the header of a cover letter should match your resume. Is there a reason the header from the M&I resume template was not included in this cover letter template?

??? I think it would be very odd if your cover letter started with your name in a bigger font size at the top… so, no if that is what you are asking about. A cover letter should start with the normal heading of a letter. Your resume is different because it’s intended to present the key points in bullet/highlight format.

I agree. Thanks.

I’m applying online to banks in the EMEA area and most banks ask for my motivation – they don’t require a cover letter. Could I still use this template? or wouldn’t it make any sense to use this template?

If its the case that this template would not be useful, do you have any tips on what to focus on in such a motivation letter?

I think this template is too long for a simple question about your motivation. Your motivation should basically be the last part of your “story” – assuming 150 words for a competency question and a 300-word story. See:

https://mergersandinquisitions.com/walk-me-through-your-resume/

How do you travel like a dug dealer? haha…You are funny. Great info. Thanks a lot. I’m trying to break the front door at Piper Jaffray so I can put my little two feet inside that door.

hey, i am actually studying law in France but i wanted to go on trading/investment banking/hedge fund area. What would you suggest me ? Which arguments should I point out ?

Thanks a lot !

??? I’m not sure I understand your question.

The links for Workbloom – Investment Banking Intern Template and Vanderbilt – Cover Letter Template are not valid anymore. Is it possible to fix that? Thank you very much!

Sincerely, Frank

We don’t have alternate links, sorry. But the template there wasn’t much different anyway.

Hi Brian, I had a question in mind. I have been working with a Big four Audit firm in India for the past 10 months now, and have a Bachelors in Commerce degree from a non-target University here. The role here is Back-end, as in we do not have client interaction, and rather coordinate with the US/EMEA teams – which deal with the clients directly – for the work. Recently, I got a call from GS for an Analyst position under the Data Resource Group for its IB Division in India. How do you suggest I pitch my auditing experience to get an offer for this position? Also, considering the work I do here is back-end and basically, formatting files around and punching in numbers! Thanks in advance for your help!

I would just point out how your audit work led directly to results with clients and how you were a part of the client-interaction process, even if you didn’t speak with them directly. As a result, you have a good understanding of what they’re looking for and how to get them results most efficiently.

Thanks for the template. Is it correct to include in the cover letter an entreprise which I am auditing or not?

Sure, you could, but you have to be able to tie that to whatever role(s) you’re applying for.

Hi there, thanks for the cover letter template you provided. It’s a great help. Just wondering does the same template work for UK application? As you mentioned they tend to pay attention to cover letters.

Yes this template works for UK applications.

Thank you for sharing your blog, it helped a lot cos I am also having a hard time in writing a cover letter and I suck! Hope you can help more. Keep it up!

Thank you for sharing the template and guide! I am a recent college grad and just started working in an economic consulting firm (last month). I want to make the career transfer to IB and I am trying my best networking everywhere. I am applying for an IB analyst position and editing my cover letter. Should I still mention in the cover letter my leadership roles in college or it does not matter much?

Many thanks!

You can mention them briefly, but you should focus on your current role.

Thanks for the template! After working as an ER associate for 2 years in my hometown, I am moving from North America to Europe in the next few weeks. Should I mention in my cover letter something to the effect of “After visiting [country] several times over the past few years, I applied for and received my Work Visa” or will the recruiter assume I have a visa and do not require sponsorship? I just do not want to be passed over if they are assuming I will be a headache for them!

Furthermore, I am also hoping to move from ER to corporate. Besides tailoring the letter to reflect skills mentioned in the posting, are there any other changes that need to be made when moving out of capmarkets?

Thank you for your time!

Sure you can include this. Yes, I’d talk about why you want to move from ER to corporate and talk about why you prefer corporate over ER (perhaps you prefer the type of work in corporate better and you see yourself in a corporate vs. in a bank) and you want to move over to XX industry [the industry the corporate you’re applying for is in] given XX reason [ideally you’ve covered that industry in ER before]

Thank you Nicole. Should I be putting this explanation in paragraph 2? Or later on in the letter?

I’d probably list this later in the letter.

Hi, I’m studying in the US and applying to summer IBD internship in 3 different locations (New York, London, HK), so who should I address to in my cover letter since there is only one cover letter for three different recruiters? Thanks!

I’d say Dear Sir/Madam or To Whom It May Concern

when you express abbreviations, let’s say M&A, how do you put it in a cover letter? i.e., (“M&A”) or (M&A) without punctuations mark?

M&A is fine I believe

Hi! You mentioned that putting the name of the recruiter is always better than just a “Dear Sir/Madam”. When applying in London, do you think it is appropriate to address the cover letter to a recruiter I haven’t personally met that I just found his name via an internet search, specifically from Linkedin. Also, there are dozens recruiters for the same company on Linkedin, should I still address the letter to a specific person? What about if it is the director of HR? Should I address it to him/her directly?

Yes, I’d address the email to Director of HR. If you don’t know the person’s name, I’d say “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”

Hey, I have a question concerning applying for an internship at G&S in Europe. Instead of a cover letter they want you to submit a motivational statement with 300 words when applying, which is according to them similar to the cover letter. But I am a bit unsure that I express my motivation for applying for an investment banking postion with this cover letter because it focuses more on previous internships. Should I outline my internships and then explain that I want to pursue an career in IB because of them? and should I mention my extra curriculare activities which involve leadership experience and exotic interests?

I’d briefly touch on your previous experience and focus on why IB, and why GS. If the previous experience can serve as your IB spark, use them. So yes you can mention that you want to pursue a career in IB because of your previous internships, but don’t dive too deep given word limit and you can address that in interviews. No, the latter part should be demonstrated on your resume, unless you have space in the statement

What should you do in [Signature]?

I’m not sure I understand your question. I’d just insert your signature there.

Upload an image of your handwritten signature?

Yes you can do that. Copy and paste it below “Yours sincerely/Best Regards”

I resigned from my previous role in April this year as we were planning a family move to another country However, it did not materialize due to some unexpected changes and I have to start looking for a job again. This has left an employment gap of about 3 months in my resume. During this period, I have taken the BIWS course to enhance my knowledge. Shall I mention my current status and address that in my cover letter? or leave it out and talk about it when asked during interview?

Xavier, you can list that on your resume and cover letter. You may also want to talk about other activities you’ve done during those 3 months.

I am a first year associate working at a boutique bank on the trading floor and trying to switch into equity research/banking side. How is the cover letter different from the cover letter template above. Do I need to specifically state why I am switching?

Yes you need to address why you’re switching

Do you have any suggestions as to how I can gracefully address this? The reason why I am switching is because I don’t feel like I am learning much out of my positions – not being given much responsibilities, etc…

I’d focus on the positives on why you prefer the other division versus your current one; not what you’re lacking.

Hi, I am wondering when introducing my skill sets and experience in the second paragraph of the cover letter, is it appropriate to use bullet points? e.g. my key skills/experience include: bullet point: A bullet point: B

Yes you can do that, though a lot of times we find that its best to follow our template, unless you’re a very experienced candidate

I worked at a boutique investment bank for an internship and I was wondering how I may explain my low gpa on my cover letter. I would focus on my strengths and what I learned from the position but sooner or later the question of gpa will be addressed either during an interview or sent through email. How would I approach this?

This may come up in interviews and I’d address it then. I am not sure why you had a low GPA. If you had family/personal reasons you can list that. Otherwise if you were taking more advanced courses because you were too ambitious and got a lower GPA as a result of that you can list that too.

I’m applying to various finance and IB positions and my documents will be seen as a package sent through my school. I created my resume in a very similar format to the template on your website, only using .5″ margins. I have the same header layout (with name and personal info) on both my resume and cover letter. My question is regarding holding these .5″ margins on both of my documents to keep a consistent look. I’m just curious as to whether this would be a good or bad idea, or as to whether you think it would even matter.

I haven’t seen the format of your resume so I am not 100% sure. 0.5 margins maybe a bit crowded but depending on your content it can be doable. If you have lots of solid content, yes this is applicable. Otherwise, I’d shorten your content and go for the standard margins

Hey, this template isn’t just for investment banking right, it can be used for targeting internships in accounting as well? Same with the resume template?

If you change the paragraph from why IB to why accounting, you can use this template. The resume template is tailored to IB though you can use it for Accounting roles too

I graduated from a top school 1.5 years ago, but unfortunately ended up at a not so impressive bank. What’s the best way to name drop the school in the cover letter? Thanks.

First paragraph – you can just say that you are working at XX bank and have recently graduated from XX school

I am applying to three different divisions in the same investment bank that are different in nature (2 back office and one front) and there is only one cover letter for all three that asks you to describe your motivation for each. Since they are different positions, how do I go about this?

I’d be generic and focus on why finance and how you can make an impact to the firm

How about adding the recommendations from the previous job? Is it worth? Should we add it even if they do not menton about that?

You can provide recommendations upon request

Hi, I am wondering whether I need to include a signature in my cover letter for online application. If so, should I just insert it in the pdf document or scan a paper copy of the cover letter? Thanks!

Yes you can include it. Both works.

Yo’re welcome.

Just a follow-up question: I am applying for summer analyst position at CS, and they only allow one application per applicant. Should I use the same cover letter during campus recruiting (addressed to an alumnus) for my online application? Since I am applying to CS HK as well, I am wondering whether I should use a slightly different cover letter.

Sure I think this shouldn’t be a problem. Yes the HK one should be slightly different – i.e. why HK, why Chinese market

Dear M&I staff,

I’m a master student in Europe. I’m currently attending a Master of Science in Finance after completing a bachelor in business administration. Do you have any specific suggestion about my first paragraph? Also, if I can’t find the name of the recruiter, how can I start the letter? I was thinking about expressions such as “To whom it may concern…”; does this work?

Thanks in advance

Yes it does, or Dear Sir/Madam.

First paragraph – I’d follow the template on the post

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is [Insert Name] and I am currently pursuing a Master of Science in Finance at [Insert University Name] where I have also been awarded a Bachelor of Science with honors. How would this sound?

Sounds good, though I’d probably just use My name is [Insert Name] and I am currently pursuing a Master of Science in Finance at [Insert University].

Hey Brian/Nicole, Thank you guys so much for this website. I spend days on it reading your articles! lol I’m just wondering when I do the name-dropping on the cover letter, is it alright to put the company names in bold? or is that too much? What do you guys think?

Thank you for your kind comment. You should credit Brian for his hard work! I don’t think its necessary to bold company names. I think its probably better to leave it “unbolded.”

i a lil older i was originally an engineering major, left school (didnt graduate), started working as a stock broker, then mortgage broker, and then more sales background. I then re entered school and graduated with a degree with finance, gpa not so high bc of past screw ups, but now looking to break into finance. I love finance, and cant figure out how to convey that in a cover letter. can you help?

Focus on the impact you’ve made in your previous roles. Then say while you’ve enjoyed and learn a lot from your previous experience, you realize [Talk about your IB spark here], and that you realize you wanted to pursue IB because [XYZ]. Then say that you’re confident that your [XX] skills can be an invaluable asset to the firm (something around those lines)

If I’m applying for a job based on an online job posting (LinkedIn / other job board), then in my 1st paragraph, ho would you address the section about how you learnt about the job / company ?

(I find it awkward to say that “I recently learnt about your company through your online ad on abc.com”)

ThankX Guys!

I recently learned about your company from [a contact/an event/an online job posting] and was impressed with what I learned of [List what you’re impressed with here]

Hey Nicole,

Thanks for your reply.

I’m finding it awkward to write “I learnt about your company from an online job posting” bcoz I feel it sounds like I did not know them before seeing the posting (which, in turn, sounds insulting for the company).

Instead, can I just say “I recently found out about the XYZ position at ABC Capital & want to apply for this position”?

Sure, this sounds good. No, this isn’t insulting – this is why companies post on job postings! It is best if you have already spoken to people at the company and use that as an intro. line.

please i am an undergraduate in my final year with just one internship experience and one teaching experience, that was before i gained admission. i want to know if it is appropriate to include my date of birth and list of referees; i will also like to know the maximum length of resume ideal for some one in my category. Thanks.

Please see https://mergersandinquisitions.com/free-investment-banking-resume-template/

No, I don’t think you need to include your DOB and list of referees. Maximum length of your resume would be 1 page.

Hi Brian, thanks so much for creating this awesome website.

I’m a year one student in a non-target uni in HK who’s interested in IBD. My first semester GPA wasn’t stellar because I had a hard time balancing family issues and adapting to a new country.

I’m currently applying for several pre-internship programs, and am afraid my less-than-3 GPA will cause my immediate disqualification. What can I do?

I’ve had several leadership positions in high school, am great at networking/socializing, and speak a few languages. But my first semester GPA is lackluster. Please advice, should I explain in my cover letter?

Best Regards, Sara

Yes, your GPA is likely to be alarming to interviewers. Sure, you can explain the above on your cover letter, though I would focus on your strengths and what you have achieved first. You want to draw people to your strengths. I’d also try as hard as you can to boost your GPA next semester and craft a very good explanation when you land interviews.

Hey there M&I,

Firstly, I’d just like to thank you for this template – it truly is priceless.

I’m from Melbourne, Australia and I’d like to break into Investment Banking for a long-term career.

I’m starting a Bachelor of Commerce degree at The University of Melbourne and I was thinking of double majoring in Accounting and Finance.

I feel as though this will put me in a good position for Investment Banking and will also provide me with a few alternatives should I be unable to make it to Investment Banking or decide that it’s not for me.

Sorry about the long-winded explanation, I guess what I want to know is whether or not the double major sequence I have suggested is desirable in Investment Banking or there is a better sequence you could suggest to me.

Also, what do you have to say about people getting summer internships after first year? I haven’t heard of anyone doing this before, but have you? How should I go about trying to increase my chances?

Thanks very much!

Thanks. Yes, that sequence is fine but I don’t know if it would give you an advantage. From what I understand about Australia, I believe most people who get into banking there actually have dual Commerce and Law degrees.

Summer internships after year 1: very tough. You’d have to aim for small local firms. And probably not common in Australia.

I’m applying to a Private Equity internship and I completed the BIWS fundamental and advanced modeling courses. Should I talk about this in my cover letter? Right now I just have a general statement about it and that I worked on some case studies.I was wondering whether I should go more in depth and mention a specific case? Leave it as a general statement? Or take it out completely

Yes, definitely mention the specific case studies as that makes it sound much better than just saying you completed the courses.

Document for listing them on your resume (you may be able to apply parts of this):

http://biws-support.s3.amazonaws.com/BIWS-Courses-Resume-Instructions.docx

Thanks Brian,

I took your advice and mentioned specific case studies.

One other thing, currently in the second paragraph of my cover letter I talk a lot about my internship experience, but this internship doesn’t have to do with IB, its accounting and sales for a hotel. I did spin it in away that says that I picked up skills from this internship that I can apply to IB, PE, etc. Should I focus less about this and more on the BIWS courses, and projects in school I worked on since it doesn’t directly relate?

I would probably do an even split in that case.

I found this guide and template very useful. I was wondering, though, if I were to apply online to bb investment banks that didn’t make any meeting at my university and require a cover letter, what should I write in: “I was recently introduced to your firm via [Friend / Contact at Firm / Presentation] and was impressed with what I learned of [Your Culture / Working Environment / Bank-Specific Info.].”

I know about these banks just because of their fame, so should I just skip this part?

Sure though having this line may be more convincing.

I am now applying to Société Générale M&A summer internship in Power, Utilities and Infrastructure department. I tried to find some alumni working there. I could manage to find one via linkedin; however, i cannot contact him because he sets a permission. I wonder what should i write on cover letter if i can’t find a contact in SG?

Dear Sir or Madam / [Name of Recruiter if you have it]

Dear Nicole,

I feel sorry not to explain it clearly.

Quoted from the IB template: ” I was recently introduced to your firm via [Friend / Contact at Firm / Presentation] and was impressed with what I learned of [Your Culture / Working Environment / Bank-Specific Info.] ”

I searched SG career website but they mention the work environment and culture very vague. I tried to find an alumni working there; however,the alumni office hasn’t replied me yet.Even worse, SG hasn’t held any campaign event at our uni. At present moment,I can’t manage to get a contact at firm. I did search they have an aggressive expansion plan for the department 2 years ago. Should I mention this instead?

Much thanks

It would help if you have spoken to a contact who is working/worked there or attending one of their info sessions. Otherwise, yes it may be useful to mention of their department’s aggressive expansion plan.

Hi! What if I have not attended any presentation and I do not know nobody that work in a specific bank? Can I still apply online? I am applying to investment banks in London and I know that they recruit using the online application process.

Yes you can still apply online.

Hi Nicole/Brian,

Adding to what Paolo has mentioned, what about the cover letter? Since we do not know anybody that work in that specific bank (nor attend any presentations), who do we address the cover letter to? (Or is it better not to submit one if the cover letter is optional?)

Secondly, is it alright to say that we found out about the job/vacancy by browsing through their website?

Again, thanks for your continuous kind support.

Regards, Rifki

Quoting from the article:

“If you don’t have this information you can just list the company name and address and use a ‘Dear Sir or Madam” greeting.’ ”

If it’s optional, I wouldn’t even bother submitting it especially if you don’t know anyone there. Yes saying you saw it through a website is OK.

Thanks Brian!

I’ve just graduated in Finance and Accounting but wasn’t able to get summer internships in my 2nd year. What else can I write in section 2+3? I’ve got work experience in wholesale, an accounting firm and an insight day at a Merrill Lynch which were just before I started uni, i.e. 2009 can I still use these in this section or would it look bad since they are old?

I’ve taken part in many trading simulation games in teams etc which show all the skills you have mentioned in the paragraph, would it be acceptable to use this as an example even though it was a simulation?

They wouldn’t look bad but not exactly current. Ideal if you have recent experiences to list. Otherwise you can list them

Yes – show the returns you generated

Thanks for the useful resources.

Last year, I hadn’t as much insight and experience with IB (I was coming from law and bearely started to study a MSc-Finance in a good school). I still got two interviews with a nice boutique and a bb. I got reject at the final round.

This year I’m applying again (I’m currently doing an off cycle M&A internship)

1. Shall I mention I applied last year, and why I like the firm so much? or shall I just make a regular cover letter and avoid to mention I applied a year ago?

2. How many interviews should I go through to secure an offer, or what is the average? I’d like to know whether I am doing something bad or just if it is because you need to go through several interviews to finally get something?

3. What would shall I do with the current market if I secure another off cycle internship or a full time M&A position in a leading law firm? (I prefer finance than law, but I m getting old and need to start working as oppose to “intern”)

Sorry for this long thread, thanks for your help.

1. you can mention it if you want though I don’t think its necessary 2. hard to say – depends on you. people generally go through more than several rounds of interviews to land an offer 3. network a lot

Last year, I hadn’t as much insight and experience in IB profiles (I am coming from law and bearely started to study a MSc-Finance in a good school). I still got two interviews with a nice boutique and a bb. I got reject at the final round.

— Shall I mention I applied last year, and why I like the firm so much

Hi, I have an upcoming interview with a bulge bracket bank in Capital Markets. I submitted my resume about 1 month ago and got selected recently. My resume was updated recently and is much much more in depth than before. Should I reach out to the recruiters and ask if I can have them replace the resume on the website with my new one? Or would this be frowned upon? Thanks!

Yes, please do that!

Thank you for your tips, they are great!I have two questions:

1. All templates I find are about experienced people. If you are a person with no experience (or with a very short experience in a different area), how can you turn this fact around and convince someone to hire you? Should you really emphasize your academic background?

2. I started a PhD but early on I realized that it was not the right fit for me. How and where should I mention this? Should I explain why? I am afraid that no one will be considering me for a job position because I am quitting the PhD…

Thank you so much!

1. There are templates for inexperienced hires – pls look for the one for undergraduates. If you have NO work experience at all, I’d suggest you to emphasize your academic background and extracurricular activities. 2. Explain this on your cover letter & interviews. No, it shouldn’t be a problem if you know how to spin your story. Most jobs don’t require a PhD these days anyway.

Hi, Thank you very much for uploading the template.

But what if I don’t have background info or experiences specific to the investment banking industry even though I have banking experience in a different field such as Loan Officer? Will that matter?

I will be considered as a fresher in that case how can I convince anybody about changing my profession to investment banker or wealth management analyst from this profession?

And can you also please help me with a sample C.V for freshers in Invest and Wealth Management.

I do have an MBA in finance.

You’ll have to figure out why IB and pitch your story well.

You can use the same template for Wealth Management – just focus on your research and investment experience

I’m planning to use this short cover letter as my email body. My question : “Should I opt for a longer version with more elaborate details?”

— Dear Sir/ Madam [or the recruiter’s name],

I would like to express my interest in a position as [position] for [company].

As you may perceive from my summary, I’ve been leveraging my consulting and technical skills from my previous career as an IT Consultant to break into the finance industry. Thus, I’m adapt at translating clients’ problems into a satisfying, concrete solution. I also possess good leadership skill and can work well with others. [ + other skills the company valued / demanded for this specific job]

I would love to expand my career with your company, and am confident that I would be a beneficial addition to your company. I have enclosed my resume and I would welcome a personal interview at your earliest convenience.

[Name and contact address] —

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I’d keep your email short, sweet and succinct. Anything longer than that is too much.

Hello, my question is regarding the introduction —

“Paragraph 1: Introduction This is where you explain who you are, where you’re currently working or studying, and how you found the bank that you’re applying to.”

I have nearly 2 years of consulting experience, but have recently been laid off. Since I’m no longer working or studying, how would I approach this as far as introduction?

Just introduce yourself and tell interviewer you’ve been laid off due to the lackluster economy – they should understand. Tell them what you’ve been doing with your free time i.e. traveling, studying, picking up a new hobby, etc. As long as you sound like you are doing something productive/interesting with your life, you should be fine

Errors – If there are minor typos that most people don’t see at a glance, are you in the clear? I’m not sure if people read cover letters that closely especially during OCR when hundreds of people apply at the same time from one school.

It depends on whether your reviewer is attentive to details or not!

I don’t exactly have a stellar GPA, so I was wondering if the cover letter is where I would explain myself? Or is it better to just not mention it? Thanks! And love this website!

It depends why you don’t have a stellar GPA – if you have a legit reason i.e. you had sick parents you needed to take care of etc I think it would help

Thanks for the article. I just had a quick question. I was originally interested in marketing and completed two internships my freshman year undergraduate (currently a junior applying for summer analyst positions). Since then I have had several research internships. Would it be a good idea what lead my decision to go from marketing to banking in my cover letter?

Any input would be awesome. Thanks!

Yes I would explain why you changed your mind in your cover letter and point to a specific person/incident

I am studying at a “frontier market” university and am currently an exchange student at a highly ranked (Top 100) universities.

Should I use an exchange studies university in a cover letter instead of a university where I’ll be graduating and mention it accordingly (I am currently an exchange student at…)?

No, I think you should still use the university where you’ll be graduating

ha frontier market. I am putting where I am an exchange student with the frontier school I attend.

I’m applying for an internship in the US, but I’m studying in Germany. Should I mention that my University/Business School, is one of the best business schools in Germany?

Thank you for your answer!

I don’t think it makes a difference. You could try but reviewers might not necessarily care too much re that

Hi, thanks so much for this article. I am writing a cover letter to J.P. Morgan, but I cannot find the office address in HK, shall I omit it at the top?

But what if I don’t have background info or experiences specific to the investment banking industry? does that automatically rule me out as a candidate even though they specify that finance background is not necessary?

Could I simply emphasize my skills and abilities that I have gained through other experiences such as working for an NGO?

Not necessarily.

just one other quick question. At Goldman Sachs, one could apply for internship in several divisions and they have asked motivation for applying to different divisions. Would it make this impression that you yourself do not know what division is right for you when you make applications for several divisions? Thanks a lot.

With Goldman, yes. However, in a way you still need to hedge your bets because one division’s MD might like you and the other’s MD might not.

I’ve shown my CL to the Head of HR in my firm and he adviced me to write something “catching” as a title between the date and “Dear Sir or Madam,..”. So do you think it would be okay to write there: “Why I am a good fit for taking part in your spring programme”? Or does this sound too arrogant?

Thanks a lot! Jevira

This sounds generic.

Have you got another idea or just put there: Spring Programme at XYZ. :D Thanks, and sorry for the time you lose with all my questions..

Come up w something original he said right? I don’t know if the above is original. You should just ask him what his suggestions are. I’d love to help but I need to think through it and have to look at your CL; wouldn’t be fair to other customers who are paying for our CL editing service.

Thanks very much for your helps. I have a few questions and I would greatly appreciate if you could help me. I am doing a double degree master in Complex Systems Science (A multidisciplinary field), so I have studied one year at Warwick, UK and now I am studying the second year at Ecole Polytechnique, France. 1) Should I mention anywhere that I have had a multidisciplinary approach since in my field I have to interact with people with completely diverse backgrounds, from Physics and math to economics and Philosophy? 2)I have got a full scholarship from European commission for my studies. How should I mention it? 3)I think many people are not very acquainted with the structure of such joint programs between two universities in two different countries. In my CV, shall I mention it as two masters and not saying that they are in fact joint? 4)My master thesis has been about financial contagion and I do not have ant job or internship opportunity, so how should I write the second paragraph?

Thanks in advance and sorry it becomes too long. Mostafa

1. Not sure how you will be wording this one. Difficult to use this to stand out 2. Yes 3. No, put joint but you can separate the two in diff lines 4. Can’t help you on this one.

Hi, it’s me again. Does this template also apply for online applications where you have to upload the cover letter? Or can my personal adress, the banks adress and the date can be removed withous replacement?

Yes these templates apply to online apps too

No, I don’t think you should remove the details you mentioned

I’m a first year university student in the UK, and looking to apply to a spring division internship at Goldman Sachs (and probably many others in the near future).

I have litte actual experience in terms of working for firms, but have competed in many stock market challenges/competitions, and I have come to university a year early, having been moved up a year.

Clearly with my lack of experience, I will need to slightly change the template you have provided above; how would you recommend I do this?

Many thanks.

I nearly asked the same thing – but my question didn’t even appear.

You should elaborate on your stock market challenges/competitions

Is it okay to write under my asset mgmnt firm that I “increased producivity of checking several entries by about 60%”? It was an excelsheet with about 120 rows in which I had to find the entries which were more than once in these rows. (it was an excel formula I made for that).

Or does it sound ridiculous?

Oh, its in the CV, not the cover letter.

yes it does sounds a bit ridiculous and monotonous. Sorry.

So I’ll delete :) Thanks. Its very difficult to boost your CV.

btw: may I send you, Nicole, my CV that you could look over that? You see my email adress, i guess. I’d really appreciate it! Thinking, that it sounds “too” ridiculous…

We’re not offering resume editing at the moment but will be introducing it shortly, so you can watch for that announcement.

What does “shortly” mean? Within this month? And will it be free? If not, how much would it cost? If you’re launching in the very near future, please reserve one place for me :-).

Haha yes but not free. Sure.

Thanks for your work!

My question is that if I apply for some regions where original language is not English i.e. China, Japan, will it be ok I send a 2-page resume/cl with one in English and another Chinese/Japanese/whatever? or seperately in 2 .pdfs?

Thanks again

No. Not necessary. Just send a one-page resume in English

If bilingual required?

No still submit one pager unless they ask

Thanks Nicole.

Another not-related question, do you think that a 4-month full time internship in PE department of commercial banks, say, standard chartered, strong enough to pass the summer/FT online selection? prior to that i had internship in big-4. a senior in university and will pursue a finance master degree right after. thanks

Should do but again it depends on what position you are interviewing for and which division you are looking at. Also depends on who is screening you..However, I believe your experience should suffice

Do you think sending a cover letter with a CV directly to the Head of investment banking dpt is inappropriate? The bank is hiring (according to website). Sent my CV to HR a month ago, no responce.

Sure, just send him a brief email and your resume. No point in sending a cover letter – address what you need to say briefly on the email

What is your opinion about listing client names. Obviously working in a deal situation it would not be acceptable to mention a client name and the transaction itself if this is not public but in my case I have done a lot of work which didn’t result in deals however I am quite keen on mentionning the clients as I have worked with many PE and large Corporate clients. Is it fine to write: “selected list of clients: A,B,C,D,E…

Why would you want to use names there? Just for more credibility when you discuss deals? I would still avoid using names if possible for dead deals. You can still mention that you’ve worked with some big PE names such as X but I wouldn’t go into details; pretend deal is still ongoing even if it died, and leave out the names.

https://mergersandinquisitions.com/why-investment-banking-deals-fail/

You do such a great service for idiots like me!Keep it up.

Hi! For my motivation letter, which the company requires on their application website, shouldn’t I just say I like money and that I want to work for their company because I would like to earn a lot? Or should I go with the “It’s my passion… I like to be challenged… I’d like to contribute innovations for the growth of the business…” bits? Thank you!

applications for bulge brackets. thanks!

Um #2, always

Okay, thanks!

I am beginning to write my cover letter for a number of boutique banks in the fall to apply for analyst positions. What do I if I don’t know anyone at the firm and can’t namedrop a presentation I attended (1st paragraph)? Can I just say

“My name is John Smith, and I am a recent graduate of Fordham University (Class of 2011). I am interested in applying for an analyst position at XYZ firm”

Is there anything else I can add to the first paragraph to flesh out my cover letter a bit? Thank you very much and keep up the good work!

That’s fine

Hi, I recently switched to a major in economics from engineering. The engineering curriculum at my school is very challenging and had a negative impact on my GPA over my freshman/sophomore year (3.4 currently). Would it be appropriate to list that I was previously an engineering major on my resume to reflect the challenging curriculum I was previously engaged in?

Yes that’s a good idea or at least reflect coursework on there

Thanks for the cover letter and resume templates, they’re really helpful. A friend of mine used your templates to score a summer internship in corporate finance advisory at a big four company in london and I was able to score a SA offer in the IBD of a BB firm in frankfurt, germany. we’re both germans btw.

depending on how fulltime recruiting develops we should set something up for a “breaking into IB in europe”-feature if you see the demand for this. So long, Nick

Congrats, interesting to hear that it works in other countries. There are a few articles on Europe (UK, Germany, Italy) already but could use more if you have a unique angle.

A company was recruiting at my college, and all they asked for was for us to send them a 1-page motivational letter? Any idea what I can include in the letter? Eg, why me? Why should I get the offer? Why should I get the bursary? My strengths and weaknesses?

They don’t want a cv, they just want a motivational letter. I’m not too sure what to include in it. Any help would be appreciated.

I would just follow the cover letter template here and expand on it a bit… don’t go into strengths/weaknesses, just follow the outline above.

Thanks Brian for putting up such a nice website and sharing valuable stuff with us aspirers. I might be using a wrong space to look for your suggestions anyways here I go. My challenge here is to make a successful transition from a business development/ strategy side (prior 3 yrs of exp. with a commercial bank) to IB. Being done an MBA recently from a decent B school in UK where I gained the required skill sets for IB, I was targeting at BB which doesnot seems to be working out my way so I m considering the small boutiques as well to start with. I thought a good cover letter can win recruiters attention in my case. Any advice on the approach I should carry to enter into IB & put my prior experience into use to encash it is highly appreciated.

If you do a search for “Networking” and “Cold-calling” you’ll see the most helpful advice – cover letters do not make a difference, focus on your cold-calling and networking skills and do not give up until you try hundreds of places.

is it okay to put stuff on your resume you don’t mention in your cover letter? or should your resume ONLY include stuff from your cover letter?

It’s fine, you can’t even mention everything in the cover letter anyway

In the 3rd paragraph you explained that we should say something along the lines of “I am impressed by your track record of clients and transactions at Goldman Stanley…”

This is obviously a great way to tailor your cover letter, but I was wondering where you find out information of transactions. I’ve found some doing a simple Google search, but is there an independent authority that tracks all of these? As well, how do you know which transactions to mention? The ones that the firm is particularly proud of or ground-breaking?

Use the WSJ Deal Journal or NYT Dealbook to find recent deals they’ve done, anything sizable or significant e.g. the Goldman / Facebook deal

I realized I made a grammatical error in the last paragraph of my cover letter today. I never noticed it before and I’ve sent it to three places already, one BB and two boutiques. Big deal?

No, no one reads cover letters anyway

Firstly thanks for the website, it’s great.

My question is: in most summer IB internships, they ask several cover letter-like questions like “In 250 words max, describe your career aspirations” etc., however there’s usually an option to upload a cover letter as well. Would you advise keeping it concise or would you include examples of IB-related things, adapted to the question, despite the fact you’re effectively rewriting the cover letter?

This is in UK by the way.

Thanks in advance.

Just keep it concise – competency questions are not a big factor vs. CV/interviews.

Thank you for the template.

Quick questions:

Should we use the email format for a doostang message as well?

No keep it way shorter like 2-3 sentences maybe

Dear M&I,

I guess I’m the most complicated case here. I’m currently doing BA in Art History and Italian at UCL, London, now doing my Erasmus in Italy. However, last summer I worked as a M&A Summer Analyst in a small boutique bank specializing in cross-border M&As. There, I started from scratch, with no finance experience/knowledge, but learnt a lot and had lots of hands-on experience, since the company was really small and I was involved in literally everything.

I’m applying for summer internships in large investment banks and about to start writing my cover letters. I assume I must explain myself for studying Art History & Italian and my out-of-the-blue interest in I-Banking, plus use my last summer experience as a selling point. Any other specific hints?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Well, why did you work there? What made you interested in doing that? Reference a specific person or if nothing comes to mind use something from the news or your background e.g. I was always really interested in Italy and the UK and got interested in finance as a result of [xx] so I wanted to explore cross-border M&A and leverage my skills/interests like that.

Hi, I have completed my masters in Drug Discovery and Translational Biology. But currently I am planning to apply for any investment banking positions. As I don’t have any background or experience in the given field, i don’t what to write in the 2nd and 3rd paragraph.

Can you please help me,

Talk about the analytical skills you gained and how they apply, or the leadership / project management skills or anything else like that from previous internships or school.

Hey guys, this letter just repeats what is inside the Resume anyway. What is the additional value for the potential employer to read this kind of resume? There are no additional information. Wouldnt it be better to wite about your motiviation, your personal (not work) background, and reasons to chose this department/bank ? Or would it harm to do this?

Furthermore, the letter includes the information about resume enclosure 3(!) times. I like this site but this template really does not look too promising for me!

So don’t use it? The point is that no one reads cover letters, but in case they do, you don’t want to screw up by saying anything controversial or anything that could be misinterpreted.

If you start writing your personal story, bankers might mistake it for a soap opera script rather than cover letter.

Cover letters have no value at all, but just like grades if you screw one up it could hurt you. This template is intentionally boring and gives very little information because otherwise people would download this and insert pictures of unicorns, write about their past relationships, and other nonsense.

Great comment, made me laugh

Do you recommend being creative in cover letters, ie varying sentence structure, using big/expressive words ?

No, creativity is for marketing or poetry – this is finance.

I’m a US student currently at Oxford for my junior year. All the applications for the UK offices are online. I know you have already answered the question before, but I don’t want to make any mistakes. So just to clarify:

1. Omit the physical addresses, mine as well as theirs. 2. Omit the recruiters name leaving only the name of the bank 3. Omit the signature 4. Do not enclose resume since that is a separate attachment

Thanks so much in advance.

Hie ,i realy luv ur advice!.,Im doing a Bsc in Financial modelling with UNISA.is this a good start for a career in investment banking?.i finish next year, could u tell wat i can do to make myself marketable after graduation.

Honestly, I’m not sure on that one because I’m not familiar with the school. If a lot of banks recruit there, it’s fine; otherwise you should transfer elsewhere.

Its University of SouthAfrica ,im also staying in Africa.is there something i could do 2 giv me an added advantage over my coleagues?.

This article has some tips on South Africa: https://mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-south-africa/

Hey M&I,

What’s your take on headlines (i.e.Application for IB Analyst) and postscripts? I’ve heard from many friends to add them on because they will grab attention. But then again, they aren’t going into banking.

Thanks, Mack

Not applicable for banking

i will be applying to merrill lynch. In the template, you stated many of the internship and job roles that provide the skills required to be a great investment analyst. However, i was just wondering, if i have a perfect gpa, perfect sats score, how can i use these to my advantage in my cover letter?

You can’t really, just list them and be done with it – no point in trying to emphasize those because there’s not much to say and they speak for themselves.

Hi, If the firm’s online application says “you can only attach one file: this should contain your CV, cover letter and any other materials relevant for the position”, does it mean in the word document file I upload, the 1st page is resume, the 2nd page is cover letter and the 3rd is transcript? It looks pretty strange because the document is gonna be 4-5 pages. But since they only allow me to upload one file, I’m not sure what to do with the cover letter and the transcript. Or can I just omit them and attach the resume document only? Thanks a ton.

I would not send the transcript unless they specifically ask for it, otherwise just create a 2-page file with your cover letter and CV

First of all, great website! It’s really helpful and I think you guys are doing a great job.

I am visually impaired, however I have always followed regular education and have performed like anybody else (also in jobs, at associations, etc). Many banks stress their emphasis on diversity and now I am wondering if I should include this fact in my cover letter / online application? On the one hand I feel it would fit great into the whole “what are you most proud of”-question, but I am also scared it might work against me?

Please note I’m applying London, not NY. (I think European regulations might differ from US-ones). I go to a European target school.

Personally I would not list it on your CV / cover letter / online application, but maybe bring it up in an interview if it fits in naturally.

Hi Brian, I was beginning to start writing coverletters–atleast get them going, but I’m confused on where to find the unique strength of each BB, which makes it diff from its competitions. One of the things which makes a good cover letter is that its specific to a firm, but I dont know how to find such information. For instance, I was looking at MS, Barclays website in the section ,’Why MS’ or ‘Why Barclays’, and it seems every firm had the same agenda. We are committed to diversity , team player etc. Obv I need to go into more depth than this. Brian where I can find information specific to each BB on their website? I would really appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

You should read the WSJ Deal Journal blog and look for recent mentions of the bank and what deals they have been advising on – then reference those in the cover letter.

Hi Brian, I’m in a similar position as the above poster. For companies without a personal contact I want to talk about a specific deal they’ve advised on.

I’m just unsure how to formulate such a sentence without encouraging diffcult to answer questions.

E.g. I was thinking of something along the lines of “I was impressed with your company’s role as target advisor in the $X bn acquisition of companyX”

I’m afraid this would result in the question of ‘why were you impressed?’.

Any chance you could give a sample sentence of how you would talk about a deal in a cover letter?

P.S.: Keep up the good work with BIWS, love the constant updates. Highly recommended, well worth the money!

You can say something like “I recently saw news of your role as an advisor in the $X bn acquisition of company X and was immediately interested, since I’ve followed the [X] industry for awhile.”

Hi, I graduated from a target, went to medical school after graduation, but left after two years to pursue a career in investment banking. I now work at a small investment research firm, and I am applying for 2011 analyst class.

How much “explanation” do I need to do in cover letter? Or should I just focus on my job experience and modeling skills?

I don’t think you need much explanation since you quit medicine after 2 years, so just focus on other aspects

Is the physical address at the top still necessary if you’re attaching the cover letter as a .PDF in an online form?

I can’t thank you enough for all these info Brian,

In all honesty, I did have a sudden family death last year for which I had to leave school in the middle of the semester and come back after about two weeks. I got in a lot of psychological stress and uncertainty and I ended up messing up my grades significantly for two semesters. However, I did improve last semester with a full workload (maximum number of credit hours allowed at my school + advanced level classes) and got near 4.0.

How should I mention this on my cover letter? Also, how would I do that on an electronic cover letter which should only be about 4-5 sentences?

Thanks again in advance.

I would just say you had a health issue and had trouble balancing everything, but quickly learned your lesson and received perfect grades right after that. Giving a family excuse sounds fake so I would probably not write that even if it’s true.

Thanks but the thing is that wasn’t my freshman year. It was my sophomore year. So I did well my freshman year than poorly as a sophomore and improved as a junior.

Also, what about the electronic cover letter? Would it be ok to take up some sentences to explain my situation?

Just say you did poorly “at first” and then improved and have perfect grades this past year. I would still keep your cover letter short as no one has time to read a lot.

I would appreciate your advice on this.

I’m a senior at a target school in Far East Asia. It’s really tough to get into a BB here and I’m thinking of visiting each BB and handing them my resume and cover letter to ask for a junior equity research position. I doubt I’d be able to personally meet the head of research or a senior analyst without prior arrangement, so I’d be probably handing my resume and cover letter to HR. I need to stand out but I have no equity research internship experience. What I do have, is a equity S&T internship at a BB and a RA (intern) at a top-tier mgmt. consulting firm. Plus experience managing a personal portfolio and trading derivatives in notable amounts.

Now, my problem is this. I made it to the final round for a junior ER position at GS but unfortunately was not given the offer (the offer ended up going to someone with some full-time experience in ER; had I been competing against fresh-out-of-college candidates would the result have been different?). I would like to mention this in my resume or cover letter hoping that it would serve as evidence that I’m really interested in ER and that I have the potential. But I’m worried that this might send the wrong signal. Who would like to accept a candidate knowing that he was unsuccessful elsewhere? I’m worried that I might appear arrogant in their eyes. I’m thinking of visiting CS, UBS, Citi, MS, ML, JPM, etc. In ER here in Asia, they’re at least at par with GS if not better…

I realize that answer to this may depend on the culture here. Please advise. Thanks.

I would not mention an unsuccessful interview with GS for the reasons you mentioned.

Hi Brian! Long time reader, first time poster. I’m currently a rising senior at a target school on the tale end of my internship at a strong boutique bank in New York. I only have one week left, and I’ve been given zero modeling opportunities. I’m very disappointed. I figure that I should ask for some modeling work. But I have some questions.

1) Does it reflect poorly in interviews for full-time that I didn’t do any modeling? Should I “stretch” the truth?

2) Do you have any other relevant comments about doing a junior year internship and not getting any modeling experience? I’m concerned with how this hurts my full-time credentials, how this might affect my resume, and how overall my standing will decrease relative to my peers because I didn’t get modeling experience.

It’s quite common not to have modeling experience… just say you did research and assisted with potential clients / potential buy-side deals but don’t say anything about modeling. Most people do no modeling in their internships so it doesn’t matter much anyway.

What’s a better part-time fall internship, BB PWM or no-name boutique (I mean no name.. say 3-7 employees)?

Both are about the same, but the boutique is better for your resume because you can write “Investment Banking Analyst”

off-topic question:

I often read though it’s June interviews are still taking place.

When do banks in America/Europe begin accepting applications for: 1) summer interns (analyst) 2) full-time (analyst/associate)

Is the end of a summer intern equivalent to the end of the full-time offer application period? Because ppl. might are offered a full-time offer after their summer intern.

To put it in a nutshell: When is recruting/application time generally?

Summer interns are December/January, full-time is August-September.

And when do you start as summer intern, when u successfully applied in dec/jan or successfully applied for aug/sep?

Summer interns usually start in June

This post reminded me of the classic cover letter to Lehman that was on Leveraged Sellout. I tried to see it, but it appears LSO has shutdown. Is this the case? Are the days of re-reading the same, hilarious stories over?

I don’t know because it’s not my site, but yes it appears to be down. Maybe check the google cache.

Thanks for the release of this article, much appreciated.

Curious on an unrelated question though, when you try to develop relationships with bankers and do the initial outreach to set up an information interview, how far ahead should you plan? I mean should you give them dates within the week you email, 2 weeks ahead, etc?

Also, for specific time slots you ask for, what time is it usually best for a banker to talk to someone about that? Like early morning, late night, right after lunch, etc?

Thanks again, H

Give dates within the next 1.5 weeks so they have a few days to respond. Usually right after lunch is best for bankers, for traders you have to call after market hours are over

Hi Brian, Thanks for the website, I have a quick question for you. I am in one of the new Masters in Finance/Management programs. I am at a target school for undergrad/MBA (think UNC/Duke/UVA). However, since the program is very new, banks don’t know much about it. Aditionally, although I have had some Wealth Management internship experience, I don’t have an I-Banking internship.

Given my situation, do you think it is better for me (in terms of B-school and exit opportunities) to go into a top ten consulting firm (excluding MBB) or try for mid-market/boutique investment banks (My school is very good in placing people in consulting), assuming I don’t get into a BB. I ultimately want to end up in PE or HF (preferably PE).

Thanks for your help.

I would still say banking because consulting –> PE is very tough unless you go for firms like Golden Gate Capital that hire a lot of ex-consultants… and even there they’re mostly from MBB. Much easier to go from smaller bank –> PE than to go from smaller consulting firm –> PE.

Should I mention the fact that my company is in F500? It’s know in Europe, but I doubt it is known in North America.

You can add it in, yes

I don’t have any inside experience about the recruiting process, but a friend/colleague of mine (BB) mentioned that while recruiting for regional european branches/off-cycle internships often look at the cover letter, they almost never do it for summer positions in London.

Everyone seems to have different stories re: cover letters, but they are certainly less important than resumes, networking, or interviews

What about for laterals?

Same template applies but talk about how your previous banking experience applies to the new position you’re applying for

I appreciate your template for its compactness, I understand I shouldnt overestimate the competition, but Im trying to sell myself to the recruiter, so simply mentioning my skills and experience will not differentiate me from the “competitor”…?

I personally dont have so much experience in the finance realm (although Im genuinely interested in it and have managed to get a ten day insight into a BB) so do you encourage mentioning transferable skills I acquired through extra curricular activities, ie football = teamwork, etc, etc…

Cover letters are not really the place to “sell” yourself, which is why this is short… much safer to keep it boring and then do the selling via networking / interviews.

I know this is supposed to be basic, but the first paragraph is pretty useless. Your name, university/job position and contact details will already be on your resume so what’s the point in wasting time and space repeating the details on your cover letter. Also, saying “I am interested in pursuing an [Investment Banking Analyst / Associate] position at your firm” is also somewhat redundant, since the recruiter knows what position you’re applying for.

The template is good as a starting point, but on the off chance someone actually does read your cover letter, I would try to do a lot more than just make redundant statements.

This template is for both email and traditional letters… and in email it’s certainly not redundant. Even with traditional letters you are introducing new information by giving the name of the person you met at their firm as well as your major / where you’re working more specifically.

so do you expect the same stats as what you have written for the resume template? A given population, and a limited percentage will download it, and even a limited percentage will copy it word for word?

Cheers, thanks for all the great info!

In the grand scheme of things, yes – online a lot of people use these templates but most people who apply to banks do not use them.

I’m currently a rising junior at a semi target looking to be a SA next summer. This past summer I interned at a discount brokerage firm but had significant responsibilities (they didn’t have to hire an additional broker because of me) and got a lot of experience and face time with clients.

I have an opportunity to apply for a PWM internship for the fall with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Should I continue with my current internship through the fall or would it look better to move to the more distinguished name? I imagine the work would be similar. thanks

Go to the better name

nice template, it sure will be easier for internationals like me to write one now. thanks.

Thank you for the cover letter template.

“If you’re making the body of your email the cover letter, make it even shorter (4-5 sentences total) and cut out the address bits at the top.”

Do you mean we should drastically cut down the entire 4 paragraph cover letter into 4-5 sentences?

Yes, make it so they don’t have to scroll much (if at all) when reading on a Blackberry. 1-2 sentence intro, 2 sentences on your work experience and how it makes you fit for the job and then 1 sentence conclusion.

A nicely put article! Anyway, I like the new template for the website too!

A question that is unrelated to the article:

How far does an interviewer expect you to know in a previous live deal that you were previously involved in as an INTERN? I mean really, to be fair, often times, even if interns are being put into live deals, they are only doing menial works (including me), such as researching, data mining, presentation slides building, etc.

How far of financial analysis would the interviewer expect you to know?

Also, in terms of financial modeling, you’ve said it before that it is the kind of work that everyone should want to be exposed to. But what if the financial modeling is not for a live deal, but for a potential deal? Would it still look better than the menial works in live deals?

Thank you! You have no idea how helpful you have been.

They expect you to know what you indicate you know… so don’t set expectations very high. And yes any type of modeling work is better than menial tasks

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How to Write a Cover Letter for a Banking Job

Last Updated: July 11, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Kolby Goodman . Kolby Goodman is a Career & Job Search Coach and the Founder of The Job Huntr. With over eight years of experience, he specializes in resume edits, interview preparation, LinkedIn profile feedback, and professional interview coaching. Additionally, his career advice has been featured in publications such as The Huffington Post. Kolby holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from San Diego State University. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 133,190 times.

If you are seeking a job in the banking industry, a cover letter is an essential component of your application process. Banks usually skim through large volumes of applications for open positions, so you need to maximize every word of your cover letter to make it stand out. Fortunately, by researching the company and the position, explaining how precisely you would fit both, and organizing and formatting your letter properly, you can increase the odds of your cover letter landing you the banking job of your dreams.

Gathering Information for Your Letter

• Study the company’s website closely. Look for anything that makes it distinctive in relation to its peers. Research its business strategy and culture, as well as all of the services it provides.
• For example, if the bank’s website highlights the amount of international clients it has, make a point of mentioning this fact in your cover letter and state that you’re particularly interested in international banking.
• Gather all the details you can about the nature of the position itself. Read the advertisement carefully. Reach out to the contact person on the job ad for more information.
• Whether you’re looking to become a loan officer at your local branch or an investment banker at a national firm, you should expect stiff competition for the job. A generic, cookie-cutter cover letter is unlikely to make the cut.

• For example, you can easily find a template and sample cover letter for a loan officer position online that uses a 3-paragraph format and bullet points to emphasize the most critical information. But this should only provide inspiration for a letter tailored to the precise job you are seeking.
• If you're sending out several applications to different banks, you can use the same rough template. But the heart of your letter, the central paragraph(s), should be specifically tailored to each particular position.

• Your letter essentially has to answer several key questions, including: “Who am I?”, “Why do I want this (specific) job?”, “Why should you want me for this (specific) job?”, and “What do I have (attributes, skills, experiences, etc.) that you need?”
• For example, when applying for a banking job, some skills that would make you a particularly strong candidate include communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and cash handling skills.
• If you want to get a job as a bank teller, it can be really helpful to garner some experience in a position that involves customer service and cash handling, such as a salesperson or cashier.

• This may be your academic achievements in relevant coursework; your prior successful experience in the industry; a successful internship with a glowing recommendation; or your relevant experiences in another field.
• For example, if you’re applying for a job as a bank teller, a good factor to emphasize would be your ample work experience in a customer service position that involved handling large amounts of cash.

Writing Your Letter

• Aim for at most 2-3 sentences for your introduction. Sticking to 35 total words, especially if you must stick with a one-page letter, will also leave ample space for the central paragraph(s).
• “Greetings. My name is Casey Weinberg, and I am applying for a job as an assistant branch manager” is brief but dull. Allow your introduction to introduce not only you, but the central components of your case for being hired: “Greetings. My name is Casey Weinberg, and with my 15 successful years of serving client needs both inside and outside the financial sector, I am ready to bring my knowledge and experience to being an assistant branch manager at Sunbelt Community Bank.”
• If you have any contacts or character references within the company, mention these in your introductory paragraph as well.

• An example of describing a positive achievement in a previous job would be: “As a project manager, I managed to successfully 3 projects within 4 months without going over our unit’s budget.”
• Be sure you match your skills and experiences to the specific qualifications listed in the job description. Give the reader a concrete sense of how your past experiences can come to bear in specific ways in this job.

• For example, if this particular banking company is known for producing some of the most successful people in the financial industry, say that you want to work for what is evidently one of the best financial institutions in the business.
• A slight hint of flattery and a lot of research will go a long way in this paragraph. Don’t be afraid to wear your heart on your sleeve when it comes to explaining why you’re seeking a job with this particular company.

• Make sure you include your contact information in this paragraph if it isn’t included at the top of your letter. If possible, include multiple different means of getting in touch with you.
• Thank the reader for their time and consideration before concluding the cover letter with “Sincerely, Casey Weinberg.”

Formatting and Editing Your Letter

• Use active phrases that focus on results and outcomes. Make it clear that you have gotten things done in the past and will continue to do so in this new position.
• For instance, consider the differing impact of the following 2 statements: “I’m a highly competent change management professional who has worked on a number of projects at major banks,” versus “I managed a team of 18 technology and business analyst staff who successfully switched to a major new payments system six weeks ahead of time and 8% under budget.”
• The more specific you can be in a limited number of words, the better.

• Some job postings may list word or page limits for cover letters. You can also ask the contact person if there are any.
• A cover letter is your opportunity to “personalize” your resume. They should complement each other to present a quick yet thorough portrait of you as a strong job candidate. Thus, place the most important information about you near the top of the letter, just as you would with a resume.

• Refrain from using bold fonts or colors; although these certainly will make your cover letter stand out, they may also make you seem unprofessional.
• With many letters to read and quick decisions to make, the people assessing applications want to be able to find what they need quickly and without distracting changes or errors. Nothing but the content of the text should occupy their attention.

• Use someone knowledgeable in the banking field, if possible, so they can suggest industry-specific clarifications, additions, or excisions.
• Always look for ways to cut words from your letter. A cover letter that references all the necessary information can never really be too short.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://hbr.org/2014/02/how-to-write-a-cover-letter
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/cover-letter-template
• ↑ Kolby Goodman. Career & Job Search Coach. Expert Interview. 28 June 2022.
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/recruitment/job-description/banker
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/cover-letter-format/
• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/coverletters/
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/powerful-ways-to-start-a-cover-letter
• ↑ https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/cover-letter-words/
• ↑ https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/cover-letters
• ↑ https://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/investment-banking-and-investment/advice/412890-applying-for-an-investment-graduate-job-write-a-covering

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The cover letter that will get you a job in a bank

Do you really need to write a cover letter when you're applying for a job in an investment bank? These days, it's surely all about the skills in your CV - who's got the time to read that extra blurb saying how perfect you are for the role?

Recruiters working with experienced hires certaintly don't have the time. Most of the banking recruiters we speak to treat the cover letters (or 'cover emails') they receive from experienced candidates as an irrelevance. "For experienced roles, we rarely look at cover letters," says the CEO of one London-based financial services recruitment firm. I just go for the CV," agrees another. "I look at the CV and then I phone them. - If the CV is relevant, I'll get everything that would have been in the cover letter from that call." 

This doesn't mean you should just attach a CV/resume with no introductory email. It does mean that the introductory email might not be read - but you still need to make sure you don't make common mistakes like referencing the wrong bank, or forgetting to attach your CV altogether.

However, there some situations in which cover letters can make all the difference.  

These include:

• When you're applying for graduate jobs in banking.
• When you're applying to banks directly (without going through external recruiters),
• And... when you happen to be using a recruiter who simply likes cover letters (hard to tell!).

"For graduate hires, cover letters are very important," says one headhunter. Just how important is reflected by the fact that some banks specify them as a must-have in the ir graduate recruitment process .   Banks like Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Barclays, Morgan Stanley and Macquarie typically all demand that their would-be analysts in Europe write cover letters or something very similar, says Victoria McLean, a former Goldman Sachs recruiter and founder of banking CV specialists, City CV.   "Some banks still ask for specific questions to be answered around motivation, strengths and key behaviours/competencies (these are of varying word counts depending on the bank)," she says.

Goldman Sachs historically demanded that recruits write a 300 word personal statement as a cover letter. A former recruiter at the firm told us it was  very important. "Some students were excellent until they got to the cover letter," - those 300 words let them down.

What makes a good banking cover letter? Mai Le, a former Goldman Sachs investment banking associate who ran  CoverLetterLibrary , a community which houses a collection of cover letters that have enabled juniors to get jobs at banks in the past. Le says the best cover letters have two things in common: narrative structure (they emphasize your story and show the choices that brought you here) and facts and figures that underscore your background and achievements. By comparison, Le says the worst banking cover letters suffer from key-word stuffing, irrelevant information and spelling and grammatical mistakes.

It can help to follow a general template... 

You need to tailor your cover letters for each job you apply to. But this doesn't mean that you can't write a cover letter that follows a template. It does mean that each time you apply for a new job, you will need to fill in the template all over again.

McLean suggests your template follows the following format: Introduction. Why me? Why you? Why this job? In total, the text within the template should be no more than 750 words, or one A4 page, long. Le says some candidates also use a format that's ordered as, Why this job? Why this bank? Why me?  "It's a matter of personal preference," she says. Ultimately, you want all these elements in the cover letter and should go with which ever you feel comfortable with.

Either way, here's what to include.

The easy introductory paragraph

The first paragraph is all about explaining why you're writing. If you're applying for a graduate job in a bank, keep it short and sweet.

"The first paragraph is just to say who you are and why you're writing the letter," says McLean.

This paragraph might read something like. "I am an X with X year history of X at global banking firms including X as well as X. I have been working for X for the past X years."

If you're writing a Goldman Sachs cover letter that's 300 words or less, you can ditch this style of opening paragraph. - There's just no space for it.

If you're writing to a recruiter, there's less need to be quite so brief with your introduction. Say who you are, and explain why you've approached that recruiter in particular: "If someone says they've been referred to me by someone I know and respect, I will sit up and pay attention," says one U.S. recruiter. "The same applies if they say they've learned that I mentor women and that this is something they're interested in too."

In other words, when you're writing a cover letter to a recruiter, you need to know who you're writing to. Use this introductory paragraph to address them in person. Flattery will get you everywhere.

The selling yourself paragraph. 'Why you?'

The second paragraph is usually harder. This is where you need to start selling yourself, expressing your personality, and explaining why you're such a hot catch. It's here that you can add in some of the narrative explaining how you came to apply for this role, plus some of the substantiating figures that Le says make successful cover letters so effective.  Don't  use bland and empty phrases like, "I am a determined, motivated person." Do look at the key words and skills used to describe the job you're applying for and (without too obviously reiterating the ad) explain how you match them. Focus on the results and on  outcomes you've achieved in similar situations in the past.  You need to be specific and you need to bring yourself to life.

If you're writing a cover letter to accompany a graduate application, McLean says you can use the second paragraph to talk about what you've studied and how it's relevant. If you've studied finance and know how to do a DCF, now's the time to mention that. If you haven't studied finance but have good relationship management skills and you want to work i n M&A (a relationship-focused business), say that here. Provide EVIDENCE for the skills you're claiming to have.- List any awards you've won. Never, ever, make empty statements. "Many successful trading cover letters feature the candidate's trading return profile and their rationales for their success or failure," says Le. " - Cover letters for sales positions highlight the candidate's track record that evident their ability as a natural salesperson."

The motivational paragraph. 'Why this job (in this sector?)'

If you're an experienced hire applying through a recruiter or applying directly to a bank, this is where you explain why you want the job you're applying for. If you're a student applying for a first job, this is why you need to explain why you want this job and why you want to work in this sector. Be specific -  you'll need to know about the job and the sector before you start this section.

As a student, you'll need to link your skills back to your motivation for working in that area of banking above others, says McLean. Why M&A? Why not sales and trading? Why not compliance?  - If you want to work in operations , for example, explain how you have a passion for building systems and improving efficiency, as evidenced by your system for serving customers in your weekend job...

"You should include what you love about the industry to which you are applying," says McLean. "Why is it important to YOU? Why does it matter to YOU? How does it make a difference to YOU? and why is it interesting to YOU? Especially valid for Graduates: Why finance? Why investment banking / asset management?  before addressing the specifics of the division or programme to which you are applying. The key is to make this personal…. This is where most grads go wrong in their cover letters, they sound too generic and impersonal."

The connection paragraph. 'Why this bank ?'

The fourth paragraph is all about explaining why you want to work for that particular bank. Again, you need to be specific. McLean says graduates often copy and paste from banks' own websites. For example, it's not unheard of for them to write, "I want to work for Goldman Sachs because you have 170 locations across 90 cities in over 30 countries."  This will get you nowhere.

"The idea is not to flatter your potential employer but to identify what makes them a good choice for you and you a good fit," says McLean. "Telling Goldman or Citi you want to work for them because they are the best is not going to impress anyone. However, writing that it’s an opportunity to work with some of the best minds on the street and that you want to be held to those same exacting standards is a bit more engaging." But you need to put this in your own words: you need to make it personal and say what the banks strengths mean to YOU.

The other ex-Goldman Sachs recruiter we spoke to said she particularly looked for, "creativity and effort and writing about Goldman Sachs," when running through students' cover letters. People were expected to say exactly why they wanted to work for Goldman rather than, say, J.P. Morgan.

Instead of just reiterating what you've read on banks' websites, therefore, you need to cite some unusual reasons for choosing that bank that will make you stand out. If you're a student, it helps to say that you've met some of the banks' staff and were impressed by them.  Citigroup, for example, suggests that  student cover letters  reference encounters with the bank's staff at recruitment events. - Make a note of the staff you meet and explain what they said or did that impressed you, and what made you think you'd like to work with them.

Mark Hatz, a former M&A associate at Goldman Sachs and Perella Weinberg Partners who now helps people get jobs in banking , says stressing your rapport with people you've met from the firm is particularly important when you're applying for a job in M&A or capital markets: "These are advisory businesses and they want to see that you can build a rapport and work in a team. If you get the job, you'll also be spending a lot of hours in the office with these people, so showing you like them is very important."

It also helps to reference the bank's strategy, to mention any awards the bank won, and to cite any conversations you've had with or comments you've read from other industry professionals and analysts who've given concrete reasons why it's good place to work. Everything in this section needs to be positive. - You need to explain why you want to work for Deutsche Bank specifically without writing anything that denigrates its rivals. The more senior you are, the more you will need to reference solid strategy points at this stage.

"Show a grasp of where they are going, what the plan is and why this appeals to you," says McLean. Show that you know their strategy and that you agree with the way they're addressing challenges. "You should also write about the future of the firm. You should be planning to be there for a few years and hoping to share that future with them," McLean adds. Look at the shareholder letter in the last annual report for information on a bank's strategy.

The call to action

Finally, you need to end the cover letter with a call to action. McLean suggests completing the letter with the following sentence: "I really look forward to hearing from you. I am available for interview and contactable by X.'

Simple. Except all of this has to be written in 750 words - or just 300 if you're a student applying to Goldman Sachs. It's not so easy after all.

Click here to create a profile on eFinancialCareers. Make yourself visible to recruiters hiring for top jobs in technology and finance. 

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