How To Write A Better Finance Cover Letter

Best Investment Banking Cover Letter Examples for This Year

Updated February 28, 20241.1k

Knowledge and talent are paramount to becoming a better investment banker. Here’s how you can show these skills in your investment banking cover letter.

Investment Banking Cover Letter Example

Investment bankers need to understand all the complex ins and outs of financial services, which means that a hiring manager needs to be sure that you’ll have the necessary knowledge before they hire you. Although your resume will give them much of this information, you should write a cover letter to provide even more insight into your experience as an investment banker. Here’s an investment banking cover letter sample that you can use to write your own.

Investment Banking Cover Letter Example

Before you write your cover letter, you’ll want to know how these cover letters look. Here’s a great example that you can start with.

Dear Mr. Smith,

When I completed my investment banking internship, I was ranked No. 2 in a group of 50, placing me in the perfect position to immediately move into an investment banking analyst position at Goldman Sachs. Through that time, I worked mainly in valuation for various companies, helping organizations understand how much they were worth in capital markets. This experience has led me to apply for the full-time investment banker position at Company Name.

I am always looking for ways to help companies get better investors. That means looking through financial statements, understanding information like cash flow and private equity, and looking at trends on Wall Street to know how much the company will likely be worth. No matter what a company is looking for, I excel at creating financial modeling for them and helping them attain their goal.

During my time with Goldman Sachs, I have helped dozens of companies, and I hope to help even more in this position. Please let me know when we can sit down and discuss how I can benefit your company.

Sincerely,

Mario Zenon

Although your investment banker cover letter will likely be slightly longer than this, this is a great starting point for anyone who doesn’t know how the cover letter format looks.

Tips for Writing Your Investment Banking Cover Letter Using This Example

The first step to a strong investment banking cover letter is to write a great salutation. Don’t use “Dear Hiring Manager” or “To Whom It May Concern.” Instead, use the hiring manager’s name. Remember to include your contact information with your phone number, email address and professional social media links in the cover letter header, like your LinkedIn profile. Then, you can write the rest of the cover letter.

First paragraph: Introduce yourself with a hook and list your best achievements

You want a solid first paragraph to pull the hiring manager in and give them a great reason to keep reading. That means loading your first paragraph with as much impactful information as possible. At the beginning of this paragraph, this applicant leads with the fact that he was ranked No. 2 during his internship experience. Then he immediately transitioned into a position at Goldman Sachs. These are both highly respectable elements of an early career and help set the stage for why the applicant is the right choice.

Second paragraph: Give more information about how you’re the best fit for the job

Now that you know the recruiter is reading your cover letter, you can delve into more of the reasons why you’re the best person for the job. This applicant mentions his general skills, including his ability to help companies curate investors. This helps refine his job search, allowing him to indicate precisely the type of position he’s looking for. If you have extra information to tell your recruiter, you can use bullet points underneath this second paragraph to outline important qualifications and achievements.

Third paragraph: Call to action

Finally, in the third paragraph, you want to reiterate your reasons for being the best person for your potential employer, then issue a call to action. This closes your cover letter effectively, setting you apart from other job seekers and creating a more effective job application.

FAQ: Investment Banking Cover Letters

Do I really need a cover letter to get an investment banking job?

While it might seem unnecessary at first glance, especially if the job description only mentions an investment banking resume, a cover letter is an excellent addition to your job application. A cover letter allows you to explain more about your job history, general experience and qualifications for a job. You can also write your cover letter with the cover letter builder at ResumeNerd.

How long should my cover letter be to get an investment banking job?

Cover letters should be between half a page and three-quarters of a page, which is around 250-350 words. This is long enough for you to talk about all the important elements of your resume and build upon the experiences you’ve generally touched on, but not so long that a hiring manager may not read the entire letter. Cover letter writing is about putting as much information as possible into a fairly short piece of writing.

Does this cover letter example work if I don’t have a lot of experience?

Even if you don’t have much work experience, this cover letter example can work well for you. Instead of focusing primarily on your work-related expertise and qualifications, you’ll want to focus on your skills and educational experience. Bring up any education awards, such as graduating cum laude or making the Dean's List, as well as volunteer and academic work.

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About The Author

Cindi Cervone Carlson

Cindi Cervone Carlson is a Senior Vice President for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Cindi is responsible for developing, delivering, and implementing a dynamic, world-class organization dedicated to delivering outplacement consulting, training, support, and executive coaching. Cindi started her career at Challenger as a client who had lost her job. Over the past nine years, she has risen from an entry-level, part-time professional to Senior Vice President.