3 Reasons Why Your Investment Banking Cover Letter is Making You Look Like a Fool and What to Do About It
UPDATE: While the information in this article is still good, there is now a full investment banking cover letter template right here. That template, along with the tutorial here should answer all your cover letter questions.
“I have read Monkey Business, Liar’s Poker, and When Genius Failed each 3 times and consider them my collective bible. I know I have the eye for perfection and artistic vision to create truly immaculate pitch books. I am a Microsoft Certified in Excel, and I know all the shortcut keys (alt-i then r, that will insert a new row).”
-RE: Lehman Brothers Recruiting, The Leveraged Sellout
Despite my claims that “we never read cover letters,” some readers have pointed out that almost all banks require them. And some places might even pay attention to them.
I’ve seen lots of cover letters lately – and nearly all of them suffer from the same problems.
Here’s how to avoid these common mistakes and how to structure your cover letters properly, so you can avoid looking like The Joker.
Let’s Set the Record Straight: Who Actually Reads Them?
In 99% of cases, only small boutiques (or small private equity firms) actually care about cover letters.
Big banks don’t have the time to go through stacks of cover letters. Remember the 30-second rule: if only 30 seconds are spent reviewing your resume and making a yes/no decision, you can imagine how much time is spent on the cover letter.
Small places care more because:
- “Fit” is extremely important when there are only 4 people in the office; and
- They actually have time to read cover letters (occasionally).
The True Purpose of Cover Letters
Cover letters are similar to GPA / test scores: a great one doesn’t help you much, but a poor one can kill your chances if someone happens to notice it.
And there are a few mistakes that come up repeatedly – no matter who you are or what you’re applying to.
Mistake #1: Writing a Life Story, Not a Cover Letter
I’ve seen some really long cover letters before. Keep it to 1 page – 500 words or less – and ideally 300 words or less.
Yes, I’m sure you have a very interesting life story about how you were abandoned by your parents and raised by wolves on the outskirts of a tribal village, but please don’t tell me any of this.
Get to the point – who you are, what you’ve done, and why we should pay attention to you.
Mistake #2: Telling Me Your Favorite Book is Monkey Business
Microsoft Certified in Excel? Extra in American Psycho? Know the bank’s market share in Mongolian M&A deals?
Great, but don’t waste my time with this trivia. All I care about is whether you can do the work.
If you have a relevant skill, such as fluency in another language, that’s ok to bring up. But almost every other Skill/Activity/Interest is pointless.
Mistake #3: Writing The Sound and the Fury, Not a Cover Letter
Logic is key when you’re selling someone on yourself – and that’s what a cover letter does.
So don’t write a letter using stream of consciousness.
An amazing number of cover letters skip around and don’t present the applicant’s background coherently.
Just like any other type of writing, you need an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
The Ideal Cover Letter
So how do you actually write a solid cover letter?
Follow the tips below, and then copy the investment banking cover letter template once you’ve figured out what you’re going to say.
The Information at the Top
Nothing too fancy here. Your name and contact information could go on the right side, and the recruiter’s / firm’s name and contact information could go on the left.
If you don’t have a name, don’t panic – just use the company name and address instead. Yes, it’s better to have a real name and send it to a real person, but it’s not a deal-breaker.
Similarly, “Dear so-and-so” works better if the “so-and-so” is someone’s name but if you don’t have it, “Dear Sir or Madam” is acceptable.
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Here’s where you say who you are and how you learned of the opportunity – from networking, from an event, from a friend or however else you found out. Then you say what attracts you to the company and the specific position.
Keep this short – 2 to 3 sentences is best.
Paragraph 2: Your Background
This is usually your longest paragraph. Start out by writing what you’re currently doing, and then give the relevant internships/jobs you’ve had. Focus on useful skills (e.g. financial analysis) and whatever you did that’s applicable to banking, trading, or whatever you’re applying for.
A reverse chronological structure works well because most of the time, your most relevant experience will also be the most recent.
I would use no more than 5 sentences for this one. Paragraph 3: Why You’re a Good Fit
This is a shorter paragraph. You should explain why your skills / experiences match whatever you’re applying for and re-iterate what makes you interested.
If you have anything unique (for example, you’re applying to a middle-market private equity firm after having run your own middle-market company), you may also want to mention it here as another selling point.
Paragraph 4: Conclusion
Remind them that your resume is enclosed, give your contact information and say that you look forward to hearing from them soon. Keep this to a few short sentences.
Exceptions
Sometimes this exact structure doesn’t work – if you’ve had more extensive experience (i.e. you’re not just out of undergraduate or business school) or have unusual circumstances, you may want to write something slightly different.
Let’s say you’re applying to investment management firms in China and you grew up there, having moved abroad when you were 10 – in that case you probably want to use 1 paragraph for your “finance experience” and another paragraph for your “China experience” rather than just writing 1 “background” paragraph.
No matter what your background, though, keep your cover letter brief, logical and relevant.
Otherwise you look like a fool.
For Further Learning
If you haven’t already done so, you should really go and download the investment banking cover letter template right now and look at the tutorial there.
All you need to do is copy and paste and fill in the blanks with your own information – don’t you love the Internet?
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Wow, i’ve been looking around for something like this for months.
Glad to help. I never get any comments on educational posts. :)
We’re all too busy re-writing out resumes/cover letters whenever you make one of these posts.
Your fault really.
I’m currently going through summer internship applications and was wondering if you could help clear up the difference between funds management/ investment management/ asset management/wealth management. What are the relevant exit opps for such career paths?
Keep up the good work on the site,
Honestly, I’m not an expert in this area because I have not worked in any of those fields before. My understanding is that wealth management is more focused on individuals, and the others are more focused on institutional investors… “asset management” is usually a broad term that encompasses everything.
I’m not sure specifically what’s better/worse but generally most people in those fields go into hedge funds / trading.
My understanding is;
Fund management deals with managing a financial institution’s liquidity e.g. to make sure that loan repayments are received in time to pay off the maturity of deposits.
Investment management deals with the management of securities for both institutional and private investors.
Asset management involves handling investments for high net wealth investors, institutional investors, governments etc. The cost associated with asset managers makes this service only available to affluent investors.
Wealth management is an advisory branch aimed at assisting wealthy individuals to enhance their long-term growth of wealth.
Hope this helps.
I don’t know how late this comment is, but just in case someone’s reading this:
Fund Management and Asset Management are used almost interchangeably (in Asia, at least). They are both used to refer to pension fund, mutual fund, hedge fund, endowment fund, unit trust management and whatnot as a whole.
Investment Management can take on a wider range of meanings, depending on who’s using it. I have seen it used to refer to someone managing an institution’s funds, or managing an individual’s funds for them, or even running a hedge fund.
Wealth Management would be what is referred to in some circles as Private Banking, except that WM is typically target at customers who are least in the Mass Affluent (~>=$100k in assets invested) category, and goes all the way up to Ultra High Net Worth (~>=30m).
References: Hong Kong’s SFC’s Fund Management Survey; Singapore’s MAS’ Asset Management Survey; any number of Wealth Management reports.
If recruiters don’t really look at cover letters, what’s the best way to convey to them my interest in a certain industry/product group or geographic location? Do they usually ask my preferences during the interviews?
Thanks.
Yeah usually you should indicate in interviews or on the online form they have you fill out. Speaking with them beforehand also helps.
Does this template work for summer internship applications? I was thinking of the “Background” part. What can an undergraduate student with almost no prior work experience write? My “background” consists of two years of college in France (social sciences), then one year as an exchange student in the US (UC Berkeley…is it considered a good university?), then my fourth year here in France (I’ve only started to study finance this year -yes in France this is five years, so I’m graduating in 2010, with a major in finance). I’ve only had one internship (3 months, public sector), so there is not much to say about my work experience. However I have been involved in several extra-curricular projects and associations within my school (including the finance club but I don’t know if it is relevant). So I really don’t know which “useful skills” to emphasize! I feel like I have no experience and nothing to prove that I have “useful skills”… Any help?
Then write about your experience with activities, and say how it’s only your second year in school. Emphasize how you’ve led groups and teams and worked on projects, and how you’ve developed your analytical abilities through classes and projects.
I love your advice! I had no idea that I was breaking some of the cardinal rules – but I was! I was able to correct these gaffes and I bet I will be more successful because of it.
Well, keep in mind cover letters are relatively unimportant next to resumes/CVs. And there are rarely 100% hard-and-fast rules, these are just the guidelines I use.
Glad you found them helpful.
I really like your website, it gives very good guidance. I am a JD/MBA student who believes that the legal aspect of the world will help my decision making abilities as I move up the ladder in investment banking. I do not have much business experience and only completed my first semester of law school, but have not started the MBA program. I feel that as much business experience as possible is vital for me. I am looking for an internship at the undergraduate level (summer analyst) and am wondering if you believe this will be difficult considering my situation, or if you have any advice for how I may go about the process that may be different from most. Thank you.
Yeah it will be difficult to get into an undergraduate summer internship if you’ve already at law school.
I would suggest meeting with them face-to-face and explaining your situation and how you’re fine taking something “below your level.”
I would also suggest focusing exclusively on smaller, local firms as they will be far more receptive to this type of arrangement than bulge brackets would be.
Thanks for all your help. I’m applying to summer internships as well. I was wondering whether I should have industry or product groups in mind already. I prefer M&A because I’d like to see a variety of industries and because M&A deals are the most interesting to me. But I beleive Goldman for example has only industry groups, so which ones do you suggest? Thanks.
I would just pick whichever ones you’re interested in… don’t do too much thinking about it, just go for industry groups that interest you personally. All of Goldman’s groups are quite good and people/group dynamics change very quickly so it’s hard to be very specific about which are better/worse.
Will summer analysts intern applicants even have their cover letters read? I only ask because I have been applying for positions and realized one of my cover letters, though well written and grammatically correct had a line mentioning my interest in capital markets being a result one of my family members. I guess it could be viewed as unprofessional or maybe I’m just overly-critical and paranoid. What do you think?
Thanks,
Colby N.
I wouldn’t worry about something as small as that – there’s not really anything unprofessional about it.
Hi, I am applying for a summer internship. In the cover letter can I mention that I trade stocks myself and that it helped be learn more about the market. The only experience I have is research placement in biotech research at uni.
That’s fine
I am trying to break into IB. I have previous interned at fund of hedge funds, and currently interning at an international bank in the global corporate department doing a lot credit analysis for fortunate 500 companies. Have recently graduated and completed CFA level II examination, what are my odds of getting into any bulge bracket? Or should I target for another internship at a maybe smaller boutique?
I would spread your net wide because it’s very tough to get in if you’ve already graduated. Aim for smaller companies.
I will be finishing my MBA from a non-target school in Europe. Do you think I should aply for analyst roles rather than associate roles(considering that I have no finance experience before MBA + my B-school is not that well known)? Or will this tactic backfire because they will question my motivation to apply for analyst roles rather than associate role after doing an MBA?
Thanks,
You can’t do that, at the MBA level you can no longer apply to Analyst roles.
What about just MSc in Business???
Thx
You could if it’s just a normal Master’s program
Hi. This topic isn’t covered much so I think this site is a great resource. This may be a stupid question but it was not covered in the article. Is it acceptable to simply send a cover letter in the body of an email of should I properly format it as a Word document or PDF and attach it (so that it is easier to print). I realise it probably doesn’t matter a great deal but I’m just another undergrad going through that pedantic stage so any insider knowledge is comforting. :)
Thank you
Andy
I would just send it in the body of your email if you’re emailing it to the person directly. Keep it short.
Thanks!
“So don’t write a letter using stream of consciousness.” -
this is hilarious
Hi Brian,
Ive read before that it is important to mention what you know, or at least give some indication of what you know about a company when you send them a cover letter. Would I mention specific deals or transactions in the third paragraph? Or do Ibankers not care, and more interested in purely what you can do?
Thanks
Daanish
You can mention those points, but keep it brief (no more than a sentence or two). Large banks ignore cover letters, and even smaller places barely read them – cover letters have the lowest impact of anything on recruiting.
Would you say the same thing applies to investment management firms as well?
Yes. Never spend a lot of time on cover letters, just do the bare minimum.
And all along i was told that cover letters are the first thing they read as a welcome party to your resume..
Does this include company-specific questions that are included in the application form as well? Almost all the investment banks have about 3 of these.
It’s really about networking and your resume… some banks may actually look at cover letters / other questions but not much weight is placed on them
M&I-
Thanks for all your work on this website, it’s been extremely helpful. Question coming from a late bloomer:
I’m one of those idiots who took college lightly and ended up with a below par gpa that would scare away most firms, do i bring this up in my cover letter if i feel that my gpa is not indicative of what i know im capable of and how i actually have my act together, even if may be too late? Thanks for your time.
I wouldn’t bring it up as it would just draw attention to your lower GPA
Hi,
Thank you for such an amazing website. Is it possible for someone like me, to win an investment banking interview or opportunity, who has been unemployed for almost two years. However, I carry the following credentials: 1) 9 years of progressive and international experience in corporate/commercial banking (business development, relationship management, deal structuring and financial analysis) 2) MBA in finance 3) Currently working on professional designation plus completed a training course on investment banking.
Thanks
It’s possible but it does get more difficult the longer you’ve been out of work.
If as you say they don’t really read cover letters, then how do they choose who to invite to interview? Considering the applicant/interview ratio is very low and CV’s are generally considered strong (top university, some sort of work experience), I was under the impression that the cover letter was what made the difference. Hope you can clear this up for me and thanks in advance.
Networking, networking, networking, networking… it’s all about who you know. Read the rest of this site.
I am from an Asian country who’s been studying in America since high school and am fluent in both languages. I would feel comfortable conducting the interview in my “Asian language” and I could write a 10-page research paper in the language.
Do you suggest I put bilingual in English and (Asian language)or just fluent in (Asian language)? Which do you think looks better? Also, does the language even matter for trading? I know networking is probably much much much more important than any of these small details…
For trading it doesn’t matter much, you can just say Native Speaker of [Language Name]… don’t write Fluent in English on an English-language resume as it’s already assumed.
Hi Brain,
I heard that you must include “why this bank and this division” in the covering letter, hence the research of the firm is important.
What do you think? (As you mentioned above, the Introduction which includes ‘what attracts me to apply’ is better keep at 2-3 sentences.)
Can we skip either one? (bank/division)
Many Thanks
It doesn’t matter, include it if you want but as mentioned here hardly anyone reads the cover letter anyway.
What are your thoughts on a bullet-point cover letter? With each bullet points emphasizing one idea/skill/fit and containing 3 to 5 for sentences.
No. See the template: http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-cover-letter-template/
Brian- I just realized that in the resume I sent out, the comma in one of the sentences is bold while the rest is not. Will this be a big deal? I know this sounds crazy silly, but you know bankers they’re definitely obsessed with details :(
no
Do you have an example of a completed cover letter alongside the cover letter template? I noticed that the template CV and the example CV were slightly different …
I’ll see if we can post one; cover letters are 100x less important than CVs and I don’t want people to obsess over small details.
Hi there,
Thank you for this great website, very useful!!
I am applying for an internship in IB and I am confused since I don’t really know what to write in the 2nd paragraph. Im in my final year studying civil engineering and got to know about IB 3 weeks back. Two of my internships are related to engineering and nothing to do with finance. What should I write about?!
PS I am planning on doing an Msc in Finance & Investment next year.
Just say you learned analytical and quantitative skills in those internships but realized that you are more interested in business so you want to apply your skills there + are doing Master’s program next year to increase your knowledge
I am apply for a Summer Investment Banking Intership and the firm requires a writing sample. What type of writing are they looking for, an english paper, or something with more applicable terms such as an accounting or finance project. Thanks.
An accounting or finance project would definitely be better, anything related to business beats an English paper.
Hi,
I plan to apply for a position for experienced hire, in a sector group, and they require cover letter as well. May I know, if in this case, the cover letter is important? Esp as I am not working in IBD now.
Thanks!
TY
It’s still not super-important compared to networking/resume but you should spend a bit more time on it if you’re not in IBD.
Hi,
If cover letters are “optional”, should we bother to send one in? Due to the volume of applications, I’m afraid of making an egregious typo somewhere when I could have just avoided the whole thing. But I also don’t want to seem lazy of course.
Thanks!
I would not bother for large banks if it’s optional
Great article. Thanks for the help.
In the first paragraph, what if you don’t know someone at the bank and are applying based on a job posting? Would it be ok to say something like “I have recently been researching your firm…” or something of that nature? I graduated in ’09 from a target school but I have been working at a law firm since graduation. I knew people that used to work there. Should I talk to them and then use their name? Or is that dumb since they don’t work there anymore? Thanks for your help
http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-cover-letter-template/
I’m sorry if I am missing something. I already read that article (another helpful one btw) and it says “How you found them – specific peoples’ names, specific presentations or information sessions where you met them, and so on.” For example, if I found a job posting on the company website, would I just say something along those lines? Thanks and sorry for the confusion.
Yes that is fine. Or if you actually know people there, mention them even if you haven’t spoken in a long time.
Hi. I am graduating this year and will apply for IB the coming August. Should I apply for a summer internship or for a permanent job, given that it is hard to break in for me since I don’t have an internship relative to IB before? I worked for HSBC Commercial Banking for 7 weeks after my 1st year in uni but I don’t think that can add significant weight to my application. Meanwhile I will be doing my military service for 9 months which is compulsory in my country. I have a 2.1 in the bag and quite a few indications of leadership such as being a sports group leader. Any advice is much appreciated!!!!
Um if you’re graduating you need to go for full-time offers
Will the same template work for consulting too if I replace banking with consulting?
Yes
Hi Brian,
My name is Robert and i am currently a student in Singapore. This may sound weird but i am currently studying for a Diploma in Hospitality. I’ve always had a passion for banking and finance and have always had the ambition to become an investment banker.
This coming december, i enlist into my compulsory military service for two years before i am able to continue my studies. I plan to apply for a B.A (Hons) Banking in Finance from the University of Wales, Cardiff. Unfortunately for me, my mother does not have the liberty of sending me to a prestigious university and studying at a private university is my only choice.
I just wanted to thank you for sharing your information, i am reading it as we speak! You have no idea how grateful i am that people such as yourself exist, i will continue to learn from your website. I know that the odds are stacked against me when it comes to applying for a position in popular banks, especially in Singapore but i am confident that i will succeed in attaining an internship or even an analyst position even if it means cold-calling every executive i can get a hold off and contacting every bank in Singapore! Would be great if we could talk more.
Regards.
Robert
Hey glad to hear it
I have been reading this website for months now and really enjoy it. And have applied many of the principles here to get my first internship through the summer at a leading private bank.
I remember reading somewhere here you were thinking to expand into other areas than just invesment banking, PE, HF etc and into private wealth management. I hope you do that soon because I would really like to see an interview with someone in PB. I would love to do one of those ‘day in the life’ for a PWM intern.
It is coming up bringing on more contributors soon.
Hi,
Thanks for your valuable advice so far, it has been a joy reading this site. Through networking, I managed to get in touch with a VP working at a BB in IBD. I sent him my cover letter in the form of the body of an email, but realized that there was a misspell (schedule => scheduel). What should I do about it? Appreciate your advice. Thanks in advance!
You’ve sent it to him already. You can’t do much do undo the “damage” though if it really bugs you, I’d send my revised cover letter to him (tell him you noticed a typo there) and ask him if he is free for a brief chat.
Either way, I’d still send him a follow up email asking him if he has read your letter and if he wants to catch up
Thanks for your help, Nicole!
I emailed him regarding the typo error, and he shortly replied that we would meet up after he has checked his schedule.
Thanks once again!
What is the best way to explain a poor GPA? I experienced some family issues through 1st and 2nd year of my undergrad. My grades are on the upswing but my cumulative GPA is still low. Is there any way to explain this in a cover?
Exactly that – Family issues.
I wouldn’t explain this in the first few paragraphs of the cover letter, though I’d probably put a remark addressing this on the letter, or address this in the later paragraphs
Hi Brian,
Do you think I should add a summary to my resume? (see below link)
http://www.blueskyresumes.com/blog/how-to-write-a-resume-summary-that-grabs-attention/
I afraid that my resume might exceed 1 page if I do that.
Please advise.
Sincerely,
Jenny
Sorry we don’t offer resume review service yet! Please do keep your resume to one page. Brief summary is useful too. Keep visiting the site for updates on our resume review service!
Thank you very much!I had a 2.5-page cover letter. I didn’t realised it wouldn’t be read. Will restrict it to 1 page. Thanks again! Also, i have a question. After studying accounting for 3 years in India, i am now shifting to a finance & Banking PG in the UK. What chances do i have of breaking in as an analyst in the UK?
Yeah you have a better chance breaking into UK now that you are studying there though I’m not sure if you will be restricted due to the lack of a UK work permit — banks there/in the US can get pretty tight w accepting international students esp given the economy
This site is very helpful! Thank you.
I got a D in a psychology (my minor) class because I wasn’t able to go to the final, and I will be taking this class over again. This bank that I am applying to requires students to submit their transcripts, and I know that a D looks really bad. Should I explain to them what happened in the cover letter?
Don’t draw attention to it, save the explanation for when they ask in an interview
Would a D in a psychology class affect my chances of getting an interview?
No they might ask you why if they see your transcript in your interview. If your GPA passes the threshold you should be fine
Thank you so much about the information given by you!
Thank you very much for your help and this template.
Unfortunately, I have no experience in banking at all and I am trying to apply for internship. I am very passionate about it. My situation:
I am construction worker. I am junior BS in BA student with emphasis on Financial Services at regular college (Columbia College). My GPA is 3.95 and on Dean’s List. I am Sigma Beta Delta member (though I was told it is worthless). I am fluent in Russian and Uzbek languages. I am Future Leaders Exchange Program alumni.
Is it worth to mention any of these? What can I emphasize on? Any help would be great. Thank you!
Start trading in the stock market and building a decent track record. Start networking w people in finance. Your experience is ok but not significant enough for interviewers to pay attention to you. Show your passion in finance. If you honestly are passionate about banking and really really want to get in (not merely because of $), the opportunity will show up
Thank you very much for you advice!
I’m wanting to make a serious career change into M&A, VC, Consulting, or Inv. Banking.
I have 17+ years of exceptional work experience. 5 of which are corporate and 3 are in financial services. I started a fairly successful business (also financial services) 9 years ago and plan on selling after graduation.
I recently got accepted into Washington Univ in St. Louis’ Exec MBA Program. The Olin Business School. I know you don’t put too much merit on rankings but WSJ did rank it #2 under Wharton. My hope is that the ranking could give it more impact in my job search.
Question, what are the odds of getting into a GS, JP Morgan, or a Bain based on the above career successes?
FYI, I just discovered your website and I love it!!!
Can’t really say – depends on how you interview, how you pitch yourself though if you haven’t had any IB experience it might be tougher
Re Bain, I think your previous experience shd help though we are more focused on IB so perhaps other readers can give you better suggestions
Thanks!
I am applying to internships for this summer and I am currently a BA in economics and this spring i am going to declare my BS in finance at UConn. I am a sophomore with no experience although I have 9 credits in economics and my gpa is around a 3.55. What can I emphasize about myself that would make me sound good? I went to a regional campus so there were no more classes offered or finance club. I am very passionate about finance (not just because of the money) and I read a lot about it but I’m worried that my lack of experience will be hard to get anybody’s attention. Thanks!
I presume you have some sort of investing experience if you are that passionate about finance? Perhaps you are already in an investment club/trade your own portfolio? Highlight such experience
I’m currently in my 3rd year of a top undergrad business program. I have no financial work experience, all my experience in finance and business has come form extra curricular activities and courses. I completed one of your modelling programs and also finished a bloomberg certification course. Would you recommend putting these points on my resume, or would I come across as too much of a try-hard.
Thanks
Sure put them on but remember to get some work experience
Hi! I have a company I created online. I cant find any information online on what is the correct way to write it on an investment banking resume under professional experience.
If my company name is Targeted Media LLC should I write it as:
“Targeted Media, L.L.C. (www.targetedmedia.com)”
under the title? Thank you so so much you guys are awesome!
Sure
I am going to graduate from finance this year and trying for a job at IB for this your site happen to be the most resourceful .
thank you brian,
Doing a great job.
Thanks!
Hi there,
Just read this before recruiting season starts, and appreciate the direct and simple advice.
Just a question though – I know all they care about is whether or not I can do that job. However, does creativity count for nothing?
I have somewhat of a creative writing background, it is obviously not related to finance in any way, but should I merely suppress my writing instincts, avoid creativity and producing an “interesting read”, and just go with the clean generic approach?
Seems like we always want a way to differentiate ourselves, but that applying the cookie-cutter format is the (preferred) norm.
Thanks
Effective communication is very important in finance. However, I don’t know if finance is an industry which can use your creative writing talent though you may try to create yourself a role within the industry that fits you. It can be challenging though.
Hello,
I am currently in my second year of university, i am studying economics and finance and i am looking to apply for a and IB internship, however i have never done an internship or have any experience in the finance sector. I finished my first year of university with a 2:1.
Is there any tips i can be given.
While this article may not be directly relevant to you, you may find it useful http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/finance-low-gpa-no-experience-non-target-school/
Thanks for your help :)
I’ve gotten a few emails from people in banks asking for my resume. I was just wondering if it is considered necessary to include a cover letter with the resume?
If you’re sending it via email, no, don’t bother with the cover letter attachment.
Hi,
sorry didn’t know exactly how to effectively address you with a question, maybe you’ll spot it here.
I’m applying to J.P. Morgan (London) for a quant research position. In the application you need to answer these questions they ask within a given word-limit. The 3rd question reads:
“Please summarise a recent event or development relating to local, regional or global activity that impacts our Quantitative Research business”. Any idea what that means? “Our Quant. Res. business”? I’m lost here, any insight appreciated. Btw, great web page! More insight in the European markets would a valuable improvement.
Yes, they want you to tell them about an event in the news or a market-related current event. So something like the EU changing interest rates, the reserve ratio, Central Banks doing something, commodity prices, etc. etc. If you look at our S&T-related articles there are a few examples of what to do – also, if you do a search for assessment centers there’s some coverage of those.
Hi, great, thanks for quick reply! And I should convince them with my answer that I know what I’m talking about, i.e., to give an impression of understanding what/why? Or should I coin an opinion on the thing as well? I’m trading my own portfolio, can I link these things in my answer to make it look more “credible”? Really cool you answered. I’ve just un-spammed your twitter with a related question, not to double the efforts. PS. Probably very elementary jargon question: “S&T” is?
Ok, sorry for the silly question abt S&T, did my homework, read your S&R related articles, app ready. Thanks again!
Yes, try to form an opinion on the topic as well because they are assessing your critical thinking skills.