How to Write a Cover Letter for Management Consulting

A cover letter is the first impression you will make on the management consulting firm you hope will hire you. As such, the cover letter is a crucial part of your application package but also the one that is fraught with the greatest difficulty for you as the writer. Management consulting firms, such as McKinsey, do not insist that you follow specific rules in writing your letter, but the top-tier firms do suggest several key components for inclusion.

It is important to remember that the cover letter is really your own personal voice written on paper. Through the cover letter you are demonstrating your credentials, story and how you bring success to a management consulting team. While a resume illustrates the quantitative elements of your education and experience, the cover letter reveals the qualitative credentials that you possess.

Hiring committees at Booz and BCG inform applicants that it is the cover letter that is read first, before the resume. The cover letter is the initial contact hiring personnel make with the candidate, which gives rise to its importance. In some cases, where there are hundreds of applicants, the cover letter may be scanned as opposed to read line-by-line. In this case, keywords that stand out on the page are critical. Recruiters may look for important keywords such as accomplishments, school names, firms and leadership roles within the first two to three paragraphs of the letter.

Recruiters from Bain and A.T. Kearney agree that the cover letter is an essential introduction, even if the first paragraph is regarded as the least important part and is often not even read. Recruiters consider the middle two to three paragraphs to be the most important and contain the meat of a candidate's credentials. The cover letter's first paragraph is generally perceived to be virtually the same for all candidates, so recruiters almost routinely skim it.

In some situations, a recruiter may take a first glance at the resume and then read the cover letter more carefully. In this case, you want your cover letter for a management consulting job to stand out with keywords that powerfully describe your personality and what you have already accomplished in life.

Some of the best management consulting cover letters have several things in common and win across the board with favor among recruiters. The cover letters are short and less wordy. Rather than being long-winded, the cover letters are brief. Most management consulting recruiters want to spend less than two minutes reviewing the letter in order to make a decision if the candidate should move along in the hiring process.

The cover letter should evoke a personal tone and generate genuine interest in the reader. Your cover letter is meant to build a rapport between the recruiting and hiring committee and you. They should also want to learn more about you. Impressing them with your credentials will leave the management consulting recruiters wanting more.

A few common mistakes pervade management consulting cover letters and must be avoided at all costs. The first mistake is not to proofread. One of the most critical things to do with your cover letter is to read and re-read it. Check for grammar, tone and spelling issues. The worst thing you can do is submit a cover letter with sloppy mistakes.

Avoid rehashing your resume on your cover letter. The hiring committee or recruiter will most likely be insulted and put your letter in the pile of discards. Rather than wasting the recruiter's time, keep the letter creative and the recruiter wanting more.

Remember, a management consulting cover letter is one of the most important components of the application process. You are showcasing who you are and what you have done. You are also revealing your potential and what you will offer to the firm you are applying to.

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