With your consulting CV, a cover letter may help hiring managers understand your skills and experience. Consulting cover letters differ from other industry cover letters. If you want to work for the top consulting firms, the competition is vast and taking the time to write an eye-catching cover letter is important.

Your consulting cover letter determines whether you get hired by a big consulting business. This consulting cover letter guide can help you stand out from other candidates who would be applying to the firms.

What consulting employers look for in covering letters?

There are certain skills that consultants must be demonstrate, leadership, communication, strong interpersonal skills and critical thinking skills are a key part of what firm are looking for.

McKinsey & Company for example requires an excellent academic record and evidence of strong leadership, which may be from previous internship/work roles or extracurricular activities. Successful applicants will demonstrate an aptitude for analytics, an interest in business with an entrepreneurial instinct, and an enjoyment of teamwork and problem-solving. McKinsey suggests that you include all work experience, such as full-time jobs and internships, even if they are not in a related field.

Here are some tips for writing a cover letter, these tips can help you write an impressive cover letter:

Should personalize

Even though it saves time, avoid producing a standard letter for each consultant application. Your cover letter will be more persuasive if it is personalized to the company and position. Explain in your letter why you want to work for this company. You may have written your thesis on how the company helped Asian companies expand to the US or another location.

Being Unique

Remember your cover letter’s content must be unique, consulting firms receive thousands of applications and your’s must wow the reader to stand out and obtain an interview. To do this, you will need to pull from your most notable successes and experiences and then portray them in the best possible way to make the reader pause and ponder your letter instead of putting the application in the “unsuccessful applicant” pile. Unusual material might make your application stand out and lead to well-prepared interview questions.

Include One page

Consulting cover letters shouldn’t exceed one page, amongst other unstated rules. Selecting and summarizing your most relevant CV experiences is key.  Your talking points should prove you’re a great consultant.

Standard typeface and formatting

It might be tempting to select a striking typeface and layout. But that’s not a good idea at all. You just run the chance of having the interviewer say, “I’ve never seen this typeface before; it looks pretty bizarre. Who exactly is this?” Your cover letter should stand out not for its format but for its content. You shouldn’t be timid when writing your cover letter. You must push yourself to emphasize your best accomplishments.

Start writing early

Cover letters are hard to write. Most candidates underestimate how long this process takes. To highlight your most significant achievements, you’ll need to take a step back.

Conclusion

Employers in the consulting industry want applicants with a solid skill set, a love for consulting, and a good match for their business. Candidates should customize their cover letters to emphasize their pertinent qualifications and experience and show a keen interest in the consulting field & industry.