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September 25, 2009Your resume should provides a snapshot of your qualifications to the recruiter, your cover letter should present an argument as to why you are a superior candidate for the position compared to everyone else applying.
The basics covered in my post about writing a good resume apply to cover letters as well. So, don’t use a template and make sure that your writing is free of any spelling or grammatical mistakes. It would serve you well to have your friends (preferably a business writing professor) proof read it and comment on it.
Now let’s get to the meat of this article. You need to realize that campus recruiters are little more than corporate cheerleaders with brains to match. Most of them wouldn’t be able to tell their debits from their credits, or their heads from their asses. So, your cover letter needs to connect the dots for them, in a very literal way. You need to make them think of you as a great candidate, worthy of an interview.
There are three major personality traits that recruiters look for in candidates. Your job is to prove to them that you have these traits. These traits are:
You are likeable and a crowd-pleaser. Discuss your people-skills extensively. Recruiters will probably give you extra-points for exaggerated but believable tales. Talk about how when several of your friends were struggling with a particular accounting class, you started tutoring them, and they ended up doing pretty well. Talk about how your co-workers always come to you for advice, and how your managers recognized and appreciated your efforts. Talk about how you’ve been nominated for and been awarded “employee of the month” several times during your short tenure because of your excellent customer service skills. Talk about your involvement in your community, and how you’ve enriched the lives of blind/deaf/cancer kids. Try not to seem zealous about any one particular cause. You would be well-advised to appear well-rounded with multiple sources supporting the fact that you are likeable and a crowd-pleaser.
You are a hard-worker and a smart-worker. This is one of the more difficult arguments to make in your cover letter. It your job to convince the recruiter that you will be able to transition into the very demanding corporate environment of the Big 4. The best way to do that is to show that you have great time-management skills and you are able to accomplish way more than your peers in 24 hours. If you have a part-time job, talk about how you are financing your own education. Talk about how you haven’t let your grades slip even though you are working. Talk about how you’ve managed to have an active social-life given the lack of free time. Talk about how effective time management allowed you to take an optional course on Excel and how’ve mastered Pivot Tables and V-Lookups. And remember, exaggerated accounts are more likely to receive attention.
You have done your research, and you want this job. Finally discuss the specifics of the position, and why it interests you. When you do this, try to drop as many names as possible – especially names of partners that attend recruiting events for your particular college or university. This will get the recruiter’s attention. Now, pile on the bullshit. Talk about how inspired you were with the said partner’s career track, and how amazed you were by the opportunities presented by the firm. Talk about how you would be interested in an international rotation once you get your feet firmly planted.
End with why you are interested specifically in EY/Deloitte/KPMG/PWC over the other three Big 4 firms –it’s the people. Discuss how you really connected with the people of the firm you are applying to when you met at the various recruiting events. Mention how the corporate culture of the firm seems most compatible with your personality, and how you are looking forward to an opportunity to discuss this position further. This final buttering-up should seal the deal.
Remember, the goal of the cover letter is to get you an interview. Make sure your cover letter does that for you.
There are 5 comment(s) so far.
Hi, my name is Stefano, and I launched a website to help university students in Canada who are interested in becoming CAs. One of the reasons I created the site was because I felt there were many misconceptions that caused undue difficulties for students.
In your last post, you made the comment that “the goal of the cover letter is to get you an interview”. This is the furthest thing from the truth. Read this message board post (LINK REMOVED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR) and the recruiting articles on the site and you will understand why.
I believe that it is very important for people to blog about the profession and share their perspective. However, when they do so, they assume a duty of care to provide them with the right information. As much as you want to help people, you should critically assess your own ability to do so, and take that into consideration when posting future articles.
I don’t mean to criticize your site, but it is just frustrating when I see the same misconceptions recycled year-after-year
Sincerely,
Stefano
@ Stefano: If the purpose of the cover letter is not to aid you in getting an interview, then what purpose does it serve?
Secondly, I reviewed the link you posted and came across this gem:
For the record, I went into the interview process knowing only two people, both of whom worked for the same firm, and I came out with offers from all of the Big 4 firms. So, you are wrong!
I understand that you wish to promote your website, but you chose the wrong tone, and then posted misleading information, and as such your link has been removed.
Thirdly, as to your comment about my ability to provide the right information goes, I will say this: the information provided on this blog is based on my experiences working for a Big 4 firm, as well as the experiences of several of my friends who have worked at the other three Big 4 firms. I do not pretend that the information presented here is the gospel.
I urge my readers to network with and talk to as many people as possible about their Big 4 experiences, and get as many different viewpoints as possible. The more information you have, the more empowered you will be.
And finally, I am not sure what your story is. According to your “About Me” section you have worked for a Big 4 firm and a mid-sized firm in audit. Either you couldn’t hack it at the Big 4 and had to switch to a smaller firm, or you couldn’t land a job with a Big 4 out of college and had to settle for a mid-sized firm and made the switch to the Big 4 at the senior associate or manager level. All I know is, you kind of look like the guy from Zombieland.
At our office we do review all of the cover letters and resumes we receive from the colleges we recruit… as long as the student has the minimum GPA.
I am currently taking accounting classes for an Associate’s degree in Business Administration at a local community college and I stumbled upon your site.
While I have an interest, I don’t think I want to be an accountant because of all the insanely hard work that goes into it. I just don’t derive the same joy from it as I do from programming.
However, I like this article, because it’s always helpful to know what a specific place is looking for. That’s my #1 interview tip for friends that ask: find out what they want and then give it to them.
And Stefano? You’re wrong about a lot in very little space. Hush.
Michael, thanks for the comment.
It is always advisable to expose yourself to a wide array of subjects. A good grasp of accounting will come in very handy if you ever wish to perform any sort of investment analysis, or if you ever decide to run your own company. Accounting, like programming, is a subject that will pay dividends later in life.
Good luck with your studies!