An introduction letter is often one of the most overlooked aspects of job applications. It can appear to be a bit of a minefield but bear in mind the following advice and you stand a good chance of getting a call back.
First off remember that a letter for a consulting position is different from other professions as consulting is a highly specific field and requires numerous skills that are unique to this highly competitive and prestigious profession.
Do not simply repeat what is in your resume but highlight your skills, experience and unique abilities the people hiring you may not find in other aspirants looking for work. This highlighting will help keep your introduction letter short.
Put yourself in the shoes of the person who’s doing. He or she may have to sift through hundreds of applications and they will quickly tire of long-winded letters. Keep the paragraphs short and clean of waffle but full of the right information. He or she will assess applications using two questions:
Does this person have the skills required to help this company?
Does this person understand the unique needs and wants of this company?
The main gist of the introduction letter is to answer these questions succinctly and correctly so you’ll find yourself in good pile rather than the trash pile. Every company is different, try and reflect and match their uniqueness in your answer.
If there is a particular part of the consulting company that you know you want to target, try and research it as thoroughly as possible and identity four or five aspects of the position that you believe you can perform the best. Emphasise that you have those skills.
Regards the introduction of the introduction letter, don’t be daft and don’t waffle needlessly but think about what will grab their attention. Did someone high up in the company suggest the role to you? Mention it. Have you done a similar job before or presently? Mention it. Don’t waffle on about previous jobs but focus on key points.
Cold calling isn’t the best idea. Know precisely what position you want and while it might be tempting to express your flexibility regards roles, if you won’t work for less than a particular figure and a particular department, say so. You’ll save time for them and you.
I hope that it goes without saying that you need to spell check before sending. You also need to re-read it with fresh eyes as no matter how sophisticated your word processor, they are not 100% accurate especially regarding grammar and names. Talking of names find out the name and marital status of the person you are addressing your introduction letter.
Hope this helps!
First off remember that a letter for a consulting position is different from other professions as consulting is a highly specific field and requires numerous skills that are unique to this highly competitive and prestigious profession.
Do not simply repeat what is in your resume but highlight your skills, experience and unique abilities the people hiring you may not find in other aspirants looking for work. This highlighting will help keep your introduction letter short.
Put yourself in the shoes of the person who’s doing. He or she may have to sift through hundreds of applications and they will quickly tire of long-winded letters. Keep the paragraphs short and clean of waffle but full of the right information. He or she will assess applications using two questions:
Does this person have the skills required to help this company?
Does this person understand the unique needs and wants of this company?
The main gist of the introduction letter is to answer these questions succinctly and correctly so you’ll find yourself in good pile rather than the trash pile. Every company is different, try and reflect and match their uniqueness in your answer.
If there is a particular part of the consulting company that you know you want to target, try and research it as thoroughly as possible and identity four or five aspects of the position that you believe you can perform the best. Emphasise that you have those skills.
Regards the introduction of the introduction letter, don’t be daft and don’t waffle needlessly but think about what will grab their attention. Did someone high up in the company suggest the role to you? Mention it. Have you done a similar job before or presently? Mention it. Don’t waffle on about previous jobs but focus on key points.
Cold calling isn’t the best idea. Know precisely what position you want and while it might be tempting to express your flexibility regards roles, if you won’t work for less than a particular figure and a particular department, say so. You’ll save time for them and you.
I hope that it goes without saying that you need to spell check before sending. You also need to re-read it with fresh eyes as no matter how sophisticated your word processor, they are not 100% accurate especially regarding grammar and names. Talking of names find out the name and marital status of the person you are addressing your introduction letter.
Hope this helps!
