Financial Analyst Cover Letter Example

While financial analysts feel at home with numbers, they also need to be adept at telling the stories behind their data. In the same way, a financial analyst cover letter should pick out the key points in their career to prove why they are the best person for the role.

The cover letter will still be packed with impressive financials, but it should also describe how you approach your analytical challenges. How do you collaborate with colleagues on projects? What software do you use most? What is your preference in terms of presenting data to the business? Most importantly, what impact has your work had on the bottom line?

These questions and many more could be covered in a financial analyst cover letter. The free-flowing nature of the writing offers a chance to venture beyond the factual resume. What do you want to say about yourself so that the “right” boss for you takes an interest? How you present yourself will play a part in making that perfect fit.

It is also important to consider the industry of the role in question. Tailor the cover letter to cover the nature of your financial analysis work. Pick out the experience from your resume that is perfectly suited to the role in question.

It may be worth looking at cover letter examples from other industries to gain inspiration. You need to be in tune with your future employer’s business, so read around before you hit that apply button. Writing a job-winning cover letter is more involved than you might think. In this blog we look at the following considerations:

• Picking a format that works for a financial analyst
• Using each section to tell a different part of your financial analyst story
• Composing a financial analyst cover letter with no experience
• Mistakes to avoid – attention to detail is key in your profession

Best format for a financial analyst cover letter

While financial analysts will be bursting to share their financial success stories, a cover letter needs a little more than numbers and profit growth. It is a space to allow your personality to shine through – how you go about your job is as important as what you do. Frame these stories within a set structure to allow a hiring manager to engage with your story. The format of a financial analyst cover letter looks like this:

• The cover letter header
• The greeting/salutation
• The cover letter introduction
• The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
• The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)

Lead with the content that is best suited for the role. Hiring managers want to read achievements that will translate to potential success in their specific area. Anything irrelevant will cast a shadow on the rest of the application. The choices that you make of which stories to include will then dictate the content of any future interview.

You might be surprised at the amount of choice when it comes to writing a cover letter. What font do you use? How big should it be? What about page margins, icons, and cover letter design? Our comprehensive cover letter guide offers some general advice about these issues and many more.

Here is a financial analyst letter sample to offer some inspiration:

Cover letter header

The financial analyst cover letter header should replicate the contact details from your resume. You never know when the hiring manager may want to invite you to an interview. Include your full name, email, and phone number. You may choose to include your LinkedIn profile as your potential boss will likely want to look you up on social media.

Additionally, it is not essential to include a postal address. Include your city and state – you aren’t sending the application by post, after all. Writing the inside address of the employer is for only the most formal of applications. This outdated convention is now just a waste of space.

Cover letter greeting 

The greeting of a financial analyst cover letter should follow the normal letter writing conventions. Start with a “Dear Mr./Mrs. Surname” and continue in a semi-formal style.

If you do not know to whom the letter should be addressed, avoid the cold “to whom it may concern” salutation. This sounds old-fashioned and hints at a generic letter that could have been sent to anyone. A warmer “Dear company team” works much better. Alternatively, maybe phone the company and ask for the name of the HR representative in charge of recruitment.

Cover letter introduction

The introduction should be focused on the achievement in financial analysis that most fits with the demands of the role. Did you solve a problem that you may encounter with your new employer? Have you encountered the same obstacles that they have? Are you experienced in the same methodologies and processes?

The hiring manager will have a long list of tasks for the new financial analyst. Make sure that you dissect the job description carefully and lead with the task that your competitors are least likely to handle. Being strategic in outlining your value in this way at the start of the cover letter will ensure that the letter will be read until the end. Whatever you do, don’t begin with generic comments about how much you want to join the company or how good you are with numbers.

Cover letter middle part (body)

The middle part of a financial analyst cover letter should contain a couple of high-profile projects to highlight their potential. Share the financial context behind your numbers – you should remember that you will likely be applying to an employer with a different financial setup.

A cover letter is an opportunity to share some of the more human aspects of your work. Think about the problems that may crop up in your future role and show that you have already solved them previously. Such a proactive approach will impress any hiring manager.

As financial analysts are facilitators, it is also important to share your broad commercial aptitude. How can you demonstrate that you understand the financial levers of your future employer? Prove to them that with you working for them, their financial data are in good hands.

The tone of the middle part of the letter should be confident and assured. Don’t make any rash promises or outlandish statements. You know your job and you are proficient at it. Nothing more, nothing less.

When you come to the end of your cover letter, pause, and take stock. How are your messages coming across? Ask a previous colleague to have a look at the job description and see if there is anything that you might be able to say differently.

How to close a financial analyst cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)

The close of a financial analyst cover letter should read like a finely tuned P&L. It all makes sense, so it is time to move forward. Leave the hiring manager with one last example of your financial wizardry and let them know that there is much more to come during an interview.

Finish the cover letter with a call to action and say that you are keen to meet and find out more. Adopt a hopeful rather than presumptuous tone. Financial analysts are in high demand, so plant the thought in their minds that you may have a busy schedule of other interviews.

Financial analyst cover letter with no experience

It is rare that a financial analyst has no finance experience whatsoever, but you may be moving into the function from a more commercial role. The key here is to focus on the nature of your financial experience to date and explain why the change of function is for you.

When you have little financial experience, focus on the following:

• Share whatever financial experience you have – no matter how irrelevant.
• Focus on your understanding of what is required in the role.
• Let the hiring manager know about any qualifications you are taking.

Transferable technical skills may help the transition into a financial analyst position, so share your track record of mastering technology. Most importantly, hint that you possess the required personality traits. Are you methodical, detail-oriented, and mathematically curious?

Basic mistakes in a financial analyst application letter (and how to avoid them)

Financial analysts need to have an eye for spotting errors. The slightest mistake in a report can have wide-ranging consequences. Do not let any mistakes slip into your cover letter as they could color the opinion of the hiring manager. Avoid the following:

• Double-check spelling and grammar with an online program such as Grammarly. You might also ask a friend to proofread the cover letter to check that it sounds like you.
• Only include numbers and stats where they are genuinely impressive for the employer. Numbers for the sake of numbers can work against you.
• Make sure that you use conversational language. Too much jargon can make you sound like a robot. Write the cover letter as you would talk in an interview.

Key takeaways

1. The financial examples that you share will dictate the flow of your interview.
2. Include work experience that fits the detail of what you will be doing. Financial analysts are called upon to do a broad range of work.
3. Research the company plans – how will your participation make a difference?
4. Ensure that the cover letter looks attractive with our cover letter templates.

These different cover letter examples may offer a useful perspective:

• Finance cover letter sample
• Finance assistant cover letter example
• Finance manager cover letter sample
• Financial advisor cover letter example
• Accounting cover letter sample