You may be the master of investing in the right assets for your clients’ future. It begs the question: What are you investing in your professional future?
If you’re applying for an investment banker role, then you’ll want to wow the hiring manager with a top performing investment banker cover letter.
A well written cover letter is one of the most valuable assets that you can add to your job application. Unlike your CV, it allows you to paint a picture in no uncertain terms of how your past experience corresponds to the needs of the role you’re applying for. In this cover letter example and writing guide, we’ll take you through the step by step on where to invest your time and effort on creating a job-winning cover letter.
Our tips will be broken down into the following sections:
- How to choose the best cover letter format and what paragraphs the cover letter should include
- How to maximise the effect of each cover letter paragraph (header, greeting, intro, body and conclusion)
- What approach to take when writing your cover letter
- What mistakes to avoid when writing your investment banker cover letter.
There will be plenty of opportunities to add your unique spin to your investment banker cover letter as we teach you the fundamental principles of top-performing writing. Feel free to explore other professions in our library of cover letter examples if you want further inspiration.
Best format for an investment banker cover letter
Cover letters should be short and to the point. We recommend around 300 words and no more than one page. The hiring manager will be expecting the format of your investment banker cover letter to contain the following elements:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting / salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
The rest of this writing guide will focus on the best way to fill out each of these sections in a way that feels true to your professional profile while always keeping the job that you’re applying for in mind. Don’t forget to check out the investment banker cover letter sample content throughout the guide, too.
Dear Mrs Bryan,
As an enthusiastic investment banker, I was delighted to see your advertised role at Core Investments. I have been following the organisation’s growing portfolio of clients over the last year. As a seasoned professional in the family office sector, I would love to contribute to your vision of what this industry could become.
I have spent the last three years in financial analyst and investment banking roles at Lotus Group. I joined the organisation as the financial analyst in a three-person team specialising in family wealth management. After six months on the team, I saw an opportunity to improve one of our most popular financial products by tapping into several emerging markets. I guided three of the firm's biggest clients through this transition. This transition resulted in 20% increase in the product’s profits.
My proven success in identifying lucrative investment opportunities and excellent relationship building with high net-worth clients led to my promotion toinvestment banker two years ago. Highlights in this role include implementing frameworks to evaluate emerging market investment opportunities and introducing a new service for our clients wanting to invest in philanthropic partnerships. I successfully established relationships with actors in a cross-section of philanthropic sectors. I know this is a key value at Core Investments.
I hope you will agree that my range of experience and personal philosophy when it comes to investing would make me a great fit for this role. I hope to tell you more about why I would love to join the team in an interview.
Sincerely,
Louis Vieira
Resume.io has a wealth of resources that you can cash in on for your next job application. If you’re looking for additional inspiration for cover letter writing, you can check out our related cover letter samples:
Cover letter header
The cover letter header should be both bold and functional. It’s important that the hiring manager notices your attention to detail through clear and legible presentation. However, the cover letter header is the way they will know who the cover letter belongs to, that you’re applying for an investment banker role, and the details to use to contact you.
If you play the rest of your cover letter cards right, then they might even want to contact you on the spot. That’s why it’s important to include your name and your contact details in a clear font in the header of your investment banker cover letter.
Glassdoor puts the average salary for an investment banker in London at around £52,500. This could vary according to your experience, sector, and location.
Cover letter greeting
An all-important exchange is your cover letter greeting. While making up a short part of your investment banker cover letter, it creates that crucial first impression. The two things to nail in your greeting is including the formal salutation “Dear” followed by the name of the hiring manager.
Don’t fall into the trap of addressing your cover letter with “To whom it may concern”. This can come across as impersonal or even lazy. The extra few minutes taken to figure out who you are likely writing to by scouring the organisation’s website or LinkedIn will pay off tenfold. Now, that’s a wise investment in your time.
As an investment banker, your people skills with your clients and stakeholders are vital. It’s little moments like these that will signal to a potential employer just who they are really hiring.
Cover letter introduction
The opening paragraph of your cover letter will introduce your profile as an investment banker. Cash in on your best arguments for why you’re the right candidate early on by teasing them in this paragraph. You may find it easier to make this paragraph the last thing you write.
By briefly mentioning some of your most impressive accolades or achievements in the opening paragraph, you’ll grab the hiring manager’s attention and convince them to read on. The investment banker cover letter sample content below should get the ball rolling on some ideas.
Dear Mrs Bryan,
As an enthusiastic investment banker, I was delighted to see your advertised role at Core Investments. I have been following the organisation’s growing portfolio of clients over the last year. As a seasoned professional in the family office sector, I would love to contribute to your vision of what this industry could become.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle paragraphs of cover letters are the most important. They are where you will aim to forge a professional relationship with the hiring manager. This should be done through carefully considered examples of why your experience and attitude would make you the best investment banker for the job.
Of course, one of the best places for inspiration on the smartest examples to write about is the job description. Think about the academic accomplishments, professional experience, or personal projects that respond directly to the skills and expertise required. These are the paragraphs to lay them out.
Aim to echo the language used in the job description. Even if you know of more technical ways to describe your impressive skills as an investment banker, it doesn’t mean the hiring manager does. They are, after all, the person you need to impress at this stage.
Other sources of content to include in the middle paragraphs could include other industry experience that speaks directly to the requirements of the role. Don’t waste any cover letter real estate on content that isn’t relevant to the position, no matter how impressive it may be. Our investment banker cover letter sample content below shows you how to put these tips into practice.
The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is an algorithm that ranks the most relevant job applications. The value of your cover letter is worthless if you can’t make it past the ATS. You don’t rank among the top applications? Your cover letter won’t make it to the hiring manager.
The algorithm will look for the presence of certain keywords in your application. So, make sure that you triple check the job description and include the most important keywords. This is the best spot to figure out the keywords the ATS will be looking out for.
I have spent the last three years in financial analyst and investment banking roles at Lotus Group. I joined the organisation as the financial analyst in a three-person team specialising in family wealth management. After six months on the team, I saw an opportunity to improve one of our most popular financial products by tapping into several emerging markets. I guided three of the firm's biggest clients through this transition. This transition resulted in 20% increase in the product’s profits.
My proven success in identifying lucrative investment opportunities and excellent relationship building with high net-worth clients led to my promotion to investment banker two years ago. Highlights in this role include implementing frameworks to evaluate emerging market investment opportunities and introducing a new service for our clients wanting to invest in philanthropic partnerships. I successfully established relationships with actors in a cross-section of philanthropic sectors. I know this is a key value at Core Investments.
How to close an investment banker cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
The closing lines of your cover letter should seal the deal on the professional story you’ve told. As you sign off, remind the reader how your cover letter has delivered on selling yourself as the best candidate for the job. Sign off with the formal term “Sincerely”.
In your final paragraph, don’t be scared to include a call to action that involves them speaking with you further. After all, you are hoping to be invited to an interview, aren’t you? Keep a tone that is politely confident. We know you’ve written a great cover letter, but overstepping into arrogance doesn’t go down too well with hiring managers.
I hope you will agree that my range of experience and personal philosophy when it comes to investing would make me a great fit for this role. I hope to tell you more about why I would love to join the team in an interview.
Sincerely,
Louis Vieira
Investment banker cover letter with no experience
Applying for what will be your first role as an investment banker? Other candidates may have the advantage of moving over from similar positions. However, your peers had to step into the role at some point, too. There are a few tips that will boost your investment banker cover letter if you don’t have experience.
- Prove your ability to deliver the role’s responsibilities. Find examples of when you’ve demonstrated the skills required for this role.
- Back up your examples using the STAR approach. Each anecdote you share should explain the Situation, Task, Action you took, and the Results.
- Demonstrate your knowledge of the sector. Even if this experience is from much earlier in your career, any experience in the industry could give you an important advantage.
- Why do you want to work here? Hiring managers are often more willing than you think to invest in someone with a capacity to grow than someone who already ticks all the boxes. Lead with enthusiasm and show why this investment banker role — rather than any other one in the field — is right for you.
Ultimately your goal is to create enough intrigue that you will be invited to interview. Your enthusiasm and personality can go a long way in sealing the deal. While it’s easier for that to come across in person, take the time to inject some into your letter writing. Just remember to keep it honest and to the one-page limit!
Dress to impress
Just like you would don your best business formal for a job interview, your cover letter should look the part. Attention to detail with formatting and choice of professional design will go a long way.
Make sure you pay attention to the following points when it comes to the aesthetics of your investment banker cover letter:
- Create a bold header that stands out (for the right reasons).
- Choose a clear, legible font so the hiring manager can read that top notch content.
- Format your document to separate your sections and paragraphs with good visual balance on the page.
- Using a clean layout without too many graphic elements or colours is best for an investment banker position.
Key takeaways
- Keep the greeting formal and personable. These little moments say a lot about your professional personality!
- Match the word choice of the job description in order to beat the ATS.
- Use professional success, academic accolades, and more as inspiration for the middle paragraphs of your investment banker cover letter.
- If you are lacking in experience, remind the hiring manager why you want to work as an investment banker for them over anyone else.
Now you know what content to include in your investment banker cover letter. If you want to get writing in just a few clicks, consider using our free cover letter templates. Not only are they market-researched, but the presentation will reflect the top quality of your cover letter’s content.
