Financial Assistance Cover Letter: Fill & Download for Free

Your cover letter is often your first interview with a company, the first chance for a hiring agent to get to know you. A good resume cover letter can help you make a good impression and get an interview. A weak cover letter might cause your resume to be placed in the reject pile.Many of our clients have asked, “What do I put in my cover letter?” And nearly all of our clients have needed assistance with organizing the content of their letters. Below, we will address both of these issues. If you come seeking our help with your resume and cover letter, great. However, the brief guide below should get you started on writing a successful cover letter.Cover Letter Content and OrganizationParagraph One: Introduce yourself and state your intentions. This 1 to 2-sentence paragraph tells the reviewer who you are and why you are submitting your cover letter and resume. For companies with multiple job openings, this paragraph also tells the reviewer which pile to put your resume in. Your name is at the bottom of the letter in the signature line, so you don’t need to repeat it here. Instead, describe the type of person you are.Example: As an experienced sales and marketing professional, I am interested in the position of regional sales manager with the XYZ Company.Paragraph Two: Summarize your qualifications for the position. Focus on your abilities, not your specific skills. (Abilities are personal characteristics; skills are specific behaviors you can perform. You can learn skills, if needed, but abilities tell what kind of person you are.) The description of your abilities lets the reviewer know if you will be able to learn the skills and how you will perform in a professional environment.However, be careful of using “buzz words” without illustration. You can briefly address your professional history in this paragraph as a way to illustrate your abilities. 3 to 4 sentences should be sufficient.Example: I am a creative, yet focused, professional with strong managerial skills. My knowledge of system integration, coupled with my leadership abilities, has enabled me to identify and enact efficiencies in even the most complicated organizational environments. For example, in my most recent position, I created new quality control processes and instructed inter-departmental teams on their use. Although I am a “company man,” I am also an individual thinker, seeking new opportunities for the company to reach target markets and surpass financial goals.Paragraph Three: In this paragraph, you answer this question: “Why are you applying for this position?” In answering this question, you address two issues. First, describe how this position fits your abilities and interests. In a sense, you are saying that this position is appropriate for who you are now. Second, describe how this position will help you advance your career goals. This tells the reviewer that you have a strong interest in the position and will do what you can to succeed and grow. Again, 3 to 4 sentences will be enough.Example: The leadership and marketing perspective required for a regional sales manager align with my abilities and experiences. I am enthusiastic about expanding my broad knowledge of the market and diverse populations, two aspects of this position I find particularly exciting. Furthermore, this position will assist me to advance into progressively higher responsibilities, and it will provide the satisfaction I earn by succeeding in new and challenging responsibilities.Paragraph Four: The final paragraph is short, 1 – 2 sentences only. In this paragraph, you bring your resume cover letter to a close by thanking the reviewer and by calling for action. You say “thank you” because that is polite and professional. (After all, the person has read this far and deserves your gratitude.) The action step is essential. Here you answer the question “What’s next?” Will you call the person? Do you want the person to contact you? Do you want to set up an interview? State the action as the final sentence.Example: Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss how I can support the mission of the XYZ Company.Word Choice to Express Your IdeasThe content of your cover letter is important, but so is how you express your ideas. The words you use affect how the personnel manager interprets the content. Based on our work helping clients prepare resumes, we have created a list of 7 words your resume needs, words that will create a favorable impression of you.1. SuccessfullyCompanies want to hire winners. Use this word to describe your accomplishments in a prior responsibility.Example: I successfully negotiated a new contract for services.2. LeadershipCompanies want to hire leaders. Use this word to describe your involvement with task and project teams.Example: Under my leadership, the customer service unit managed all client records.3. TeamCompanies want to hire people who can cooperate with others to accomplish company goals. Use this word to describe your involvement with colleagues.Example: Our team was responsible for answering customers’ questions about products.4. CreatedCompanies want to hire innovators. Use this word to describe new ideas and processes you developed.Example: I created a checklist to track daily service tasks.5. Expanded/Increased (the verb, not the adjective)Companies want to hire people that will help them grow. Use this word to describe your participation in company growth.Example: During this time, the company expanded the product line to include 2 new models.6. Support (the verb, not the noun)Companies want to hire people who will assist the management team. Use this word to describe your relationship with your former supervisors.Example: I supported the division director by compiling financial data.7. WillCompanies want to hire people who are confident about their ability to deliver what they promise. Use this word to describe what you will do if hired.Example: I will solve customer software and hardware problems.Some of these words may not apply to your resume or cover letter. However, if you think carefully about your prior experiences, you will find that you can use most of them. Using these words does not guarantee that you will get the job you want, but they will help you make a good impression.Final ThoughtsEffective writing and the correct use of writing mechanics are very important. Once you have developed the draft of your resume and cover letter, you will need to edit it carefully.

A well written mail usually comprises of the below mentioned four contents:Cover Letter: A cover letter is a medium sized (concisely written), body of the mail, expressing your objective of collaborating with the professor, while mentioning the timeline of your project.Statement of Purpose: A general SOP contains the usual motivation of yours for pursuing research and the passion you have developed during the course of time. It also includes your fascination with the topics you have in mind (or are currently associated with) ever since you were first introduced to them.Curriculum Vitae (CV): A short but crisp CV of yours, briefly mentioning about your performance in academia so far. It's highly recommendable to mention, in a brief detail, about the projects you have been associated with.Research Proposal: Though optional it may seem, but it is a good practice to include this, as it is a strong implications of your passion for research. Some students usually merge this section with the cover letter, but I"ll recommend you to provide this separately in an attached format.Once you are accustomed to using such a format, I can recommend few tips, which have proven to be reliable from time to time, and usually works out for me.Do's and Don't:A compact and concisely written cover letter is only needed. Always be upto the point, while writing the cover letter. Do not re-iterate any point in your cover letter.It is recommendable to explicitly state in your cover letter that to whom your mail is directed to.For example, "To Dr. XYZ, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, ABC University, Full Postal Address to his office."Mention that you are acquainted with at least one of his recent research papers. Try to read as much papers (at least the abstract of his/her paper) to develop a better understanding of the professor's work.Never begin your cover letter with "Dear Sir, I am XYZ from ABC university". Instead you can begin with saying "I am undergraduate student and is been actively following your paper [refer to the paper you like the most, and would like to work on (or a somewhat relatable topic)] along with the recent citations it is been receiving. I understood few of the results obtained from the paper, but it has never occurred to me that the result obtained will have such a significant impact in further studies [mention the citations of the paper] ".Do NOT mention your CPI/CGPA in your cover letter. Instead, drop it into your CV and highlight it using bold-face numeric (in case, you wish to make it visible).Do not flaunt anywhere about the global/national rankings of your college, in any of the various sections of the mail.Express your desire to collaborate with the professor while mentioning that exactly how you would be able to contribute positively to his research group.Upload your SOP, CV, and research proposal over the google drive and drop the link in the mail. It is advisable not to attach any documents as many mail server automatically rejects the mail with attachments (or heavy attachments?). You better not be taking risk.If mail is to be sent to countries where google is banned (say, China), you should prefer to sent attachments rather than providing links. I really doubt if any professor, in such places, would be using VPN's for accessing google repositories.If you would like to use some other cloud service then, #9 drops out.The research proposal must be short and concise, about what you plan to do during your stay. A second paragraph can be included (read recommended) while mentioning that how your skill set would be applicable to the proposed research.SOP must be a minimum of one page and in any case, shouldn't extend beyond two pages. Usually, it is desirable to keep the SOP (directed for research internships) of about one to one and a half page.It is a good practice to begin your SOP with describing the passion you have developed for research and a brief description about the choices you make to follow this passion of yours. You can briefly write about the course work you were enrolled in, and the skill sets (technical as well as social) you have developed with time that would be assisting you, during the internship, for that particular research work. Though you should not be too ambitious, but you can very well end the SOP with the benefitting scenario after the completion of the internship and the window for research, this internship opportunity provides to you .A two page CV mostly gives you sufficient space to write about your accomplishments, so far. I"ll recommend to you to prefer Latex over MS Word, for creating a CV. You can try using a template, for Latex, from internet, if needed.Never use "With warm regards/With regards". It is inept and not professional.End the cover letter on an optimistic note (say, "Please contact me should you have any questions regarding my qualifications. Please let me know if there is a position of an internee open in your research group. Thank You for your valuable time and consideration. I look forward to hear from you soon.")Avoid writing about any financial aids or accommodation facilities you require in the first mail. This along with the research topic, you would supposed to work on during the intern, are the major subjects of the follow-up conversation.Important: While filling up the subject of the mail, try not to use keywords such as "Internship", "Paid-intern", "intern". Usually professors have linked those keywords through means to direct such e-mails directly to their spam folder. Instead, you may very well use "Request for a Research Opportunity", "Request for Supervision for a Short-Term Research.", etc.I hope I have answered your query.I wish you all the best for your future endeavors.Good Luck.

In the worst job market ever for the financial industry, early 2009 right after the collapse of the stock market, an associate of mine had remade his resume. In the first paragraph of his cover letter, he wrote:Have you ever picked up a book that you could not stop reading? For me, that series of books is the six-volume reading of the CFA curriculum. As someone who has always excelled in mathematics, finance, accounting, and economics coursework, I have found a set of books which challenges me to congruently apply these skills and inspires me to keep reading. With current enrollment in the CFA program and sales experience in the financial services industry, which you seek for the Sales Assistant position in Los Angeles, California, you could have the best candidate for the job.Every single recruiter wanted him. He got interviews everywhere. He moved himself into a six figure position in the absolute worst job market.How essential is a CFA to your career?While I had to completely change professions and industries, he was landing six figure offers.It will definitely distinguish yourself from the rest of the people in the industry, but only if you know how to sell yourself as well.