Free Resume And Cover Letter Templates Microsoft: Fill & Download for Free

Everyone so far has given great advice. I will break it down further with an action plan. If you are planning to seek an internship in 4 months, I will assume you are about to start junior year of college in a month.There are three specific areas you can work on from now until interview time. Start networking / cold emailing, having a solid resume and acing your interviews.If you currently attend a target school, such as, one of the Ivies, MIT, Stanford, Cal, Michigan, Duke, etc., your school will have on-campus informational sessions and resume drops. You will have a much easier chance getting and interview, but ignoring the three core areas will make it a much tougher battle.Brief Aside on Firms– Everyone wants to work at the biggest and busiest firms, i.e. Goldman, BAML, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and UBS. You should remember that are also several other internationally renowned firms and many great boutique firms.Nomura (Japan), Macquarie (Australia), Societe General + Credit Agricole + BNP Paribas (France), TD Bank + ScotiaBank + BMO + RBC + CIBC (Canada), Rothschild + HSBC (England), Banco Santander (Spain)List of Boutique Firms - Page on columbia.eduNetworkingStart contacting family members, friends and alumni to see who in your immediate network currently works in finance, has finance experience or knows someone else that works in finance. Once you start getting a few solid leads, set up some informational interviews, either in person or over the phone. Learn about the space, the lingo, and read DealBook / WSJ / FT religiously. If you are knowledgeable about the profession and show genuine interest, one of these connections will most likely offer to pass your resume on to HR.If you have no success with warm leads in your network, start cold-emailing alumni or even senior-level professionals at investment banks.Here is a great blog article to help with the process - The Complete Guide to Cold Calling Your Way Into Investment BankingResumeFind a good resume template online. There are several online and bankers enjoy the same simple formatting and layout. Detail your most recent finance work experience. Explain what you did at that internship / job and how your work impacted the firm.If you have no finance experience, put other work experience and pick 2-3 clubs / activities that you had a leadership position in.Keep the resume to 1 page; only professionals with several years of experience can justify a 2nd page. Put some other activities / interests on the bottom, but leave out anything you are not proficient in or that is common. DO NOT put Microsoft Office, because everyone assumes you know how to use Word. Also, do not put a language down unless you have conversational fluency. An acquaintance put down French language skills on his resume, and a Goldman MD walked into the interview and started speaking French. He had no idea what was going on and obviously did not get the offer.Do not over-exaggerate on anything. Be able to explain every sentence and topic on your resume.InterviewsFit questions – this is common with any interview in most industries. Have your “story” ready. What have you done up till now and why do you want to work in investment banking. Have loose answers ready for usual questions on about leadership, teamwork, and strengths and weaknesses.Technical questions – the bar for technical has increased significantly over the past decade. Bankers will expect that you understand the basics of the 3 statements and how the industry works. There are many books and websites dedicated to this topic.Here is a free resource - Investment Banking Interview Questions, Recruiting, Job Search, Resume and Cover Letter Tips

The most legit place I can think of to download free resume templates would be from the Microsoft Office website.Go to: Office templates & themesPick the: Resumes & Cover Letters categoryThe browse the free templates.If you are a Microsoft Office subscriber you can have access to the premium templates as well.Good luck on the job hunt.

How to Write a Cover LetterCover letters. As much as they require more work, cover letters are a great opportunity to cover qualifications we can’t fully explain in our resumes. In addition, they help personalize job applicants to enable them to come across more as real people to potential employers. If you throw together a cover letter in the hopes that nobody will actually read it, you might be missing a chance to land the job. To take advantage of a cover letter's full potential, follow these steps below. You’ll find advice on formatting, reviewing, and researching cover letters. You will also find links to three free samples, which you can copy and adapt to your own personal cover letter.Method One of Four:Write an Email Cover LetterInclude a salutation. There are a number of cover letters to choose from. And, the greeting you choose will depend on how much information you have about the company.If you know the name of the hiring manager, your salutation should be something like "Dear [insert name]" followed by either a comma or a colon. Make sure to address the manager formally using their proper title (Mr., Ms., Dr., etc.).If you don't know the name of the hiring manager, consider addressing your letter "Dear Hiring Manager," "Dear Recruiting Team," or "Dear [insert company name] Team."As a last resort, address the letter "To whom it may concern," though we recommend avoiding this salutation, as it could come across as a template letter.Write the first paragraph of your letter. This is where you will mention the job for which you're applying and how you found the job listing. It only needs to be 1 to 2 sentences in length.Write the body paragraphs of your letter. Most cover letters will only have 1 or 2 body paragraphs. You don't want to overwhelm the hiring manager or use up a great deal of their time. Try to answer the following questions in your body paragraphs:Why am I a qualified candidate for this position?What work experience do I have that fits the job requirements in the company's listing?Why do I want to work for this company specifically?Write the final paragraph of your letter. This will be where you wrap up and discuss how you will proceed with the application. Consider including the following:Reiterate in one sentence why you feel you're a perfect fit for the position.Discuss what you'll do next. If you plan on following up with the hiring manager in a week or two, include a specific date. Otherwise, just say that you look forward to interviewing for the position and discussing your qualifications further.Provide your contact information. Include your email address and your phone number so the hiring manager can get in touch with you.Mention that your resume or references are attached (if applicable).Thank the person for their time.End your cover letter with a respectful closing statement. "Best" or "Sincerely" are both classic options. Also, since you won't be able to sign your email, finish the letter by typing your full name.AdvertisementMethod Two of Four:Write a Paper Cover LetterAdd a letterhead at the top of the letter. Your letterhead should include your full name, address, telephone number, and email address. Some guidelines to follow when creating your letterhead:Your name should be in bold 14- or 16-point font.Your address and other contact information should be in normal 12-point font.The font of your letterhead does not need to be Arial or Times New Roman, like the rest of your letter, but it should be professional looking and easy to read. The most important thing to remember is to include up-to-date information so that you make it easy for the employer to contact you.You may want to include an extra line under the letterhead to create visual appeal and to separate the letterhead from the rest of the letter.Write the recipient’s name, address, and the date below the letterhead. It doesn't matter whether you put the date first or last, or how many blank lines you include between them, as long as it looks professional.From here on out, use 12-point Arial or Times New Roman throughout the entire letter, set your margins to one inch, and use single spacing. Be sure your font is black, and if you're printing your letter out, use standard-sized paper (8 1/2” by 11”).Address the recipient. Be sure to refer to the recipient by his or her proper title (Mrs., Mr., Dr., etc.). If you’re not sure who the recipient is, write, “To Whom It May Concern:” or “Dear Sir or Madam”; however, it is always best to address a cover letter to a real person to make it look like you’re not sending form letters.State your purpose in the first paragraph. Tell the employer why you are writing to them in two or three sentences. State the position for which you are applying (or the one you would like to have should it become available).You don't necessarily need to include how you became aware of the position unless it was through a mutual contact or recruiting program—in which case you should make the most of the connection.If you are writing a letter of interest (also known as a prospecting or inquiry letter) in which you are asking about positions that might be available, specify why you are interested in working for the employer.Outline your qualifications in the middle paragraph(s). Make sure to match them to the requirements of the position. If you are writing to inquire about open positions, tell the employer how you can contribute to their bottom line, not what you want to get out of the deal. To do this, use what you have researched about the employer's background and history.Make your qualifications jump out at the reader by researching the company to which you are applying for a job and tailoring your letter accordingly. This will also be useful if you get an interview. Some questions to keep in mind as you write areWhat is the employer's mission? What do they promote as the one thing that sets them apart from their competitors?What kind of customer base does the employer have? Who is their target audience?What is the company's history? Who founded it? How has the business evolved? What are the main highlights of the company's performance over the past few years?Include a positive statement or question in the final paragraph that will motivate the employer to contact you. Make this closing paragraph between two to four sentences. Direct the employer to your enclosed resume and make sure you specify that you're available for an interview. Finish off by thanking the recruiter for their time and consideration, and welcome them to get in touch with you to continue the conversation.Write an appropriate closing. It’s a good idea to thank the reader for his or her time. After that, write “Sincerely,” “Respectfully,” or “Regards,” leave several spaces, and print your name.Add your signature. If you will be submitting your cover letter digitally, it’s a good idea to scan and add your signature, write it in with a digital writing pad, or make a digital signature stamp with appropriate software.Make a notation of the enclosures. If you enclose something, such as a resume, with a letter, you should indicate that the letter contains enclosures by making the notation “Enclosure” or “Enclosures” at the bottom of the letter.AdvertisementMethod Three of Four:Review Your Cover LetterSpell-check and proofread. If you have a spell-check feature, use it. Some programs, such as Microsoft Word, also include a grammar check that you should use. Proofread your letter yourself. Some things to avoid areCommon misspellings.Writing in the passive voice. Own your accomplishments. Stay away from phrases like "This experience gave me the opportunity to...," or worse, "these goals were met by me." You don't want to sound like everything happened to you or that it was done by some other entity. Make yourself the active subject of every sentence (e.g., "In this role, I developed/reinforced/learned/etc."). However, this does not imply that every sentence should start with "I..." so vary your syntax accordingly.Colloquial (informal) writing. You want to sound professional and educated. Avoid all forms of slang, unnecessary abbreviations, and texting lingo.Incorrect punctuation.Read your letter aloud to hear how it reads. Do not rely on the spelling and grammar checks to catch mistakes. Consider asking a friend, or even two, to proofread your letter as well. If no one is available to help, another good strategy is to spend some time away from your final draft (a few hours or even a whole day) so that you can return to it with a fresh perspective.AdvertisementMethod Four of Four:Checklist for Preparing Your Cover LetterDouble-check some of the most-overlooked basics before you do anything. While misspelling or misidentifying the name of the company you're applying to isn't the end of the world, it's not exactly starting off on the right foot. Double-check the following:The complete name of the company to which you are applying for a jobThe name of the person to whom you are addressing the cover letterThe address of the person to whom you are sending the letterThe title of the job for which you are applying and/or its reference number, if it existsAsk yourself what skills do you possess that you are not using enough in your current role. Would the ideal candidate for this new role be required to make more use of those types of skills? What opportunities are missing in your current role? Answering these questions will help you explain why you are interested in leaving current position. For example, are you looking for:"room for advancement""an opportunity to learn new skills"Hammer down your current job or educational position. This may seem like an obvious question, but knowing how to clearly define your current role is a tremendous asset. For example, you could be a:"graduate student in environmental science""customer service professional specializing in the high-end retail market"Provide a general description of your accomplishments/experiences in the field to which you are applying. For example, you could have:"fifteen years of excellent customer service experience""an outstanding background in scientific research and discovery""a solid history of dependability in the automotive industry"Identify the assets can you offer to the company to which you are applying. List a few in your cover letter, such as:"extensive experience with start-ups""demonstrated ability to solve problems""refined ability to manage teams"What will you help the company accomplish, if given the job you desire?"increase its bottom line""meet its goal of providing only the best in customer service""expand its customer base and increase its revenue"Specify the type of job or level of the position you are seeking. Is it:"entry-level""management""senior levelSource : wikihow.com