Consulting cover letter guide (for McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

Consulting cover letter

Today we’re going to explain everything you need to know about writing consulting cover letters.

We’ll start by reviewing an example cover letter that got interview invitations from ALL the MBB firms (McKinsey, BCG, and Bain). 

And then we’ll explain exactly how you should write your own cover letter to land consulting interviews. Here’s a full list of the topics in this guide:

  • Example cover letter

How to write your consulting cover letter

Consulting cover letter tips.

  • The skills consulting firms look for

Consulting cover letter screening process

  • Get help with your cover letter

Let’s get to it! 

Click here for a consulting letter/resume review with an ex-MBB consultant

Example cover letter (which got interviews at mckinsey, bcg, and bain).

Below is an anonymised cover letter from a candidate who got interviews at McKinsey, BCG and Bain. So you can trust that this template works.

The image here highlights the different sections of the cover letter, but we’ll dive deeper into the text later, and you can also get a downloadable copy below.

Consulting cover letter example

Free download of the consulting cover letter example, here. 

In the next section, we’ll go step-by-step through each part of the cover letter and explain how to go about writing it. But before we dive in, please note the following points about the above template:

  • A lot of people use this template. Get inspiration from it, but every sentence in your letter should be written from scratch.
  • This cover letter might sound impressive. It's one of the best ones we’ve seen. But even if you have not achieved as much as this person, you can still get an interview.

With that said, let’s dig into the cover letter writing process!

As a starting point, this video provides a nice overview of the full writing process for a consulting cover letter. 

Now let’s break things down further.

1. Introduction

Example - Introduction

Mary Taylor - [email protected]

DD / MM / YYYY

Dear Sir / Madam,

I would like to apply for an Associate position at McKinsey in London.

This section is a formality. It should simply state the following information:

  • Your name and email address. You can replace your email address with a postal address although those are not commonly used anymore.
  • The date on which you are sending your letter
  • The position, company, and office to which you are applying

Keep it short and sweet.

2. Why you? 

Example - Why you?

I started working as an Analyst at Big Finance in New York in September 2020 and was quickly promoted to Associate in a year and a half instead of the average four years. While at Big Finance, I advised a broad range of clients who constantly gave me positive feedback and regularly asked to work with me again. Before joining Big Finance, I graduated as the top student of my MEng in Chemical Engineering at Prestigious University in the UK. While studying, I received two competitive scholarships and awards. In addition, I developed my leadership skills as the President of the Prestigious University Consulting Club. High energy was essential to lead a team of 5 managing the club and growing the number of members by 20%.

This is your "GOLD MEDALS" section. It is the first section of your cover letter and therefore the most important one.

It should state the TOP 3 achievements of your life to date that are relevant to consulting. These achievements should be as unique and as memorable as possible. When your reviewer reads them they should think "Wow, that's impressive. I want to know more about this person."

To write this section you need to step back and ask yourself "What are the most impressive things I've done with my life so far?" This is not an easy question to answer. 

In our experience discussing this with a close friend can help. It's sometimes easier for them to quickly point out the impressive things you have done as they are an external observer.

In addition, notice how achievements are QUANTIFIED in the example above. Saying you have been promoted "in a year and a half instead of the average four years" is much more powerful than saying you have been promoted "quickly." You should quantify your achievements whenever possible.

This section is your chance to grab the reader's attention. If there's nothing impressive in it, they will stop reading and just scan the paragraphs. So don't miss your opportunity!

3. Why consulting?

Example - Why consulting?

There are several reasons why I want to pursue a consulting career. To start with, I know I will enjoy being a strategy consultant because I have already worked in a strategy team in the past. This was in summer 2019 when I was a Strategy Intern at Big Grocery Retailer in London. In addition, I think consulting is a unique opportunity to comprehensively learn about business management by working on a variety of company situations. Over the past two years, I have started building my business skills while advising clients on financial matters at Big Finance. I now look forward to learning more about companies’ management at McKinsey. Finally, I want to work in consulting because I truly enjoy interacting with clients. Throughout my work experiences I have built a successful track record of developing and maintaining relationships with clients including, for instance, the senior strategy team at Big Grocery Retailer.

Once you have convinced your reviewer that you have impressive achievements under your belt they'll be thinking: "Ok, this person is impressive. But do they REALLY want to be a consultant? Or are they just applying because they're not sure what to do with their career."

The third section of your letter should therefore answer the  "Why consulting?" question . But here is the thing about this question: There are some reasons to go into consulting that you should tell your reviewer about. And some reasons that you should really keep to yourself.

For instance, one of the mistakes candidates commonly make in their cover letter is to write something along the lines of "I'd like to spend 2 or 3 years in consulting to learn more about business in general and then decide what I want to do." This is a HUGE mistake. 

Consulting firms want to hire FUTURE PARTNERS. Not employees who will stay for a couple of years. You can watch the video below for more details about this.

The best approach for your "Why consulting?" section is to write about past experiences that really show you know what you are getting into. The perfect situation is if you have done an internship in consulting or in corporate strategy and have enjoyed it. If that's the case, this is the perfect section to write about it.

But even if you haven't done related internships, there are plenty of angles you can use to connect your past experiences to what you will do as a consultant. For instance:

  • You might have enjoyed working with clients when you were in M&A or in Sales
  • You might have enjoyed structuring and solving tough problems as an engineer

You should use these experiences to say that "working with clients" or "solving tough problems" is something you KNOW you enjoy doing; and you look forward to spending more time doing this as a consultant.

When they read this section, your reviewer should think: "Ok, this person is impressive AND they know what they are getting into."

4. Why McKinsey / BCG / Bain / Other?

Example - Why McKinsey?

McKinsey appeals to me for three reasons. To start with, the different people from the company I have met and worked with all told me they had truly enjoyed their time there. For the past two years, I have worked for Michael Smith, a former Engagement Manager from the London office, who now works for Big Finance. Additionally, I regularly read McKinsey’s reports on financial services and think the insights delivered by Sarah James and others in the Finance practice are truly superior to that of other consultancies. By joining McKinsey, I therefore think I would have an opportunity to work with and learn from the best consultants in the industry. Finally, the fact that McKinsey was selected by Finance Supercorp to shape its digital strategy also played an important role in my decision to apply. This was a first-of-its-kind contract in finance and it shows that while at McKinsey I could get the opportunity to work on truly unique projects.

If you have managed to convince your reviewer that you have an impressive background and that you really want to be a consultant, you have a VERY HIGH chance of getting an interview. 

The only question that's left for you to answer is: " Why McKinsey  / Why BCG? / Why Bain? "

Top consulting firms  have a lot in common. In most regions, they cover the same industries and work for similar clients. They also pay similar salaries, and the career path is more or less the same from firm to firm. So what should you write about in this section?

In our experience, the most efficient way to set yourself apart in this section is to write about three specific elements:

When you write "I've met with Michael Smith," or "I've read report X," or "I've heard about project Y," you are making an argument that's SPECIFIC enough for your reviewer to think: "Ok they've done their homework."

If you stay too GENERIC, your argument will be much less credible. For instance, writing something like "While at McKinsey, I'll be exposed to a broad range of industries which I'm excited about" is a weak argument because you could swap McKinsey for BCG or Bain in that sentence.

In fact, this is the ultimate test. If you can swap McKinsey with another name in your "Why McKinsey?" section you are not being specific enough. You need to work on your paragraph again and mention SPECIFIC people, reports, or projects that you find interesting.

5. Conclusion

Example - Conclusion

For all these reasons, I am very enthusiastic about the chance to work at McKinsey. I am available for an interview at any time and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Mary Taylor

The last section of the cover letter is a formality again. It should include the following elements:

  • A sentence or two saying that you are enthusiastic and available for interviews at any time
  • Your final signature

So how do you make it easy for your reviewer to put your cover letter on the "Accept" pile? We have put together the 10 tips below to make sure you can achieve this and avoid common mistakes.

Consulting cover letter tips

Tip #1 Don't use a template letter

Writing cover letters is painful. But trust us, reading hundreds of them can be at least as painful. That's why you should make every effort to make your letter interesting and genuine. 

It's ok to get inspiration from templates such as the one we provide in this guide. But every sentence in your letter should be written from scratch.

Tip #2 Keep it to one page

One of the unwritten rules of consulting cover letters is that they should not be longer than one page. The trick to achieve this is to only select the MOST RELEVANT experiences from your  resume  and to summarise them. 

The points you decide to highlight should clearly demonstrate that you would make a great consultant.

Tip #3 Standard format and font

It's tempting to use an eye-catching font and format. But that's actually a bad idea. You only risk your interviewer thinking: "I've never seen this font, it looks really weird. Who is this person?" Your cover letter should stand out because of its content, NOT because of its format.

Tip #4 Not the time to be shy

Your cover letter is not the time to be shy. If you went to Harvard and have three Olympic medals, now is the time to say it! Most of us don't, and that's fine. But the point is that you should really push yourself to bring your most impressive accomplishments forward.

Tip #5 Network, network, network

This might sound surprising, but a big part of the cover letter is  how much networking you have done . Having networked with people from the firm you are applying for pays dividends for multiple reasons. 

First, they might recommend you to the HR team. But most importantly, these people will give you insight into what makes their firm UNIQUE. Then you can quote what you've heard in your cover letter (and name drop the person you heard it from) to show that you really understand the firm you are applying for.

Tip #6 Read, read, read

Unfortunately, networking is not always easy or possible. In these cases, your second best option is to read as much as you can on the firms you are applying for. You should read about the firm's projects, reports, and partners and find pieces of information you are really interested in. 

For instance, if you did your master thesis on electric vehicles, try to find who works in this area at the firm and what they have to say about it. And then mention what you have found in your cover letter.

Tip #7 One letter per firm

One question we often get is: "Should I write one letter per firm?" The answer is YES. But it's not as hard as it might sound. 

Every cover letter needs to answer three questions: Why you? Why consulting? And why this firm? The only paragraph you will need to change in every letter is the one about "Why this firm?" For each firm, you will have to do the networking and reading mentioned above.

Tip #8 Start writing early

Writing an outstanding cover letter is VERY HARD. Most candidates underestimate how much time it takes and start this process too late. You'll need to take a step back and reflect on everything you have done to date to highlight your most relevant experiences. 

This takes multiple iterations. Start early.

Tip #9 Get feedback

In our experience, great candidates all look for feedback and iterate on their cover letter until it's truly as good as it can get. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it.

It’s best to get feedback from peers or consultants. These people will be able to point out which parts of your letter they don't get or don't find impactful enough. If you’d like to have an expert review your cover letter, check out our team of  ex-consultant coaches .

Tip #10 Proofread multiple times

Finally, you should check and double check your letter for typos and grammar mistakes - multiple times. A cover letter is (not so secretly) a writing test and you should really treat it like one.

What consulting firms look for

To get multiple interviews at  top consulting firms , it’s extremely important to understand what those firms are actually looking for. 

The good news is that most of the leading consultancies are looking for basically the same skills. 

To illustrate this point, here’s what  McKinsey  and  Bain  say that they’re looking for in candidates, along with our own translation of what they mean:

What consulting firms look for

There are also a few unofficial items that consulting firms will look for on your resume, and you can read about those in our  consulting resume guide .

Next, let’s talk about the typical cover letter screening process.

Screening process

Now let's talk about HOW your cover letter will be handled once you send it. Here's how it works.

Your application will be sent to a JUNIOR CONSULTANT who recently graduated from your University. They will score your documents based on a grid provided by the HR team. 

Consultants usually have to score 200 to 400 applications in about 2 weeks. And this is sometimes on TOP of their normal project. It's not uncommon for them to leave the job to the last minute and to have to do it on a Friday night just before the deadline.

Why is this important? The point we are trying to make is your application is part of 100 other applications. And the person who will review it will be tired by the time they get to your cover letter. If they don't understand something, they won't Google it. It's your job to make their job easy.

Why consultancies ask for a cover letter

There are two main reasons why consulting firms ask for cover letters.

First, partners bill several thousand dollars per day to their clients. The opportunity cost of interviewing you is HUGE for the firm. Put yourself in the shoes of a consultancy for a second. What are the top 3 questions you want to answer before investing money in interviewing a candidate?

  • Have they demonstrated the skills needed to be a consultant?
  • Do they know what consulting is and what they are getting into?
  • Are they genuinely interested in working for our firm?

If you don't answer these three questions in a structured and impactful way, your chances of getting past the screening process are very low. This is why every cover letter should be structured as follows:

  • Why consulting?
  • Why this firm?

The second reason consulting firms ask for a cover letter is to test your writing skills. Consultants write all the time: emails, PowerPoints, Word documents, etc. They spend about 50% of their day writing. And a lot of the time their job is to summarise very large quantities of information in a succinct way.

This is exactly what you have to do in your cover letter. You have to a) look back on all your past experiences, b) select the relevant experiences to convince the reviewer that you are the right person for the job and c) summarise all these experiences in a way that's easy to read and digest.

Cover letters are a disguised writing test. Candidates who end up getting invited for interviews recognise this early on. Making a good impression on paper is way harder than making a good impression in person.

Are many candidates ready to invest HOURS in writing the perfect cover letter? No. That's the whole point. That's how you can set yourself apart. If you spend enough time making sure that your letter is as impactful as it can be, you stand very high chances of getting invited for interviews.

Another reason that it can help to have a cover letter is to explain anything on your resume that may look unusual to a reviewer, such as a time gap or a non-traditional background for consulting. 

Whatever your unique situation is, if you’re not confident in how your cover letter looks today, then we can help you. 

Get an Ex-MBB consultant to review your cover letter

The guide above, in addition to our guide on  consulting resumes , should go a long way in helping you craft documents that will get you interviews. 

But if you still feel you need additional help, we have a team of ex-MBB recruiters and interviewers who would be happy to provide feedback on your cover letter.

You’ll get feedback on how to immediately improve your cover letter, including what experience to focus on, how to optimise your phrasing, formatting, etc.

Start by browsing profiles for available coaches.

Interview coach and candidate conduct a video call

Consulting Cover Letter: What You Actually Need to Know

The key to effective cover-letters is story-telling. Most people write cover letters like resumes, with cold, hard facts, and that’s the problem.

Cover letters are much more effective if they contain stories capturing the burning spirits of candidates. In this article, I’ll tell you how to install such stories seamlessly into your consulting cover letters, and land a case interview yourself.

Consulting cover letters – The basics

What are cover letters for.

Cover letters are documents accompanying resumes, to provide further insights into the qualities and motivations of a candidate, as well as portray who he/she is as a person .

In consulting cover letters, there are three essential qualities you must always display:

  • Leadership skills:  the ability to influence people’s decisions.
  • Achieving mindset : the continuous, relentless push for the best results.
  • Analytical problem-solving:  the ability to solve problems in a structured, methodical manner.

Regarding motivations, there are two questions you need to answer:

  • “Why consulting?”:  Do you really understand the consulting world, and how it fits with your long-term plans? Is there something unique in the consulting track to explain your choice?
  • “Why this firm?”:  Out of all the consulting firms, why ours? There should be something uniquely attractive about this firm to you, isn’t there?

And last but not least, don’t forget to show that you have an interesting personality that fits with the firm’s culture.

Cover letters vs Resumes – What’s the difference?

Because so many candidates confuse between the two, then end up writing boring cover letters resembling “paragraph versions” of their resumes, I feed the need to differentiate.

There are four marked differences:

Cover letters go deep, resumes go wide

In cover letters, you should select one or a few most notable achievements, and describe them in detail to reflect your three defining aspects (values, competencies, motivations).

This stands in contrast with resumes, where you cram as many relevant achievements as possible into the space of one or two A4 pages.

Cover letters are “soft” stories, resumes are “hard” bullet lists

The content format of cover letters is much less defined, leaving room for a lot of creativity, unlike resumes which are almost always bullet lists of cold, hard facts.

Your goal as the candidate is to fully utilize that loosely-defined format and make your cover letter as attractive and memorable as possible.

Cover letters describe personality, resumes do not

A crucial role of the cover letter is to portray who you are as a person. Resumes don’t do that, they focus on your achievements.

Your personality does not only come directly through the contents, but also reflected in the style of the letter – so take time to make your cover letter more attractive, and you’ll make a better impression with the screener.

Cover letters touch on future plans, resume concerns mostly the past

In cover letters, you have to answer the motivation questions (why consulting, why this firm). In resumes, that aspect is barely mentioned.

The most credible answers to those questions connect the job with your future plans – as such, the cover letter is not confined to the past like resumes.

Understanding your audience

The vibe inside the screening room.

Busy, tiring, and boring – that’s the vibe inside the screening room.”

Picture this in your mind:

A junior consultant is in the office on a Friday night, going through hundreds of applications. He has to do this as a form of goodwill for the company, on top of his ongoing project.

Everyone’s application looks the same, following one set format; a somewhat extraordinary resume catches his attention, so he checks the cover letter to see if there’s anything interesting, only to be disappointed because the letter is an exact recital of the resume.

If you want to grab the screener’s attention and make memorable impressions, you have to break that negative vibe, using an unordinary cover letter.

Most cover letters are just listings of achievement and cliched motivation statements – they feel like unoriginal walls-of-text that offer nothing new – and that’s the exact reason why many screeners don’t like cover letters. Write an exciting story instead – the screener will love it.

Why they read your cover letter

There are two main reasons why the screener reads your consulting cover letter:

  • He wants to know more about your motivations and personality because your resume is both impressive and interesting/unordinary at the same time.
  • He wants to clarify some ambiguous points in your resume – this happens if you appear highly competent, but your writing is not clear enough.

In both cases, there’s no excuse to repeat your resume in a paragraph format and disappoint the screener. You have all the reasons in the world to present an attractive, detailed, focused narrative – tell a story and get your interview.

Both the background and the purpose of cover-letter-screening suggest that an innovative story-telling approach is much more beneficial than the common, formulaic, overly-formal cover letters.

Such an approach will definitely make your cover letter stand out from the heap of some 200 other applications. It helps you grab the screener’s attention, and impress him in a memorable way.

Additionally, it makes reading the cover letter easier and more enjoyable. The screener is already tired, so there’s no point in making his life harder.

Whatever the reason, as the cover letter is opened AFTER the resume, the implication is that you need to perfect your consulting resume first!

If you haven’t read it, here’s an A-to-Z guide to writing the perfect consulting resume , from a former McKinsey consultant and resume screener!

Consulting cover letter – Step-by-step guide

All these elements must be presented in a coherent storyline and concise language.

Keep in mind this is a consulting cover letter – as such, your story should be backed up by impactful, specific, verifiable results.

To write impressive, fact-based stories that demonstrate all three necessary aspects of the candidate, I advise you to follow these four steps:

Step 1 – Self-reflect for storylines

Search your memory for events, experiences, ideas… that can serve as a basic storyline – the backbone of your cover letter. For each storyline, consider the following six criteria :

  • Uniqueness: The base story should be something unique to you. If it’s something common or universal, you won’t have the screener’s attention.
  • Attractiveness: Your story should be attractive and entertaining – only then can you trigger the screener’s curiosity. Usually, it’s something “big” and impactful, but not controversial
  • Positiveness: The story should have a positive “vibe” to it. If it’s something sad or negative, don’t include it in your cover letter.
  • Qualities: All three consulting qualities (leadership, achieving, analytical problem-solving) should be illustrated in your story. Otherwise, consider that story irrelevant.
  • Motivations: Your story should at least help explain why you’re applying, if not providing direct answers to that question. Firms don’t like to hire candidates without clear motivations.
  • Personality: Make sure you exhibit a likable personality. On the other hand, if that story suggests negative traits (pessimism, short temper, cynicism, etc.) you have to modify it.

Let’s see if these storylines of my own could match the requirements:

“I escaped from a near-death experience during a paragliding session using my gliding skills.”

This is not something you hear every day, and near-death stories are often quite attractive, so you have those two boxes checked; and for now, there’s no sign of “bad” personality traits.

However, it’s a near-death experience, so it does have a negative vibe. Additionally, it shows neither consulting qualities nor relevant motivations.

=> This story only meets 3 out of 6 criteria. Out!

“I founded an entertainment business which attracted lots of attention, but ultimately failed.”

Not everyone is a startup entrepreneur, so this story does meet the “uniqueness” criterion. It’s relatively easy to draw attention with startup stories, and it’s easy to explain a consulting career choice from a former entrepreneur perspective, too. No negative personality trait is visible.

While being a business owner suggests some leadership and problem-solving experience, as well as an achieving mindset, a failure story like this might raise some questions on the “qualities” aspect; it also creates a negative vibe.

=> Overall, 4.5 to 5 out of 6. Not really the best storyline for a consulting cover letter, but usable with some modifications.

“I broke McKinsey’s code of conduct, convinced a client to pay their long-overdue service fees, and was celebrated for it.”

Is there anyone who doesn’t like those “breaking rules” stories? I’m quite confident this experience is quite unique and attractive. Because this is actual consulting work, it’s undoubtedly easy to point out all the important consulting qualities, as well as to provide a basis for my motivations.

However, this “breaking the rules” story may suggest rebellious tendencies, so if I’m going to use it I’ll again need some modifications.

=> This story scores 5.5 / 6. Quite good but I do need to be careful with it.

bcg consulting cover letter

Step 2 - Add and classify details

Rack your memory and jot down everything related to your storyline; don’t worry about having too many details, you will be trimming the story later.

Pay special attention to the details best illustrating relevant qualities , motivations , and personality , because you will need to emphasize them.

Step 3 – Structure and enhance

Arrange the details of your story in a logical, intuitive structure; the most common method is:

1. Describe a notable, relevant experience using the problem-action-result structure to impress the interviewer with your qualities first.

2. Try to link it up with the present/future parts of your story (ideas, philosophies, plans) to explain your motivations.

Trim all non-essential and technical details, they do nothing but confuse the reader and bore them to death. Your story should be told in a way even your grandmother can understand.

Then, arrange and enhance the remaining details so that the story feels more dramatic, i.e the uniqueness and difficulty of the problem should be emphasized.

On a related note, consultants dislike lengthy cover letters – in fact, one A4 page is the maximum length – so there’s one more reason to start trimming.

Step 4 – Amplify consulting features

First, make all three key consulting traits stand out from your story – leadership, achieving mindset, and analytical problem-solving.

Then, make subtle references to consulting work using the industry’s terminology and concepts. Most screeners, being consultants themselves, will subconsciously appreciate this. However, avoid buzzwords and slangs found on the Internet, or you’ll appear superficial and unprofessional.

Consulting cover letter – Tips

To write the best cover letter, you must thoroughly understand the industry, its major firms, and even the very office you’re applying into.

To achieve such an understanding, there is quite a bit of research to do – and here are three tips for you to ease that process!

Tip 1: Networking

Successful networking goes a long way in the consulting recruitment process and in cover letters.

Firstly, management consulting firms are relatively publicity-shy, so having a connection within these firms allow you to gain very specific and authentic insights about the firm, the job, as well as the consulting world in general, helping you make better choices and deliver more convincing reasons.

Secondly, you may earn a referral ! The screening stage is harsh – it’s where most candidates are filtered out, both in absolute and proportional terms – and referrals help a great deal with that.

Remember to show your networking efforts by mentioning the names of consultants at the office you’re applying into, as well as their projects. The screener will know you really do care about the job, and you’ve done your homework.

Tip 2: Read consulting news

The websites of major consulting firms all have countless articles on current affairs as well as their own projects – read them frequently and regularly .

For one thing, those articles will deepen your understanding of management consultants and their work, helping you make better choices and explain them more effectively to the screener.

Additionally, reading consulting articles regularly will help you know more about the specific projects of each firm, which you can bring up in cover letters.

Tip 3: Build “cheat sheets”

A few ready-to-use “cheat sheets” containing all the important details on the consulting industry and major firms will significantly ease the writing process.

I recommend making three different groups of sheets – one for the consulting world in general, one for the firms, and the last one about the specific offices you’re applying into.

Be implicit and “smooth” when using these sheets. Make sure to sound as natural and seamless as possible when mentioning your references; avoid putting them at the focus of your sentences, but to use them as supplements to the main idea (e.g: I was awed by the network of experts supporting our project with McKinsey back in 2016).

Consulting cover letter – Visual format

Consulting cover letters are not the place for creative, colorful designs. Format your letters in a conservative, text-dense, black-and-white fashion – that’s how actual consultants do it.

One A4 page is the maximum length for consulting cover letters.

Inside the busy screening room, nobody has the time and energy to read a two-page worth of story, no matter how attractive it is.

If your cover letter exceeds that maximum length, trim away the less important details and shorten your expressions; you can also tweak your font size, spacing, and margins to squeeze the most content into one page.

Use formal, conservative fonts, such as Times New Roman, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, etc.

Keep your font size at 10-12. Larger text tends to feel somewhat “messy”, and they’re space-consuming. Smaller text, on the other hand, feels difficult and tiring to read.

Additionally, the typeface in your cover letter should match that on the resume.

Spacing, margins, and alignment

Use spacings of 1.15 between lines and 1.50-2.00 between paragraphs. Consulting cover letters are quite text-dense, so it’s important to use these white spaces to ease the visual strain.

Always align your text on the left side. Left-aligning is the standard in the United States, where most major consulting firms are based; additionally, left-aligning keeps the horizontal spacing between words even, unlike justified where that spacing varies considerably between each line.

All four margins should be equal at 1 inch. That should keep your letter neat and tidy while maximizing the amount of text on one page.

bcg consulting cover letter

Other reminders

If you know who’s screening, address them by name. Otherwise, generic salutations are fine.

I’ve come across pages claiming it’s no longer acceptable to write generic salutations (“ To whom it may concern ”); however, in consulting firms where the screening process is assigned to junior consultants on an availability basis, you don’t always know who’s reading your letter, so such salutations are okay.

On the other hand, if you happen to be applying into a small, new office, and your networking efforts are successful, you may know your screener. In that case, refer them by name for a greater impact.

Replacement test

If you can replace the industry and the firm in your letter with something similar and it still makes sense, your tailoring is not enough.

Your motivations should be based on unique and defining descriptions – for example, McKinsey having the largest support network for consultants, or Bain being the frattiest among MBB consulting firms.

Non-unique reasons, such as “prestigious brand name” or “interesting projects” can apply to basically every major consulting firm out there, so they’re not strong bases for your choices.

Maintain formality

Use formal language throughout, and keep standard your heading and salutation.

Show your uniqueness and creativity only through the main content sections. Other “procedural” parts of the cover letter should always remain formulaic – see the sample section.

The language in the main paragraph should also remain formal, i.e no slang, no contraction, no overuse of exclamations.

Avoid short-term motivations

Don’t say you’re in for a 2-year learning experience, or your application will be heading for the bin very, very quickly.

It’s costly to turn fresh graduates into effective consultants, so firms don’t want candidates who will bail out just after they’ve become useful. They want people who will stay in the firm for as long as they can – they want future partners.

You might include long-term plans concerning other industries, but don’t give the impression that you’re bailing out in a few years. If that’s your plan, don’t even mention it.

Proofread and edit

Writing cover letters should be a long process of continuous proofreading, feedback, and editing.

It’s best to find a former/working consultant or at least someone who’s knowledgeable about the industry to help you out. Consulting cover letters differ from normal ones quite considerably, so generic guidelines won’t be of much use.

It’s also very helpful to allow intervals of at least a few days between writing and proofreading sessions; you will find it easier to spot errors if you proofread with a “fresh” mind.

Try to avoid format, spelling, and grammar mistakes at all costs. In consulting cover letters, such mistakes are much less tolerated.

Cover letter file format

Always send your cover letters in the PDF format (most screeners expect you to do so).

This file format will make sure your cover letter appears the same on every computer, and it minimizes the damage that may occur in the file transfer process (by contrast, DOC files are vulnerable to numerous errors).

Depending on the computer, PDFs may look cleaner than DOCs – one possible bonus point for appearance.

Still not sure whether your cover letter is good enough? Book a meeting with former consultants. Our coaches will show you how to make your resume stand out among thousands of candidates. 

Cover letter example

Now that you’ve learned the secrets to the best story-telling cover letter, let’s have a little exercise and help the First President write one to McKinsey, shall we?

(The content in this sample letter is largely fictional for illustration purposes)

George Washington [email protected] Mount Vernon Plantation, Fairfax County, Virginia, U.S.A July 4, 1789

To whom it may concern,

My purpose in life is to liberate the American people and lead them to prosperity. The revolution of the Thirteen Colonies was up against the largest military force in the world – the British Empire – at a four-to-one disadvantage – few if any country had come up against such odds victoriously. And that was the situation I was in, as the leader of the revolution.

Under my lead, the revolutionaries mobilized internal support from 2.4 million soon-to-be American citizens and external support from allies in France. This support allowed us to remain operational even after severe defeats, which would otherwise put an end to the revolution. After six years, the Colonies came out victorious and was recognized as the new United States of America. War is over, so my new task is to steer the newfound States towards economic prosperity – and consulting experience at McKinsey will help a great deal with that.

I happen to also run a plantation business – Mount Vernon by name – which was McKinsey’s client during our expansion project in 1785. I was extremely impressed by the highly structured and data-based approach that McKinsey consultants took to deliver their solutions, and even more impressed by the incredible network of experts that was backing our project.

Through Ms. E.M – the Engagement Manager for our project from McKinsey’s DC Office – I came to be aware of the firm’s expertise in the public sector – which was recognized as being the overall best among major consulting firms.

And for that reason, I realized a consultant position at McKinsey DC will give me invaluable exposure in the public sector, both from its projects and its vicinity to the country’s capital.

I will be looking forward to speaking with you in person, about how I can put my experience as a former head-of-state and an entrepreneur to work at McKinsey.

Sincerely yours, George Washington

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BCG Cover Letter: A Perfect Template and Tips to Stand Out

Crafting a BCG cover letter that stands out can be a daunting task, but with our perfect template and expert tips, you'll be able to showcase your skills and experience in a way that catches the attention of recruiters.

Posted May 11, 2023

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If you want to stand out in your application for a job at BCG, you need a strong cover letter. A cover letter is your opportunity to introduce yourself, explain why you’re interested in the company, and highlight your relevant skills and experience. It’s your chance to convince the hiring manager that you’re the best fit for the job. In this article, we’ll explore why a strong BCG cover letter is essential and provide tips on how to write an effective one.

Why a Strong BCG Cover Letter is Essential

Your cover letter is often the first thing that a hiring manager will see when you apply for a job at BCG. It’s your chance to make a great first impression and stand out from the other applicants. Your cover letter can also provide context for your resume and give the hiring manager a better understanding of your career goals and aspirations. A strong cover letter can differentiate you from other applicants and increase your chances of getting an interview.

In addition to showcasing your qualifications and career aspirations, a strong BCG cover letter can also demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the company and its values. By researching BCG and tailoring your cover letter to the specific job and company, you can show that you are a dedicated and enthusiastic candidate who is genuinely interested in working for BCG. This can make a significant impact on the hiring manager and increase your chances of being selected for an interview.

Understanding the Role of a BCG Cover Letter

The role of a BCG cover letter is to introduce yourself, explain why you’re interested in the company, and highlight your relevant skills and experience. It should be a persuasive document that convinces the hiring manager that you’re the best fit for the job. Your cover letter should demonstrate your understanding of the company’s values and culture and explain how you can contribute to its success.

One important aspect to keep in mind when writing a BCG cover letter is to tailor it to the specific job you’re applying for. This means researching the company and the position, and highlighting the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the job. It’s also important to use specific examples to demonstrate your qualifications, rather than simply listing them.

Another key element of a successful BCG cover letter is to showcase your passion for the industry and the company. This can be done by discussing any relevant projects or initiatives you’ve worked on, or by highlighting any industry-related accomplishments or awards you’ve received. By demonstrating your enthusiasm and commitment to the field, you’ll show the hiring manager that you’re not only qualified for the job, but also a great cultural fit for the company.

Key Components of an Effective BCG Cover Letter

An effective BCG cover letter should include the following key components:

  • Introduction: Introduce yourself and state the position you’re applying for.
  • Body: Explain why you’re interested in the company and how your skills and experience make you a good fit for the job.
  • Closing: Thank the hiring manager for their time and express your enthusiasm for the opportunity to interview.

However, there are a few additional components that can make your BCG cover letter stand out from the rest. Firstly, it’s important to research the company and understand their values and culture. Incorporating this knowledge into your cover letter can demonstrate your genuine interest in the company and your ability to align with their goals.

Secondly, consider including specific examples of your past achievements that relate to the job you’re applying for. This can help to showcase your skills and experience in a tangible way, and make you a more compelling candidate for the position.

Researching the Company Before Writing Your BCG Cover Letter

Before you start writing your BCG cover letter, it’s important to research the company. Look at BCG’s website to understand its values, goals, and culture. Read the job description carefully to understand the requirements of the position and the skills and experience that BCG is looking for. Use this information to tailor your cover letter to the company and the position.

Additionally, it can be helpful to research the industry and competitors of the company. This can give you a better understanding of the market and how BCG fits into it. You can also use this information to highlight your relevant skills and experience in your cover letter. Furthermore, consider reaching out to current or former employees of BCG to gain insights into the company culture and work environment. This can help you determine if BCG is the right fit for you and demonstrate your genuine interest in the company.

Tips for Tailoring Your BCG Cover Letter to the Job Description

To tailor your BCG cover letter to the job description, highlight the skills and experience that are most relevant to the position. Use specific examples to demonstrate how you’ve used these skills in the past. Use language from the job description to show that you’ve read it carefully and understand the requirements of the position. Make sure to address any questions or concerns that the hiring manager might have.

Additionally, it's important to research the company and its culture before writing your cover letter. This will help you understand the company's values and mission, and allow you to tailor your letter to fit with their culture. You can also use this research to highlight specific projects or initiatives that the company has worked on that align with your own interests and experiences. This will show the hiring manager that you are not only a good fit for the position, but also for the company as a whole.

Structuring Your BCG Cover Letter for Maximum Impact

To structure your BCG cover letter for maximum impact, use a clear and concise format. Start with an introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and clearly states the position you’re applying for. Use body paragraphs to explain why you’re interested in the company and how your skills and experience make you a good fit for the job. Use a closing paragraph to thank the hiring manager for their time and express your enthusiasm for the opportunity to interview.

It’s also important to tailor your cover letter to the specific job and company you’re applying to. Research the company and the position to understand their values, goals, and needs. Use this information to highlight how your skills and experience align with their needs and how you can contribute to their success. Personalizing your cover letter shows that you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in the company, which can set you apart from other applicants.

Showcasing Your Relevant Skills and Experience in Your BCG Cover Letter

Your BCG cover letter should showcase your relevant skills and experience in a clear and concise way. Use specific examples to demonstrate how you’ve used these skills in the past. Use language from the job description to show that you’ve read it carefully and understand the requirements of the position. Be honest about your skills and experience and use them to demonstrate why you’re the best fit for the job.

Additionally, it's important to tailor your cover letter to the specific BCG office and industry you're applying for. Research the company and its culture to understand what they value and what they're looking for in a candidate. Use this information to highlight how your skills and experience align with their values and needs.

Finally, don't forget to proofread your cover letter carefully. Typos and grammatical errors can make a negative impression on the reader and detract from your qualifications. Have someone else read over your letter to catch any mistakes you may have missed.

Using Keywords and Action Verbs in Your BCG Cover Letter

Using keywords and action verbs in your BCG cover letter can help you to stand out from other applicants. Use keywords from the job description to show that you’ve read it carefully and understand the requirements of the position. Use action verbs to describe your skills and experience in a clear and concise way. This can help to make your cover letter more dynamic and engaging.

Another way to make your BCG cover letter stand out is to highlight your achievements and accomplishments. Use specific examples to demonstrate how you have contributed to the success of previous projects or organizations. This can help to show that you have the skills and experience necessary to excel in the position.

It’s also important to tailor your cover letter to the specific BCG office and industry you are applying to. Research the company and its culture, and use this information to demonstrate your fit with the organization. This can help to show that you are genuinely interested in the position and have taken the time to understand the company’s values and goals.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your BCG Cover Letter

There are several common mistakes that you should avoid when writing your BCG cover letter. These include:

  • Using a generic cover letter that doesn’t address the specific requirements of the position.
  • Focusing too much on your past history instead of your future goals.
  • Being too formal or too casual in your tone.
  • Not proofreading your cover letter for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Examples of Successful BCG Cover Letters

It can be helpful to read examples of successful BCG cover letters before writing your own. You can find examples of successful cover letters on BCG’s website or on job search websites. Use these examples as inspiration for your own cover letter, but make sure to tailor it to the specific requirements of the position.

How to Follow Up After Submitting Your BCG Cover Letter

After submitting your BCG cover letter, it’s important to follow up with the hiring manager. You can send a brief email to thank them for their time and express your continued interest in the position. You can also ask if there is any additional information that you can provide or if there is an estimated timeline for interviews.

Tips for Standing Out Among Other Applicants with Your BCG Cover Letter

To stand out among other applicants with your BCG cover letter, you should:

  • Personalize your cover letter to the specific requirements of the position.
  • Use specific examples to demonstrate your skills and experience.
  • Use language from the job description to show that you’ve read it carefully.
  • Proofread your cover letter for spelling and grammar mistakes.
  • Be professional, but also show your enthusiasm for the opportunity.

By following these tips and using our template, you can write a strong BCG cover letter that will help you stand out from other applicants and increase your chances of getting an interview. Good luck!

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BCG Cover Letter

Written by . Posted in Cover Letter

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Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has been recognized as one of the most prominent consulting firms in the world. Its prestige places it, along with McKinsey and Bain, in what’s known as the “Big Three” of the industry. Currently it has approximately 78 offices located in 43 countries across the world.

The firm recruits exceptional graduates and working professionals to join their team. They visit colleges and universities to find passionate individuals who are capable of developing recommendations after thoroughly analyzing a business case. Recruiters employ various tools for screening applicants, but the first document they check is your BCG cover letter .

If you’re in the process of crafting an impressive cover letter, here are some pointers to follow:

Research and Network

In order to write a letter that creates value to BCG, research the firm and network with people who are or were connected with the firm. The information you learn from the firm’s website, books, magazines, and employees will guide you in finalizing the content of your letter. A letter will only pique the interest of the recruiter if it’s customized to the company’s direction, goals. and needs.

Think of a Structure

Before you turn on your computer and start typing, think about how you will structure your BCG cover letter. To simplify things, follow this outline:

A cover letter must only contain relevant information. Remember, BCG receives numerous applications each year. Recruiters only have a short time to review your document so it must expertly convey your qualifications.

Mentioning the name of a key person in the management consulting firm or industry can make your cover letter unique. However, when you do this, explain how your encounter with the consultant has convinced you to pursue a career at BCG. Were you motivated by his or her description of the company’s culture and goals? Are you interested in the challenging working environment? Recruiters are interested in this type of information.

Explain Issues

If your work history listed on your resume has noticeable gaps, or if you are shifting careers, you should explain these issues in your BCG cover letter. Recruiters might question why you stopped working for a couple of years or why you decided to leave sales and pursue a career in management consulting. Your explanation will help recruiters understand where you came from and how you can contribute to their goals. Everything must be clear from the beginning; otherwise, you could be instantly rejected for the opening.

Proofread Your Letter

Review your cover letter a few times before you send it to BCG. Make sure the content is relevant, interesting, and substantial. Furthermore, it must be free from spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. Mistakes give recruiters the impression that you are not meticulous with details and/or you have poor communication skills. If you want objective feedback about your BCG cover letter, ask a friend for help or contact an expert.

You’ll need a well-crafted job application whether you’re seeking for a position as a teacher, engineer, or receptionist. The cover letter is a very useful document for this. You’ll have a far better chance of finding your dream job if you include a professional cover letter with your CV.

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Every year, more than 1 million candidates apply for a consulting role in McKinsey.

[ Click here to directly go to the Consulting cover letter sample ]

But only 10,000 people get the final offer. That’s a 1% success rate .

The top 3 consulting companies, McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company , are some of the most selective companies when it comes to hiring.

Most people don’t know this, but they start their selection process by screening the cover letter and consulting resumes .

More than 80% of resumes and cover letters are rejected before the first screening. Less than 15% of candidates get called for interviews in the big three consulting firms.

So, if you think, " How do I become a consultant? How to write a consulting cover letter that gets me the consulting job?” - This blog is for you.

Consulting cover letters are very different from traditional cover letters for jobs. In this guide to writing a consulting cover letter, we’ll tell you everything you need to write on the consulting cover letter to stand out from your competitors.

In this blog, we will discuss:

  • What is a consulting cover letter?
  • What are the things recruiters look for in a cover cetter?
  • How to structure a consulting cover letter?
  • How to write an effective consulting cover letter?
  • 5 tips to write a stellar consulting cover letter
  • Consulting cover letter dample

We’ll also share five consulting cover letter examples to help you get an interview.

What Is a Consulting Cover Letter?

A consulting cover letter is an adjacent document with your consulting resume that helps you introduce your skills and accomplishments to the hiring managers.

It’s an essential part of your application, especially for big three consulting firms, because it’s easy for recruiters to quickly sort bad candidates based on the quality of a cover letter, lack of attention to detail, etc.

However, if done correctly, consulting cover letters is an excellent way to stand out from the crowd and get yourself a job interview.

You don’t have enough space to elaborate on your experiences on a resume. But with a cover letter, you can expand on your experiences and explain the reasons for some potential red flags on your resume.

Why do you have a job gap? Why do you have a low GPA? You can explain the reasons for that in the cover letter.

In short, your consulting cover letter is the deciding factor for getting a job in a big consulting company.

What Recruiters Look for in a Consulting Cover Letter?

The recruiters look for a candidate who has excellent communication and leadership skills. They look into the applicant's skills and experience to understand if they have the qualities to become a successful consultant.

Recruiters look for mainly four aspects from a consultant cover letter. These are:

  • Does the candidate have the relevant skills and experience required for the job?
  • Does the candidate have a clear idea of what the company does?
  • Is the candidate interested in working with the company?
  • Does the candidate have excellent communication skills?

element-of-consulting-cover-letter

If you want to create an outstanding consulting cover letter, you need to address all four points in your letter.

How to Structure a Management Consulting Cover Letter?

A perfect management consulting cover letter must have six distinct elements.

  • Opening Paragraph
  • Closing Paragraph
  • Your Signature

Consulting Cover Letter: Header

This is a mandatory part of any professional letter. The header section must include

  • Candidate’s name
  • Phone Number
  • Your Location

Even if your resume has all this information, you need to add these to your cover letter.

Salutation is an essential part of the consulting cover letter. Never start your cover letter with “To whom it may concern.” It will not get you the job.

Instead, find out who is the recruiter or hiring manager and address the cover letter directly to them.

If you don’t identify who the hiring manager is, you can address the letter to the recruitment team. For example:

Dear members of the BCG Recruitment Team, To Bain Recruitment Team,

Consulting Cover Letter: Opening Paragraph

The first sentence of your consulting cover letter is the perfect opportunity to hook the reader’s attention. And the second sentence should state the role you are applying for and how you learned about the position. The third sentence should describe why you are interested in the company you are applying for.

Do some initial research and craft a personalized and customized opening paragraph for the Consulting cover letter. If you can do that, you will improve your chance of getting shortlisted by 1000%.

Here is an example of the Opening Paragraph of a consulting cover letter:

I am a 4+ years experienced digital marketing professional working with top SaaS brands to help them generate $100M in sales year on year. I’m highly pleased to apply for the Associate Consultant position at McKinsey. I appreciate McKinsey’s leadership and sales practices to provide an outstanding experience to clients.

Consulting Cover Letter - Body

The consulting cover letter body part should explain your key accomplishments, experience, and why you are a good fit for the firm.

Don’t write a generic consulting cover letter body. Research the consulting firm, go to their website and understand the qualities they are looking for. After that, you can start creating the body of the consulting cover letter.

Below is a consulting cover letter example of the body paragraph:

body-of-consulting-cover-letter

Consulting Cover Letter- Closing Paragraph

The closing paragraph is where you place the call to action to encourage the recruiters to take action. It must be short and to the point.

Here’s an example of the Closing Paragraph of Consulting Cover Letter:

Closing-of-consulting-cover-letter

Consulting Cover Letter - Ending Signature

This is a formality for any type of professional letter. There are different types of closing signatures. Such as:

Thanking You Thanks and Regards Best Regards Sincerely Thank You

How to Write an Effective Consulting Cover Letter - Formatting

It’s not enough to have great content for the consulting cover letter; You need to format it professionally to get the most out of it.

Here are some formatting tips to help you create the consulting cover letter:

Keep it Under 1 Page:

The consulting cover letter should not be more than one page. Recruiters don’t have much time to give to one single candidate. And in this time, if you create a 2-page cover letter, the maximum chance is that recruiters will ignore your application.

Use 1-inch Margin:

A 1-inch margin is standard for any professional cover letter. A margin of less than 1 inch makes your cover letter look cramped. A 1-inch margin ensures enough whitespace to make the letter easily readable.

Use Professional Font:

Always use a professional font in the consulting cover letter. Some professional fonts are:

  • Times New Roman

Also, ensure to keep the font size to 12 points. It makes the cover letter very easy to read.

Save the Cover Letter in PDF

Make sure to submit the cover letter in PDF format. It ensures that your cover letter format is intact, no matter who views it.

10 Tips for Writing a Consulting Cover Letter

Writing a solid consulting cover letter allows you to present your candidacy to the hiring managers. Here is a list of tips for writing a stellar consulting cover letter.

1. Research the Company Requirements

Interviewing candidates is expensive; it takes time and money to get excellent people on board.

So, the company also wants to ensure that the candidate they are interviewing is interested in the job.

Therefore, consulting firms look for signs that:

  • You’ve researched the company
  • You have a proper motivation or reason for entering into consulting
  • You have a good answer to why you’re the right fit for the company
  • You have impeccable speaking and writing skills

Use your cover letter to showcase that you have all the signs that a consulting firm looks for in a candidate. This will set you apart from the rest of the candidates.

2. Link Cover Letter To Resume

Your cover letter should complement your resume and strengthen your candidacy.

Start the cover letter with unique experiences and skills to hook the recruiter’s interests.

In resumes, there is less space to explain anything to the recruiter. You can complement it by going into detail about your achievements and skills in the cover letter.

Here are some points consulting firms look for in a consulting cover letter:

  • Big brand name: If you are from a reputed university or worked with reputed brands
  • Good Academic Performance: 3.5+ GPA
  • Leadership experience and good communication skills
  • Excellent Analytical Skills
  • The ratio of your accomplishments and career year: the more experience you have, the more accomplishments you should get

3. Don’t Use a Standard Cover Letter Template

Writing a cover letter is difficult. It takes a lot of contemplating and self-reflection to make it right. You have to edit and rewrite the cover letter multiple times to make it interesting.

Some candidates try to use standardized cover letter templates to avoid the pain of writing a cover letter.

This is a big mistake, mainly if you apply to prestigious consulting firms. The recruiters in these organizations are experienced in identifying a standard cover letter.

Don’t write a consulting cover letter for the sake of it. Write the cover letter to make each sentence count and help you get closer to your dream job.

4. Use Evidence-based Storytelling

Everyone loves a good story. And in your cover letter as well, you should tell the story of your experience, don’t list down your skills and accomplishments without any context.

Demonstrate how various experiences have given you certain skills that nobody has.

For example, instead of saying you have led marketing campaigns in your past organizations, you can say that You’ve managed a marketing budget of $50,000 and coordinated with the content team to launch two successful campaigns and generated $5mn sales.

This is evidence-based storytelling, and this gives more context to the recruiter about your experience and helps them evaluate your skills.

5. Avoid Repeating Things on Your Cover Letter

Your cover letter and resume go hand in hand — they should complement each other, but they should not be the same.

You can reference elements of your resume but focus on aspects that aren't covered very well there or put a different spin on things, so it's still interesting for them to read about it again.

6. Pick Your Best Stories And Accomplishments

A cover letter is an opportunity to tell great stories from your work experience that are relevant to the consulting firm you're applying to.

If you have accomplishments, such as helping previous employers save money or increase profits, put these front and center where hiring managers won't miss them. Don't just list your skills — explain how they helped your previous employers meet their goals.

However, make sure to include only 2-3 such stories. And keep them short and crisp. Nobody has the time to read through a 2-page cover letter.

7. Quantify Your Results and Impact

Consulting firms want to know that you have the potential to deliver results for their clients — so make sure you mention how much impact or value you've created in past jobs or internships. For example: "I helped ABC Company reduce its customer service costs by 20%." Or: "I generated $100K in annual savings for XYZ Company through process improvement initiatives."

8. Keep Your Cover Letter Crisp

Many consulting firms get hundreds, if not thousands, of applications for each job opening. It's important to keep your cover letter as brief as possible so that recruiters don't lose interest.

Keep your cover letter to a maximum of one page. The most successful cover letters have three identifiable sections: who you are, why you are applying and why the firm should hire you. This can be covered in three paragraphs or about 300 words.

9. Namedrop Employees You Have Talked to

If there is someone at the firm who referred you or whom you have spoken to about this position, mention them by name in your cover letter, preferably in the first paragraph. This will help the reader to associate your application with that particular employee. It will also help if that person has put in a good word for you!

10. Double-check You're Addressing The Cover Letter Properly

Address the right firm. Take the time to research the firm and make sure your cover letter is addressed to the right person.

Most firms will have information on their websites about who is in charge of recruiting.

The more personal you can make the cover letter, the better for you.

Failing to address your cover letter correctly may be discarded without even being read.

Here’s a Management Consulting Cover Letter Sample For Your Reference:

Frequently asked questions:, do all consulting firms require cover letter.

Most consulting firms keep cover letters as an optional document. However, you must add your cover letter with your resume to distinguish yourself from other candidates. Writing a unique cover letter can help you stand out from the crowd.

What if The Cover Letters are Optional?

Consulting firms like McKinsey and BCG have made their cover letters optional.

It certainly helps the candidates with strong resumes to get out of the hassle of creating a cover letter. However, if you have some red flags on your resume, such as a low GPA or an employment gap, you should write a cover letter to explain these potential red flags to the recruiters and increase your chances of getting hired.

Key Takeaways

Writing a consulting cover letter doesn’t have to be complicated. Just remember the following tips:

  • Write a proper cover letter header and ensure that you are not making any mistakes in your contact information
  • Always start the cover letter with a proper and professional salutation
  • The first paragraph of the consulting cover letter should hook the recruiter to read the whole cover letter
  • In the second paragraph, explain your experiences and show why you are the perfect candidate for the job
  • Always end the consulting cover letter with a call to action

If you want to create a consulting cover letter, go to the Hiration Cover Letter Builder tool and pick from 20+ consulting cover letter templates to make an excellent one for yourself.

If you have further questions, reach out to us at [email protected] , and we will be happy to help you out.

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The Cambridge Consultant

Consulting Cover Letter Tips, Hacks, Requirements & Examples

By: Author Will Bennett

Posted on Last updated: February 22, 2023

If you’re applying for consulting positions at prestigious firms like McKinsey, Bain & BCG, then you may be wondering how to write a consulting cover letter.

The best consulting cover letters connect your past experiences with the values of the company you’re applying to. The general format is to have an opening, 3 or 4 key paragraphs where you connect the company’s values to your own experience and a close.

But the devil is in the details. So let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

How To Write A Cover Letter For Consulting

A surefire way to write your consulting cover letter is to Google the values of your target firm and then use those values to show that your personality and past experience make you a perfect fit.

To do this, you’ll need to:

1. Google the name of the company you’re applying to (Example: Bain) and the word “values”. The top result will normally be a page on that company’s website where they list out their company values.

2. Jot down their top 3 to 4 company values.

3. Add each value to your cover letter as a bolded bullet point and, right after (or under) it, tell a to-the-point story of how you delivered on exactly that value.

4. Add an opening paragraph that expresses your interest in the company. Include one specific thing you like about that company. Be specific.

5. Add a closing that reiterates your interest.

And that’s it. This formula has helped consultants across the world land that coveted interview.

Tip: If you don’t find a “values” page in your initial Google search, try clicking around the company’s website until you find their recruitment page . There’s a good chance that they’ll list what they’re looking for on this page. Use those to craft your bullet-points.

Do Cover Letters Matter For Consulting?

MBB (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) companies have made cover letters optional. If you have a great GPA and graduated from an Ivy League school, and your resume doesn’t have any “red flags”, then you might get away with not having a cover letter.

As a general rule, cover letters help consultants get interviews. Your cover letter is your opportunity to tell the story that your resume can’t. A good cover letter can turn a mediocre application into an interview.

Keep in mind that, every day, consultants turn boring facts into convincing stories. It’s not enough to have the facts (your resume). You have to know how to turn the bland into the compelling. And if you can’t do that in your resume, then a consultancy might wonder if you can do it at all.

How Long Should My Consulting Cover Letter Be?

Recruiters for top consulting firms sift through hundreds of applications every day . So how long should your cover letter be?

Your consulting cover letter should be about a page long. You’ll want to write it to be long enough to be compelling but short enough to skim in a few seconds.

Your ability to sell yourself in a single page will be an important deciding factor on your suitability for the position you’re applying for.

Do McKinsey, Bain & BCG Require A Cover Letter?

McKinsey, Bain & BCG all state on their websites that they don’t require a cover letter but, keep in mind, a good cover letter could strengthen your application.

This is particularly important if you have any work gaps in your resume, or any red flags (like a low GPA).

How Do I Write A Cover Letter For McKinsey, Bain & BCG?

Writing a cover letter for McKinsey, Bain & BCG is pretty much the same across all 3 firms.

In all cases, you want to have a short opening paragraph, 3-5 paragraphs highlighting your strengths and how they’re linked to the company’s values, and a short closing paragraph. Focus on good, succinct storytelling while delivering specific numbers on the outcomes you’ve achieved.

What Should A Cover Letter For McKinsey, Bain & BCG Include?

bcg consulting cover letter

According to Victor Cheng (author, ex-consultant & ex-recruiter for multiple top consulting firms), these are the 5 things recruiters look for:

1. Well-known employers or schools.

2. academic performance., 3. high test results in math., 4. proof of leadership and people skills., 5. notable achievements in your career (relative to the length of your career)..

Let’s look at each.

The company you end up working for has to sell you to their clients. If you’ve graduated from a top school, that’s an easy sell. If you’ve worked for a top firm, that’s an easy sell.

If you haven’t worked for a top firm, then you have to focus that much more on the other 4 criteria. (Or you need to get on an unpaid internship ASAP!)

Always put your GPA in your CV. If you don’t, they’ll ask for it anyway and write it in. A 3.5 GPA is like the bare minimum and recruiters and firms won’t really bother with you if you don’t seem smart.

Being good at Math is strongly linked to doing well at logical and analytics tasks. You don’t need a perfect score but higher is definitely better.

Being smart isn’t enough. You need to know how to work with people who may or may not dislike you. Your personality can’t get in the way of a client getting the results they want or need.

So you have to demonstrate times in the past where you were faced with a difficult situation and your people skills are what saved the day.

Focus on outcomes, not just responsibilities. Use numbers where possible. And focus on what’s relevant.

And balance it all against the time you spent working or studying. You don’t want to be the person who spent a few years at a firm or studying and did nothing outside of the ordinary. Every candidate studied. Every candidate worked. Focus on what you achieved that few (or no) other people achieved.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be miles ahead of your fellow candidates.

For more consulting career advice , click here.

Will Bennett

Will Bennett is a Cambridge graduate. He worked as a Consultant and Senior Consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in London. Will is the Founder of The Cambridge Consultant.

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Choose a Role to Apply

BCG actively recruits passionate, open-minded, and accomplished people from around the world. If you are interested in pursuing a career with BCG, here's how you apply.

To explore BCG X-related roles, please go here .

Current Openings

Senior it consultant - sap finance - bcg platinion (digital bcg).

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bcg consulting cover letter

Sample cover letter for Full Time position at BCG

Entry-level consultant.

I am writing to you to apply for theBusiness Consultant position at BCG in London. I came across the vacancy while researching consulting firms in London. I was attracted by BCG’s involvement in numerous exciting projects. I am eager to join BCG, as the company provides me opportunity to develop professionally, learn from the senior colleagues and work with different kind of companies in order to shape their businesses. With good knowledge of finance and business experience, I believe I can add value to your organization.

While completing MSc in Finance course at the University of Strathclyde I was involved in numerous projects, which developed my analytical and problem solving skills. In some of them I worked as a part of team and demonstrated motivation and drive to push the team to achieve high standards set by lecturers. I learned to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and nationalities and drive everyone towards the mutual goal shared by our team. I was among top scorers in key subjects like Management accounting, Corporate finance, which I believe are necessary for the position in BCG. I have also studied Management at Yerevan State University achieving excellent marks in management and finance related subjects.

Having worked in a family restaurant I learned the key principle of customer service, which is putting costumers need in the first place. The whole team was passionate about delivering the best service and was united to make sure the Restaurants serves every client according to pre required high standards. Having worked for a year, I initiating to design a new management system, which decreased the level of supervision putting the responsibility of ensuring high standards on the frontline workers. The system proved to be efficient and contributed to high level of motivation among workers. Besides customer service, I worked with the chief accountant to prepare cost cards and profit reports for senior management. I have also demonstrated organizational and leadership skills when I was the leader of Yerevan State University’s Union, which is the biggest student organization in Armenia. I lead teams and organized projects to encourage student participation in public affairs. Moreover, my team first introduced debate championship and stock-market stimulation game cooperating with NASDAQ OMX Armenia.

Finally, I believe that my skills and experience will be suitable for your requirements and I can have my contribution in the success of the company. Will be happy to demonstrate my strengths in the further stages of your recruitment process.

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BCG Internship – How to Get One & What to Expect

  • Last Updated September, 2023

Former BCG Associate

A Boston Consulting Group internship is a great way to learn what working in management consulting is like while building your skills for a career in the industry. However, BCG summer internships are not easy to land due to the limited number of positions available every year.

But don’t worry! My Consulting Offer is a team of former BCG, Bain, and McKinsey consultants and recruiters. We can tell you what it takes to land a BCG internship and help you prepare.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

  • Benefits of a consulting internship.
  • What a BCG internship is like.
  • Responsibilities BCG interns typically handle.
  • How to apply for an internship.
  • How to succeed at your internship once you land it.
  • What management consulting firms look for in summer interns.

Also, look out for the “Pro-Tips!” throughout this article!

Let’s get started!

Benefits of a Consulting Internship

How to Apply for an Internship.

What is a BCG Internship Like?

5 Tips to Help You Succeed as a BCG Intern

What Responsibilities Do Interns Handle?

What Firms Look for in Summer Interns

The Benefits of a Consulting Internship

What Responsibilities Do BCG Interns Typically Handle?

How to Apply for a BCG Internship.

What Consulting Firms Look for in Summer Interns

Management consulting internships are temporary positions in a consulting firm where you work as part of a project team to help business leaders analyze and fix complex business problems.

If you are just starting your research on consulting internships, you’ll find our compiled list of consulting internships helpful.

So, why apply for a consulting internship? Some of the key benefits you can gain from a consulting internship include:

  • Learn important skills. Interns receive extensive on-the-job consultant training that will enable you to take your critical thinking, data analysis, PowerPoint, and Excel skills to another level.
  • Meet smart and passionate professionals who could be valuable mentors for the rest of your life.
  • Land a full-time job before you graduate. Interns who perform well and fit with the firm’s culture often receive an offer to return full-time when they graduate.
  • Decide whether consulting is the right career for you and if the firm is the right fit.  
  • Travel (in some cases). If you’re staffed on a case outside of their city, you’ll have the opportunity to travel with their project team to work on location with their clients.

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

The Boston Consulting Group is one of the top-tier management consulting firms referred to as “MBB” (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) firms. BCG internships are typically 10- to 12-week programs for undergraduate or Master’s students. Interns are also sometimes referred to as summer associates or summer consultants.

A BCG internship gives you a true taste of what being a full-time associate or consultant is like. Interns are staffed on a case with a project team and expected to:

  • Work with the project team to solve complex business problem posed by the clients.
  • Own a module or a smaller scope deliverable within the team’s project.
  • Contribute to recommendations for the client along with the BCG team and client counterparts.
  • Develop and present client deliverables – be it Tableau dashboards, PowerPoint slides, or Excel models to name a few.

Within the project team, you can expect to work very closely with another consultant or the project leader to define the business problem you are trying to solve. Boston Consulting Group interns often have discussions with this consultant or project leader at the start of the week to align on their problem-solving approach, which could include collecting and synthesizing information from desktop research, analyzing data from market research, conducting market sizing exercises, and more. Interns then work independently on the tasks and later regroup with the full team to share their work and get feedback or buy-in for the recommendations.

Outside of the project team, interns are also sometimes paired with a “buddy,” usually an associate or consultant, who can guide them around the office or give tips to be successful. Office-wide events such as town halls, home office days, and movie nights, allow interns to meet more people.

Pro-tip! Take advantage of your “buddy” and socialize with other associates and consultants. They can provide tips on things such as working with your case project leader and partner.

Responsibilities of BCG Interns

Interns have similar responsibilities to full-time associates, though an intern may receive more guidance from the project leader on how to approach tasks. (Full-time associates and consultants also have these opportunities to seek guidance.) 

Being on a Project Team

Boston Consulting Group interns are usually staffed on large case teams with other associates or consultants, a project leader, and partners. In rare cases, the intern could get staffed a case with only a project leader or partner.

The scope of the case is usually defined during the proposal stage, before the team begins formal work with the client. Once the project is officially launched, the project leader delegates different sections (also referred to as “modules”) to the rest of the team.

For example, the project team could be working on a business strategy for a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) case, where the client has stagnant revenue growth. The project’s scope is to identify growth opportunities across their product portfolio, which includes personal care products, beauty, and household products. The project leader could assign each product category as one “module” for each team member.

As a BCG intern, you could receive a smaller section of that module or own the entire module, depending on the size of the project team. Assuming you are tasked to own the module and identify the growth opportunities for the beauty category, you may expect to:

  • Run business diagnostics – Analyze client data (for example, revenue and costs) to identify patterns and provide insight on whether the beauty category has opportunities to improve.
  • Lead qualitative analyses – Conduct desktop research or expert calls to gather industry benchmarks or case studies that could help you develop recommendations to grow the category.
  • Develop quantitative models – Build Excel spreadsheets to size the opportunity for your client to “win” or project the investments required to undertake that opportunity.
  • Synthesize your findings and recommendations on slides – Create a storyline with backup data to share your recommendations in a concise and compelling manner.
  • Present your findings and refine the deliverables – Present the documents you have developed to the project team or clients to gather feedback or obtain buy-in.

Pro-tip! Getting feedback is good! Sometimes the feedback could send you in a completely new direction or sometimes it could just require some minor formatting tweaks. Either way, we share our work with others to collectively build the best answer that will deliver the most positive impact for the client. Your teammates and clients may have other perspectives, data, experience, or simply a better understanding of the company’s values and culture. No one on the team, interns included, is expected to know everything.

Working with Clients

Interns also gain the experience of working directly with client counterparts.

Client teams often have some form of hierarchy similar to the project teams you work with. Client teams consist of:

  • Project Sponsor(s) : The C-suite executives that are funding the project.
  • Project Lead/Manager : The client lead that is in charge of ensuring that Boston Consulting Group is delivering the agreed deliverables on time and within cost. The client lead will also provide valuable feedback on the deliverables to ensure that the recommendations make sense for the clients.
  • Working team : The associate- or consultant-equivalents from the client’s firm. They are often assistant managers or managers who provide data and may work collaboratively with the project team to problem-solve, develop Excel models, PowerPoint slides, or present the findings.

Project teams usually work at the client’s office and sometimes share a conference room with the working team to facilitate discussions and co-development of the deliverables. You can expect to:

  • Be part of discussions with the clients.
  • Gather information and data from clients to get a better understanding of the complex business problem.
  • Present your findings and recommendations in meetings with more senior stakeholders.

Working directly with clients is valuable for interns as it helps sharpen communication and stakeholder management skills. For example, you could gain experience building professional relationships with people from other backgrounds, communicating to drive action, and encouraging collaboration and idea-sharing. In addition, working directly with clients will help you gain more understanding of the real problems that companies face.

How to Apply for a BCG Internship

Are you excited to apply for a BCG internship? If so, it’s best to start preparing as early as the year before you want to join. You’ll need to stand out among many other applicants and pass BCG’s high bar because there are a limited number of summer internship positions every year.

Check your campus Careers Department or our  Consulting Deadlines page for application deadlines. BCG internship application deadlines are usually 3-6 months before the summer internship begins, but this varies for different geographic regions.

Boston Consulting Group has a 3-step application process for their internship program.

Step #1 – Apply Online

Candidates need to apply for the internship roles on BCG’s career page . Create a profile and upload your cover letter and resume or CV (curriculum vitae). Candidates commonly start the application process for these internship positions in their sophomore or junior years and complete the internships during the summer before their junior or senior years.

If you are new to writing cover letters and CVs, our step-by-step guides to writing consulting cover letters and resumes can help make the process a lot more effective.

In summary, a good cover letter includes:

  • Opening – keep your opening short and sweet. Briefly introduce yourself and express interest in working for the firm you’re applying to, mentioning the specific position you want. Include 1-2 sentences on why you want to work in management consulting here.
  • Paragraph 1 – Explain why you chose the firm you are writing to and why you would be a good fit for the firm.
  • Paragraph 2 – Find what the firm is looking for in their consultants and highlight how you fit those characteristics.
  • Paragraph 3 – Share a story from your experience that shows you have the characteristics the firm is looking for. Highlight the skills and capabilities you’ve demonstrated in the past. It’s even better if you can quantify the impact you’ve driven in that experience.
  • Paragraph 4 (optional) – Share other stories that could work to your advantage. Order these stories with the strongest story first, the second-strongest last, and the least strong (but still good) stories in the middle.
  • Paragraph 5 (optional) – Address any red flags in your application – for example, low GPA.
  • Closing – Express your interest again and close the letter.

Cover Letter Pro-tip! Try to highlight your key selling points by answering 3 key questions in a standout cover letter – why consulting, why BCG, and how you can contribute to the firm.

For a strong resume, you should use standard sections in the following order:

  • Personal Information
  • Work Experience
  • Non-work Experience or Extracurricular Activities
  • Other – Additional Skills & Interests

Resume Pro-tip! Showcasing previous internship experience will help distinguish your resume from other applicants, especially if you can measure the impact you delivered or highlight transferable skills, such as Excel and PowerPoint skills.

Resume Pro-tip! You do not need to have directly applicable business experience to land a consulting internship. Roles that include client management, problem-solving, quantitative skills, and/or managing complex deliverables on a tight timeline will stand out on a consulting resume.

Step #2 – Pass the Online Assessment

The online assessment is applicable only to some geographic locations and Boston Conuslting Group has a couple of different versions of the test. It’s best to check with your HR representative on the application process for the role you are applying for.

The BCG online assessment is a test in which the candidate is asked case questions with multiple-choice answers. Many of the questions are quantitative. Candidates are given an overview of a client, their business problem, and data relevant to the client’s business and the overall market (revenues, costs, business lines, market size, etc.)    

These tests are designed to assess the following skills:

  • Business judgment,
  • Logical reasoning, and
  • Quantitative aptitude.

We share some examples and more tips in our article on the BCG online case and chatbot interview.

Step #3 – Ace Your Interviews

Interns go through 2 rounds of case interviews before they are considered for an offer. Our Complete Guide to BCG Case Interviews provides more details about the Boston Consulting Group, the qualities the firm looks for, and what to expect in the interview. BCG internship candidates go through similar interviews as full-time associates.

These interviews are broken down into two sections:

Section #1: Behavioral Fit Questions

The interviewer spends approximately 10 to 15 minutes on behavioral questions to understand more about the applicant and their fit for the firm. Common questions include:

  • Why consulting?
  • Tell me a time where you had a conflict and how you solved issues.

In our article on Behavioral Interviews , we introduce the A STAR(E) structure to help you prepare your stories in a more structured manner. To recap, A STAR(E) stands for:

A – Answer – Start with a 1-sentence answer to the interviewer’s question.

S – Situation – Describe the situation. When and where did the events in the story happen? Who was involved?

T – Tension – What was the conflict?

A – Action – What actions did you take to resolve the tension?

R – Result – What were the results of your action?

(E) – Effect – What did you learn from the situation and the events that followed it?

(E) or Effect is in parentheses because it will not be essential to every story. 

Section #2: Case Interview

The interviewer spends approximately 30 to 55 minutes on a business case to assess your ability to structure and solve business problems.

BCG case interviews are candidate-led, which means you will need to lead the interviewer through your logic to solve the problem. Candidates can ask for data and, if data is shared, they will be expected to provide insights or estimates based on data and graphs.

If you are completely new to case interviews, our Comprehensive Guide to Case Interviews will familiarize you with the process and expectations. With this guide, you should be able to master the 4 key success factors to ace a case interview:

  • Step 1: Understand the question you are being asked.
  • Step 2: Take time to think through all the key aspects of the problem and structure your approach to solving it.
  • Step 3: Ask pertinent questions and use information from the interviewer to form hypotheses about the problem and explore potential options.
  • Step 4: Summarize your case interview conclusion in a persuasive manner.

5 Tips for Succeeding as a BCG Intern

Once you land the offer, the next question you might have is “How do I succeed?” Boston Consulting Group interns usually have 2 key goals throughout their internship – contribute to the team and obtain a full-time offer.

These tips will help you succeed:

Tip #1: Be Curious

Start by having the right mindset. You’ll have a lot of opportunities to learn but you have to be proactive in taking them. Go the extra mile to learn a new skill or research more to gain a better understanding of a problem. Or simply raise your hand to help the team if you have extra capacity.

Tip #2: Manage Expectations and Focus on Quality

As an intern, you may be tempted to take on more work to show that you can do more and to help the team or perhaps even learn more. However, the risk to this is that you could end up not completing the tasks on time – which would delay team deliverables or lead to low quality work.

To balance your workload, talk through expectations with your project leader by highlighting the tasks you’re working on, how long you think they will take to complete, and expected deliverables. Your project leader will then be able to give you guidance on whether you are in line with what the team needs.

Tip #3: Ask Questions

This goes beyond the case setting and into the office setting in general. If you’re unsure about anything, it’s best to ask questions. As mentioned above, there’s no expectation that you know everything. On the contrary, BCG appreciates people who show the drive to learn and the ability to challenge a thought in the right way. Boston Consulting Group is also a firm that values collaboration, thus, everyone on your case and outside it will share their knowledge and experience with you.

Tip #4: Assess Whether the Firm Is Right for You

While you are contributing to your case team, take some time to figure out if the firm has the right kind of cases, work on topics that excite you, and the people and culture you want to work with. Would you be excited to receive a full-time offer for when you graduate? You will continue to spend a lot of time with these people so make sure you’ll find joy in the work.

Tip #5: Meet People and Have Fun!

Although the stakes and pressure are high during the internship, remind yourself that this is a valuable opportunity to meet new people. BCG also has numerous team- and company-wide events to allow you to socialize with other people in the firm. You could end up discovering new interests or talents, which might shape you to be a better consultant and a more interesting person.

All firms are looking for the same basics: smart people who can structure a problem quickly, think fast, accurately, and creatively, work independently and as part of a team, and communicate clearly and concisely.    

Our article on Passing the BCG Interview also highlights the 3 key qualities BCG emphasizes more than other firms.

Drive basically means the ability to move forward to solve a problem. It’s a key quality Boston Consulting Group looks for during the interview to identify high potentials who will not give up when faced with a problem.

One way to show drive during the interviews or as an intern is to adopt a “hypothesis-driven” approach, which simply means having a running hypothesis and driving toward testing it. For example, after identifying that the beauty category of your FMCG client has declining profitability, share your thoughts on what you think is driving the decline.

Drive goes beyond explaining why a problem exists but also includes the ability to think of solutions or tests you can run to prove or disprove your hypothesis. This shows your interviewer and case team that you can not only structure and guide people through your thought process but develop recommendations that will drive impact. As a team member, your manager will have much more confidence working with you if, after a meeting, you take the initiative to stress-test your analysis and incorporate the feedback received into your deliverables. They’ll know that you are clear on what needs to get done and they won’t have to micromanage your work in addition to doing theirs.

2. A Tailored Approach

Boston Consulting Group is proud of being able to work collaboratively with their clients to develop customized solutions that will drive impact for the client. BCG also wants to see its consultants tailor their approaches and recommendations for the client. The goal is really to show your team that you are not just a machine that rehashes models and frameworks. You know how to look at every situation with new eyes, and you’ll be able to catch the nuances of each client.

3. The BCG Attitude

The BCG attitude is a combination of being personable, being coachable, and having a go-getter mindset.

Project teams can spend 8 to 12 hours a day together. Therefore, it is critical to find and hire consultants who they’d feel comfortable working long hours with and putting in front of clients. The right mindset makes a big difference in establishing this comfort.

That being said, BCG is also not looking for cookie-cutter consultants. The firm appreciates people that have interests outside of consulting. You will find yourself speaking to BCGers from a variety of backgrounds and interests, from engineers to performing artists ( John Legend was a BCG consultant before his music career took off), Ph.D.s, and more. This is because BCG values the variety of experiences and the perspectives they can bring to a case.

– – – – –

In this article, we’ve covered:

  • What you can get out of a consulting internship.
  • What a BCG internship entails.
  • The roles and expectations of an intern in a team setting and a client setting.
  • The BCG internship application and interview processes.
  • 5 tips to succeed as a Boston Consulting Group intern.
  • The qualities consulting firms look for in the interns.

Still have questions?

If you have more questions about BCG internships or BCG sophomore consulting internships, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s recruiters will answer them.

Other people prepping for applying to Boston Consulting Group internships found the following pages helpful:

  • Consulting Internships: How to Get One and What to Expect.
  • List of Top Consulting Internships .
  • BCG Referrals .
  • BCG Case Interview .

Help with Your Consulting Application

Thanks for turning to My Consulting Offer for advice on Boston Consulting Group internships. My Consulting Offer has helped 89.6% of the people we’ve worked with to get a job in management consulting. We want you to be successful in your consulting interviews too. For example, here is how Carolyn was able to get her McKinsey internship.

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COMMENTS

  1. BCG Cover Letter: Our Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

    The consulting cover letter works alongside your resume to show the firms you're applying to that you have the potential to be a great consultant. Think of it as a flashy introductory accessory to your resume that highlights your most impressive and unique qualities, and grabs the reader's attention so they'll be excited to read your resume.

  2. Consulting cover letter guide (for McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

    1. Introduction Example - Introduction Mary Taylor - [email protected] DD / MM / YYYY Dear Sir / Madam, I would like to apply for an Associate position at McKinsey in London. This section is a formality.

  3. BCG Cover Letter: Your Guide to Success

    Yes, BCG does require a cover letter. Cover letters are essential for filtering applications and gauging an applicant's interest and ability for the position. Some geographies will indicate that the cover letter is optional, so you might ask us, "Should I still write a cover letter if it appears optional?" Our emphatic answer is - yes!

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    In consulting cover letters, there are three essential qualities you must always display: Leadership skills: the ability to influence people's decisions. Achieving mindset: the continuous, relentless push for the best results. Analytical problem-solving: the ability to solve problems in a structured, methodical manner.

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    View a real cover letter for the Boston Consulting Group Full Time position, Consultant. Access our database of cover letters for internships and recent grad positions.

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    The role of a BCG cover letter is to introduce yourself, explain why you're interested in the company, and highlight your relevant skills and experience. It should be a persuasive document that convinces the hiring manager that you're the best fit for the job.

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    Mentioning the name of a key person in the management consulting firm or industry can make your cover letter unique. However, when you do this, explain how your encounter with the consultant has convinced you to pursue a career at BCG. Were you motivated by his or her description of the company's culture and goals?

  8. How to Write the Perfect Consulting Cover Letter (McKinsey, BCG, Bain

    Resume. This is your gateway to the consulting world. A well-crafted resume showcasing your experiences and skills is essential for opening doors at prestigious firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. It's the first touchpoint that narrates your professional journey. Referrals. Leveraging referrals can significantly enhance your application.

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    1. Applications 3. Screening Tests Additional Articles A well-crafted cover letter is an essential component of any successful job application, and when it comes to applying for a position at the prestigious Boston Consulting Group (BCG), it's even more critical.

  10. The perfect resume and cover letter for McKinsey, BCG, and Bain

    Cover Letter and Resume Land Your Dream Consulting Role! Discover the secrets of crafting the perfect cover letter and resume, specifically tailored for top-tier consulting applications. Insider tips from former McKinsey resume screeners. Feel confident when submitting your applications, knowing you've showcased the best version of yourself.

  11. Consulting Cover Letter That Lands Interviews: 2023 Guide

    In short, your consulting cover letter is the deciding factor for getting a job in a big consulting company. What Recruiters Look for in a Consulting Cover Letter? The recruiters look for a candidate who has excellent communication and leadership skills.

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    Apply online at apply.bcg.com with your CV and Cover Letter. For Germany, Austria and Switzerland, please include your transcripts. For the London office, applications which pass an initial review are sent an online numerical test to complete which is reviewed alongside each CV and Cover Letter. Please note, a high

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    The best consulting cover letters connect your past experiences with the values of the company you're applying to. The general format is to have an opening, 3 or 4 key paragraphs where you connect the company's values to your own experience and a close. ... Bain & BCG? Writing a cover letter for McKinsey, Bain & BCG is pretty much the same ...

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    I would welcome the opportunity to learn more about management consulting and the opportunities that BCG could afford me in the future. Thank you for your time and consideration. Fact: Google is more likely to hire you if your resume includes side projects. Explore company projects on MindSumo. View a real cover letter for the bcg Full Time ...

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    Digital Strategy Consultants (Technology & Digital Advantage) Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney. Ref #59711. Posted 05-Sep-2023. As a Consultant, you'll be given end-to-end responsibility for the larger and more complex "modules" within a BCG project and begin to develop specialised knowledge to help you solve our clients' problems ...

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  18. Consulting Cover Letter Tips (and Template)

    This is a guide for writing a consulting cover letter. Learn how to craft a cover letter from practical tips and a free consulting cover letter template.

  19. index/mccoverletters

    The cover letter is part of your job search narrative (other components of your narrative include the elevator pitch, résumé, and interview). It is a written document that provides additional qualitative detail beyond the résumé. At the same time, it aims to show that you understand what consulting firms are looking for and that you have ...

  20. BCG Cover Letter

    Dear BCG, I am writing to you to apply for theBusiness Consultant position at BCG in London. I came across the vacancy while researching consulting firms in London. I was attracted by BCG's involvement in numerous exciting projects. I am eager to join BCG, as the company provides me opportunity to develop professionally, learn from the senior ...

  21. Consulting cover letter guide (for McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

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  22. How to Submit a Great Internship Application

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    Closing - Express your interest again and close the letter. Cover Letter Pro-tip! Try to highlight your key selling points by answering 3 key questions in a standout cover letter - why consulting, why BCG, and how you can contribute to the firm. For a strong resume, you should use standard sections in the following order: Personal Information