Crafting a winning cover letter for a finance position helps attract the hiring manager’s attention. Elaborating on the information in your resume demonstrates the value you can provide the organization.
Your cover letter should focus on your education, skills, experience, and accomplishments relevant to the finance position. Demonstrating your qualifications helps secure interviews that can lead to job offers.
Follow these steps to craft a winning cover letter for finance positions.
1. Start with Your Heading
Include the following details at the top of your cover letter:
- Your full name, email address, phone number, and LinkedIn account
- Date
- Recipient’s name, title, company, and contact information
Your full name
Financial Planner | email@gmail.com | (123) 456-7890 | 123 Address St., Milwaukee, WI
August 1, 2024
Recipients full name
Head of Human Resources
XYZ Financial Services
(012) 345-6789
email@XYZFinancial.com
2. Share Your Salutation
Address your cover letter recipient by name. If their name is unknown, choose an alternative such as “Dear [company] hiring manager” or “Dear finance hiring manager.” For instance, “Dear Ms. Berriman” or “Dear XYZ Financial Services talent specialist.”
3. Add Your Introduction
Share a key credential you have that the company seeks or an accomplishment from your resume to attract the reader’s attention. Then, connect this detail to your top strengths and candidacy for the finance position.
Alternatively, you can share any connections you have with the organization to help you stand out from other candidates. For instance, if an employee referred you, you might write,” I was excited to hear from your employee, [name], about [company’s] new finance position. Or, if you already met the recipient, you could say, “I enjoyed speaking with you at the [seminar] last month.”
For instance, “I’ve accumulated over 12 years of experience as a financial planner, and I was recently promoted to financial controller after earning Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) at Johns Hopkins University. I’m excited to partner with XYZ Financial Services as a finance manager and put my skills to great use.”
4. Develop Your Body Paragraphs
Use the job posting to determine specific reasons why the finance position or company interests you. Next, use your most important, persuasive reasons to develop 1-2 brief paragraphs relevant to the position. Then, bullet point 3-5 of your relevant skills or accomplishments.
For instance, “I am inspired by XYZ Financial Services’ commitment to service and excited for the opportunity to use my skills as finance manager. Some of my previous achievements include:
- Improved low-performing accounts, increasing average revenue by 16%
- Voted Employee of the Month multiple times in my 4 years with ABC Finance
- Led initiatives to improve profit margins, reduce overhead costs, and support business scalability, resulting in an average return on investment of 160% for clients”
5. Finish with Your Conclusion
Close your cover letter by thanking the recipient for their time and requesting an interview. Restate why the finance position interests you and how you could add to the company’s success. Finish with a simple closing such as “Sincerely” or “Best regards” and your name.
For instance, “I would like to schedule an interview with you when you are available. We can go into further detail about how my finance skills can financially improve XYZ Financial Services.”
Best regards,
Kelly Berriman
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