Specifically I am curious because McKinsey says not to include the cover letter. Thanks!
Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 453,000 Peers!
Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!
How important is the cover letter?
Overview of answers
Upvotes
Best answer
Hi there,
Q: How important is the cover letter?
Depending on the company, they may or may not screen your cover letter if you attach it. The problem is that you don’t know this in advance.
Given that you most likely have a format ready and you just need to tweak it a bit for each individual company, I would make the extra effort and submit one just in case, unless they explicitly indicate you should not add it.
You can find some tips for the cover letter below:
▶ How to Craft a Great Cover Letter
Good luck!
Francesco
Was this answer helpful?
Not very important. Based on my experience, it is ignored 80% of the time, and not making a difference +99% of the time.
However, it may be used when one is on the fence. And can be great if there are things that you need to explain on your CV or you are able to tell a great story through your CL in order to increase your chances.
Was this answer helpful?
Hi there,
It's simple:
For McKinsey, write one if you
- already have one and can adjust it quickly
- have sufficient time
- need to explain blank spaces on the CV or an unusual profile
Cheers,
Florian
Was this answer helpful?
Sign up for free to read all answers.
Sign up for free to read all answers.
Related Cases
Expert case by Francesco
Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US.The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many students as possible to complete studies and prevent that they drop from the school system, in particular in disadv
...
Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US.The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many stude
...
(Open whole case)
31.7k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Style:
Our client is a BlissOttica, an Eyewear Manufacturer that is looking to reach a 10% increase in profits. How would you help our client?
Our client is a BlissOttica, an Eyewear Manufacturer that is looking to reach a 10% increase in profits. How would you help our client?
(Open whole case)
13.7k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Style:
Our client is a German-owned water provider company based in the southwest of the United States. As the biggest water provider in the region, they serve the majority of the southwest region.Profit growth has slowed down considerably in recent years, and the company is finding it difficult to co
...
Our client is a German-owned water provider company based in the southwest of the United States. As the biggest water provider in the region, they serve the majority of the southwest re
...
(Open whole case)
7.6k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Style:
Our client is an Italian multinational manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products. One of their most popular products is Hazella, a hazelnut spread.Despite its worldwide popularity, Hazella is considered to be high in calories by some customers. For this reason, our client has deve
...
Our client is an Italian multinational manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products. One of their most popular products is Hazella, a hazelnut spread.Despite its worldwide po
...
(Open whole case)
4.7k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Our client is Party Burger, a restaurant chain in the US serving premium burgers and salads for lunch. They rely on the quality of their products to attract customers, and they are usually fully booked. However, reviews have pointed out that the service offered could be improved. Our client is conce
...
Our client is Party Burger, a restaurant chain in the US serving premium burgers and salads for lunch. They rely on the quality of their products to attract customers, and they are usually f
...
(Open whole case)
4.7k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty