What Is a Cover Letter and Why Do You Need It? (+ Examples)
What is a cover letter for a job application? What is the purpose of writing a covering letter? A great CV isn't enough–see what a cover letter can do for you.
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Lloyd Blankfein walked away from the CEO’s chair with a $50 million bonus in 2018. You have 300 words in your Goldman Sachs cover letter to secure the first path towards that chair. 6 words per 1$ million. They better be the right ones.
What you need, and will receive in this article, is the tried-and-tested formula for the best Goldman Sachs cover letter.
Use the LiveCareer cover letter builder and your cover letter will write itself. Choose a professional template, answer a few easy questions and the creator will generate a professional cover letter for you with just one click.
Need a different cover letter? Check our other cover letter samples:
Haven't found your job? Check our full list of professional cover letter examples.
Based on our builder analysis*:
*The data comes from a period of the last 12 months (September 2023-September 2024).
Abbie Woodward
60 Hart Road
Norton
WR11 1NZ
078 6095 2136
abbie@woodward.com
linkedin.com/awoodward
Sam White
HR Manager
Rockefeller Goldman Sachs Group
1 City Road
London
E1 2WR
12th May 2021
Dear Sam,
Having graduated with a 1st Class degree in BA Economics and Management from the University of Oxford, and having completed an internship at McKinsey, I feel ready to apply for an associate consultant position at Rockefeller. My track record of personally making £625k of savings across two projects during my 8-week internship illustrates my potential for delivering results at your company.
During my internship, I collaborated on an industrial production supply chain optimization for a client in the European alcohol market, which delivered a cost reduction of 6.8% on liabilities of £150m. I was independently responsible for sourcing a new bottle and cap supplier, on which I managed to save £325k/annum. In a project for the manufacturing industry, I was able to find more favourable buyers for by-products and a recycling solution which decreased wastage of a certain raw material by 0.4%, which equated to a saving of £300k. I have been recognised for my meticulous approach and chosen as Intern of the Year by the London office.
My meticulous approach informed by my Economics background combined with a natural gift for negotiation honed through the Goldman Sachs Society, of which I was president at Oxford, has been verified by some real achievements in a very short-period internship, and convinces me I can take on the challenges at Rockefeller.
When would be a good time for us to have a call or a meeting to discuss how I sealed a favourable recycling deal with a company that wouldn’t budge on its price for 2 years previous?
Best Regards,
Abbie Woodward
Now you know what to include in a Goldman Sachs cover letter. Here's a step-by-step guide on creating your own cover letter, along with a deeper look at the cover letter definition if you want to explore further.
The header is the same as for any business letter (including a motivation letter), your contact details aligned on the right (don’t forget your LinkedIn and email), and the hiring person’s details below aligned to the left. Write down the date and the subject (i.e. the position you’re applying for).
Use the job ad, LinkedIn, or if need be—even a phone to determine who will be handling your application. Address your cover letter by first name, unless you don’t think it’s appropriate for the more traditional companies.
Reference against this example:
Abbie Woodward
60 Hart Road
Norton
WR11 1NZ
078 6095 2136
abbie@woodward.com
linkedin.com/awoodward
Sam White
HR Manager
Rockefeller Goldman Sachs Group
1 City Road
London
E1 2WR
12th May 2021
Dear Sam,
You can adjust every cover letter created in the builder to meet the job requirements. Choose the name of your profession and the company to which you’re applying, and the LiveCareer cover letter builder will automatically adapt the content for you. Create a cover letter faster than you ever thought possible and apply for the job in record time.
Whether you’re applying to Goldman Sachs, or to a small, boutique consultancy, one thing is for sure. There are piles of applications yours could get lost in. This is why you need to capture their attention immediately by right away stating your biggest selling point.
Respect their attention span and lead with something they’re really interested in, that’s really relevant to them and their business. Something that will keep them reading for more. The fewer words you use before getting to your first achievement, the higher your chances of success.
The opening section of your cover letter should be somewhere between 40 and 80 words.
Having graduated with a 1st Class degree in BA Economics and Management from the University of Oxford, and having completed an internship at McKinsey, I feel ready to apply for an Associate Consultant position at Rockefeller. My track record of personally making £625k of savings across two projects during my 8-week internship illustrates my potential for delivering results at your company.
Once you have determined the list of prerequisite skills and experiences for this particular position (they’re in the job advert), think about what evidence would prove that you can handle it better than anyone else. Are there any particular projects or results that come to mind?
The more quantitative you are, the better, you can discuss the details in the interview. The cold, hard results you present in your consultant cover letter will get you there. Of course, the Goldman Sachs world is a small one, so dropping the names of prestigious places you studied and worked can be advantageous.
Names of elite universities or employers give perspective, and numbers and achievements give context. Don’t go tooting your own horn for no reason—it all needs to match the list of requirements your employer has given in the ad. This part of a cover letter could be between 120 and 200 words.
During my internship, I collaborated on an industrial production supply chain optimization for a client in the European alcohol market, which delivered a cost reduction of 6.8% on liabilities of £150m. I was independently responsible for sourcing a new bottle and cap supplier, on which I managed to save £325k/annum. In a project for the manufacturing industry, I was able to find more favourable buyers for by-products and a recycling solution which decreased wastage of a certain raw material by 0.4%, which equated to a saving of £300k. I have been recognised for my meticulous approach and chosen as Intern of the Year by the London office.
You don’t have to create any content yourself. The LiveCareer cover letter generator will automatically suggest the best content for your cover letter with ready-made examples and expert tips.
The third paragraph is for summing up exactly what you can do for your prospective employer, and to reiterate why you think you can manage to do that. Devote 60-80 words for your closing argument, and below, add a call to action.
Seal the deal by asking for a call or a meeting to elaborate on a particular achievement, project, or something that’s important to your prospective employer. Make it interesting and you will stand out. Most people will end their cover letter in a passive, ‘Thank you’ way.
Always conclude your cover letter to Goldman Sachs with a formal closing, such as "Best Regards" or another appropriate sign-off.
Goldman Sachs cover letter example—Closing paragraph
My meticulous approach informed by my Economics background combined with a natural gift for negotiation honed through the Goldman Sachs Society, of which I was president at Oxford, has been verified by some real achievements in a very short-term internship, and convinces me I can take on the challenges at Rockefeller.
When would be a good time for us to have a call or a meeting to discuss how I sealed a favourable recycling deal with a company that wouldn’t budge on its price for 2 years previous?
Best Regards,
Abbie Woodward
You now know what to include in your cover letter for Goldman Sachs. Now, let’s worry about how. Your Goldman Sachs cover letter needs to be organised and polished, to not only give an impression of professionalism, but also to be easily readable.
Brevity is the soul of wit, and here are some cover letter format rules:
If you're wondering how long your cover letter should be, opt for a short cover letter which consists of:
Choose an easily readable font between size 10 and 12. Opt for a classic like Calibri or Arial, or try one of Palatino, Garamond or Didot for an outside pick with an increased dose of elegance.
For a neat cover letter layout, use 1-inch margins on all sides Add white space between sections and paragraphs to guide the reader’s eyes. If you are struggling for space to list your achievements, think about using bullet points for your most relevant achievements.
With large corporations, many use Applicant Tracking Systems to manage the applications. Check each job posting carefully for what format they would like to receive documents in, as some are not compatible with certain ATS software. A perfect cover letter should pass through ATS easily.
You have heard the rumours of blacklists, and you probably know how easy it is to have your consultant cover letter end up in a bin. Research each position description you’re applying to thoroughly, so that you can adequately focus on their priorities and requirements when discussing your strengths in the cover letter.
This process will not only help you craft better applications, but also understand where you would be a good fit, and where you’d rather not invest any of your career.
Although remuneration in Goldman Sachs is seldom transparent, the difference between a junior and senior consultant could be as much as 20 thousand pounds, so it’s worth spending the extra time on your cover letter.
Lastly, make sure that your CV and Goldman Sachs cover letter match in style. They are two segments of the same document, and they will be more happily read if there is continuity and a professional look.
A cover letter alone simply won’t be enough—you need an impactful CV, too. Create your CV in minutes. Just follow our wizard and fill in every CV section with ready-made content. Get started by choosing a professional CV template.
Does this answer how to write a cover letter for Goldman Sachs? Got any more questions on what to include? Did you find the Goldman Sachs cover letter example helpful? Let us know in a comment!
Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.
About the author
Since 2013, the LiveCareer UK team has shared the best advice to help you advance your career. Experts from our UK editorial team have written more than one hundred guides on how to write the perfect CV or cover letter.
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