Many candidates think the cover letter no longer counts in consulting: firms screen on the CV, then select through tests and cases. That is partly true, but not entirely. Some firms still ask for it, particularly for speculative applications and in mid-sized firms; others read it when a CV is borderline, or to prepare the interview. A poor letter can then tip a file the wrong way. This article explains what a firm’s recruiter looks for in a letter, proposes a three-paragraph structure, then comments on a complete example.
What the recruiter expects from a letter
A firm’s recruiter reads a letter with three questions in mind, in this order.
Why consulting? They want to understand what attracts you to the job, beyond clichés about the variety of engagements or career acceleration. A good answer rests on lived experience: an internship where you enjoyed structuring a problem, a Junior-Entreprise study, a project where you had to convince a decision-maker.
Why this firm? This is the most discriminating question, and the one candidates handle worst. Bain writes on its interviewing page 🔗 that in all cases, the firm looks for people who can explain why they want to join it specifically. A letter that could be sent to every firm by changing the name does not answer this question.
Why you? The letter must link two or three elements of your background to the qualities of the job: analysis, leadership, communication. It does not repeat the CV; it extracts what matters and sheds light on it.
Implicitly, the recruiter also assesses your ability to write. A consultant spends part of their time drafting memos, messages to the client, slide titles. A clear, short letter without mistakes is already evidence.
A three-paragraph structure
A consulting cover letter fits on one page, ideally in three paragraphs of four to six sentences, preceded by a salutation and followed by a sober closing.
First paragraph: the project and the trigger. State the job or internship you are applying for, the period, then the experience that made you want to go into consulting. A concrete opening sentence is better than a generality about “the major challenges facing companies”.
Second paragraph: what you bring. Choose two pieces of evidence from your background and describe them as engagements: the problem, your action, the result. Link each one to a quality expected of a consultant.
Third paragraph: why this firm. Mention one or two precise elements: an industry where the firm has a strong presence, a type of engagement, a way of working you discovered by talking to consultants at a careers fair or a presentation. End by proposing a conversation.
A commented example
Here is a letter for a gap-year internship at a mid-sized strategy consulting firm specialising in industry and energy. Names have been replaced by generic terms.
Dear Sir or Madam,
As a first-year student on my business school’s Grande École programme, I would like to do my gap-year internship at your Paris office, from January to June next year. During my internship in the strategy department of a retail group, I analysed the profitability of every store in the network to prepare a review of the estate: it was while presenting this work to the executive committee that I understood what I enjoyed most, turning scattered data into a decision.
This experience taught me to structure a vague question and to defend a recommendation in front of executives. I extended it at my school’s Junior-Entreprise, where I led four market studies for SMEs, with teams of three students, and introduced a systematic review of deliverables before sending. From these two experiences I take a liking for teamwork under deadline pressure and a demanding attitude to form.
I am applying to your firm for its presence in industry and energy, sectors I discovered during a course project on decarbonising industrial sites. During your presentation on campus, two consultants described engagements where the team supports the client all the way to implementation, with a lot of autonomy left to juniors: that is precisely the environment in which I want to learn. I would be glad to discuss my application with you.
Yours faithfully,
What works in this letter.
- The date and length of the internship are given in the first sentence. The recruiter can file the application immediately.
- The trigger is a real experience, not a generality: a profitability analysis presented to an executive committee.
- The two pieces of evidence are engagements: a problem, an action, a result or an audience. They extend the CV without repeating it.
- The “why this firm” is precise: two industries, a course project linking them to the candidate, and something heard at a meeting. These elements would be false for another firm.
- The letter is short and ends with a simple proposal.
What you need to adapt. The factual elements (internship, Junior-Entreprise, course project) belong to this candidate. Replace them with your own, and check that every sentence about the firm is true and verifiable: a recruiter quickly spots invented information.
The CV accompanying this letter is our strategy consulting intern template. It contains the same experiences, presented as short bullets: the letter and the CV must tell the same story, at two levels of detail.
Common mistakes
- Copying the CV. The letter is not a prose summary: it chooses and explains.
- Writing a universal letter. Recruiters spot paragraphs copied from one application to the next, and sometimes even another firm’s name left in the text.
- Overusing superlatives about the firm (“undisputed leader”, “prestigious”). The recruiter already knows; they expect personal reasons.
- Talking mostly about yourself in terms of qualities (“rigorous, dynamic, passionate”). Show them through facts.
- Going over one page or multiplying paragraphs.
- Leaving a mistake in the name of the firm, the recipient or the programme applied for. This is the costliest mistake, because it signals a lack of attention.
To avoid repeating these mistakes in the CV itself, our article on the consultant CV with no consulting experience shows how to write experiences as evidence.
Adapting the letter to the posting
The same framework can serve several applications, provided you genuinely adapt three elements.
The role and the calendar. Gap-year internship, final-year internship, first job: the letter must reflect the calendar specific to each and the expected length.
The type of firm. A strategy firm, a transformation firm, the consulting arm of a large network or a sector boutique do not expect the same letter. For a transformation firm, highlight an implementation experience; for a sector boutique, your interest in the industry; for a large network, the precise service line you are targeting.
The elements about the firm. They must come from your own research: the firm’s careers page, its publications, a conversation with a consultant. Some firms even state explicitly which documents they expect: EY-Parthenon, for example, asks on its recruitment page 🔗 for a CV and a cover letter to apply.
The large strategy firms, by contrast, rely mainly on the CV, tests and interviews, as our article on recruitment at McKinsey shows. When a firm does not ask for a letter, do not force it: a “motivation” field in an online form is filled in with a few sentences, following the same logic in condensed form.
The letter generator is not offered on ConseilCV, but a letter only has value when backed by a solid CV: the ConseilCV editor lets you build that CV, with the layout handled for you and a PDF that firms’ screening software reads correctly. You can then write the letter by picking up the two or three pieces of evidence the CV highlights.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cover letter still read at consulting firms?
It depends on the firm and the procedure. When it is requested, it is generally read, at least when there is hesitation about a file or to prepare the interview. It is therefore better to take care over it whenever it is required.
Should the letter be written in English?
Only if the posting is written in English or if you are applying to a foreign office. For a French office, a letter in French is the norm, even if part of the interviews take place in English.
Can you mention the name of a consultant you met?
Yes, if you really talked to them and they agree. It shows a concrete approach. Avoid, however, quoting names simply found on a professional network.
Can a letter make up for a weak CV?
Rarely. Screening is done on the CV first. A letter can shed light on an unusual background or a career change, but it does not replace concrete evidence in the CV.