How to craft an eye-catching finance analyst cover letter
Finance analysts work in a variety of different financial institutions, helping to assess the market and its assets to assist these institutions in making smart investment choices. To become a finance analyst, you will need a cover letter that showcases your professional skills and investment prowess.
In this guide, we will teach you how to create an eye-catching cover letter as a finance analyst. Keep reading to learn all about how to:
- Format your finance analyst cover letter header & headline
- Personalize the greeting on your finance analyst cover letter
- Write a compelling finance analyst cover letter introduction
- Showcase your accomplishments as a finance analyst
- Conclude your cover letter with an actionable closing statement
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1. Properly format your finance analyst cover letter header & headline
Before beginning to write the body text of your cover letter, you must first focus on creating a well-formatted header and headline.
A cover letter header refers to the block of text detailing the necessary information about the applicant and company, while a cover letter headline is a brief title statement that draws the attention of employers.
Below is a more in-depth breakdown of each of these cover letter elements and how to write them:
Formatting the header
A well-formatted cover letter header will typically contain between 3 to 4 lines of text that include:
- The name of the company & department you are applying to
- Your name and professional title
- Your professional contact information (phone number, email address, etc.)
Your finance analyst cover letter header should look similar to this example
To: The University of Tennessee, Financial Affairs Department
From: Joe King, Finance Analyst
(123) 456-7890 | joeking@email.com | linkedin.com/in/joe-king
Writing the headline
When writing the headline of your cover letter, you should always use a keyword related to the position, an eye-catching number or trigger word, a powerful adjective or verb, and a promise.
Here is an example of an effective finance analyst headline, followed by a brief breakdown of its key components
My 3 Key Qualifications as a Finance Analyst & How They Can Benefit Your Company
Trigger Word/Number: 3 Key Qualifications
Keyword: Finance Analyst
Adjective/Verb: Key, Benefit
Promise: Your Company – this is a promise because it ensures the employer you will relate your qualifications back to the specific needs of their company.
2. Personalize the greeting on your finance analyst cover letter
Following the header and headline is the greeting of your cover letter.
Whenever possible, you want to use a personalized greeting that addresses a specific person or department by name. By doing so, you show the employer that you have thoroughly researched their company and have great attention to detail.
If you cannot pinpoint an exact person or department that will review your cover letter, try out one of the following alternatives:
To the [Company Name] Team
Or
To the [Company Name] Hiring Manager
3. Write a compelling finance analyst cover letter introduction
With your greeting in place, it’s time to write the introduction to your finance analyst cover letter. To make this introduction compelling, you should include:
- A brief overview of your professional history and goals
- A statement on why you are enthusiastic about applying to this company
- A mutual acquaintance (when possible)
Here is an example to help demonstrate how to write a finance analyst cover letter introduction
To the [Company Name] Hiring Manager,
I am a Finance Analyst with 3+ years of experience in an academic setting. I am confident I can provide the expertise your university needs to improve its investment strategy. While still in school, I served as a Finance Analyst Student Assistant for your Head of Financial Affairs, Jane Doe, who reached out and recommended I apply for this position.
4. Showcase your accomplishments as a finance analyst
Next up on your finance analyst cover letter are the body paragraphs. A strong cover letter will generally contain between 2 to 4 body paragraphs that offer in-depth answers to the following questions:
- What excites you about working at this company?
- What do you hope to learn from working at this company?
- What accomplishments or qualifications make you stand out as an applicant?
- What key skills do you possess that are relevant to the position?
Making your accomplishments a priority on your cover letter is essential — after all, your real-life achievements help to showcase the value you can bring to a company.
Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in a finance analyst cover letter
As a Junior Finance Analyst at [Former Employer], I assisted in the management of 7 distinct projects, each with a budget of over $200K. As part of my role during these projects, I created multiple impact analyses and reports that resulted in a 30% decrease in overhead costs.
5. Conclude your finance analyst cover letter with an actionable closing statement
The final component of your Finance Analyst cover letter is a strong and actionable closing statement. This statement should include:
- An enthusiastic sentence saying you are looking forward to hearing from them
- An additional sentence stating you will follow up, including how you will contact them or how they can contact you
- A formal sign-off
Here is an example of a well-written closing statement from a finance analyst’s cover letter
I am eager to further discuss how I can apply my analytical skills to improve your company’s Finance Department and investment portfolio. I hope to connect directly within the next two weeks either in-person or via virtual meeting. The best way to reach me is on any weekday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (123) 456-7890.
Yours Truly,
[Applicant Name]
Follow this cover letter outline for maximum success.