C'est vraiment intéressant ce truc, a propos de l'économe au canada, très bien fait et vraiment ien pensé

1. Recruitment Ready
Resumes and Cover Letters

2. 2
Outline
1. Resume Tips
2. Cover Letter Tips
3. Q&A
4. Individual Questions (time permitting)

3. Resume

4. 4
Resume – Tip #1
• Selecting a Format
– Black and white
– No photos or graphics
– Consistency
• Margins
• Dates
• Keep bold / italic consistent
– Keep it to one page!!!
• No need to build your own format
– Ask around from friends / career services / online sources and choose the format you are most
comfortable with
• Don’t lie! They will eventually find out
– Although you can certainly embellish (a little bit)

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Sample Format

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Resume – Tip #2
• Education Section
– University and Cegep (or high school for out of province students)
– Must include cumulative GPA
– Include any relevant awards
– Include any relevant academic exchanges
– Section should be kept to minimum (leave more space for more relevant experiences which are
what differentiates you from all other candidates)

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Resume – Tip #3
• Work Experience Section
– Bullet point format: Action verb + Specific accomplishment + Skills Leveraged
– Try to give accomplishments that are ideally not generic
• ―Developed model that was subsequently used by employer which led to a 2% increase in sales‖
– Quantify whenever possible and reasonable
– Never include the word ―I‖
– Use past tense when discussing past experiences, present tense for current ones

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Resume – Tip #4
• Extracurricular Section
– Show breadth of experiences to show recruiter that you have interests in various things
• e.g. sport related, competitive, philanthropic, student-life, etc.
– Do not go in too much detail (1-line is often sufficient)
– Do not say you’re a simply a ―member‖ of a club
• Instead talk about what you did as a participant

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Resume – Tip #5
• Other Sections
– Languages are a skill, especially in today’s globalized world
• Be careful with languages, be prepared to answer questions in the languages listed in interviews, even if it is
one that is less spoken
– Computer skills are looked after, especially in sales and trading
– Interests are a good ice-breaker in interviews and can catch the attention of recruiters/resume
screeners
• Skills are half the battle, personality is the other half!

10. Cover Letter

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Cover Letter – Tip #1
• Format
– Use a style consistent with your resume
– Use a standard font (Times or Arial)
– Keep it to one page!
• Structure
– Introduction
– 2-3 core paragraphs
– Conclusion
• Use of Cover Letters
– Usually will only be read if you go through the ―resume screen‖
– Keep it as standard as possible, they are more likely to penalize candidates outside the traditional
finance/banking format

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Sample Format

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Cover Letter – Tip #2
• Introduction
– What you are applying for (don’t mess up the company name)
– Check the date
– Why you in one sentence
– Include conversations with firm employees or attendance to company sessions (will win you points)
– Don’t include your name in the first paragraph, it’s pretty obvious at this point!
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to you with respect to my candidacy for the position of investment banking summer analyst with Citi. I
have been informed of Citi’s excellent summer analyst program by a former summer analyst, _____ _________, who
currently works full time at Citi. ______ has confirmed my beliefs that Citi’s commitment to excellence and unique
corporate culture are characteristics that I look for in a successful work environment. I believe my academic
qualifications, interests, and experience are aligned directly with the program’s requirements and that I have the
potential to both learn from and positively contribute to your firm in this role.

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Cover Letter – Tip #3
• Body #1 – School / Extracurriculars
– Relevant coursework, teamwork, how you adapt to new concepts, any awards / accomplishments /
extracurriculars that you believe are relevant to the job to which you are applying
• Option A (Experienced applicant)
– Body #2
• Initial interest in Finance (e.g. one particular course, teacher, activity, book, job)
– Body #3
• Further experience in Finance (e.g. this serves to narrow down your interests—which aspect of finance? What
have you done to further your learning on your own?)
• Option B (Less-no experience applicant)
– Body #2
• Flush out one particular experience (can be related or unrelated to finance) and discuss the transferable skills
(e.g. teamwork, dedication, learning quickly, adapting to difficult circumstances)
– Body #3
• Similar to Body #2, but highlight a different experience/skill

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Cover Letter – Tip #4
• Conclusion
– Restate why they should choose you
– Restate why you absolutely want to work for the firm
– Final sentence

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Final Tip
Use the resources available to you and review
your Resume & Cover Letter!
MIC and Career Services

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Contact
• Mak Doric – Goldman Sachs (Investment Banking)
– mak.doric@mail.mcgill.ca
• Michaela Hirsh – JP Morgan (Investment Banking)
– michaela.hirsh@mail.mcgill.ca