Sample cover letter
[Your Name]
[City] · [Phone] · [Email]
[Date]
[Hiring Manager Name]
[Company Name], [City]
Application for Private Equity Associate
Dear [Hiring Manager Name],
I am writing to apply for the Private Equity Associate position at [Company Name]. As a Private Equity Associate with [X] years of experience in deal sourcing, due diligence, modelling and portfolio support, I believe my background matches what you are looking for.
In my recent role, I screened [X]+ opportunities and took [X] to investment committee, closing [X] deals of [amount]. I also built LBO models and value creation plans with target returns of [X]x. These results reflect my strengths in deal screening and sourcing, lbo modelling and commercial and financial due diligence.
What attracts me to [Company Name] is [a specific reason: a project, product, values or reputation]. I am comfortable working with Bloomberg / Capital IQ / Refinitiv and Microsoft Excel (modelling), and I apply valuation methods with care. I would bring the same discipline and attention to detail to your team.
I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can contribute to [Company Name]. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
How to adapt this letter
- Replace the company name, hiring manager and reason with specifics from the job advert and the company's website.
- Swap the two achievement sentences for your own best results that match the advert.
- Keep the letter to one page, with three to four short paragraphs.
- Mirror two or three keywords from the advert, but only where they are true for you.