McKinsey Cover Letter Sample & Guide (10+ Examples)

You’re applying to the world’s top consulting firm. In 2017, McKinsey attracted 750,000 applicants. How many do you think were successful? 

Less than one percent. To become that one-percenter, your application has to be on fire. And a resume alone won’t do the trick. You need a McKinsey cover letter that's as polished as a freshly-minted consultant's business card. One that’ll make the interviewer eager to add you to their all-star team.

This guide will show you:

• How to write a cover letter for McKinsey to be in the one percent.
• A McKinsey cover letter sample better than 9 out of 10 other cover letters.
• How to start and end a cover letter so it stands out.
• Templates and tips for writing the best McKinsey and Company cover letter in the pile.

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Use this cover letter template

Sample cover letter for a resume—See more cover letter examples and create your cover letter here.

Here's one you can adapt to your own needs:

McKinsey Cover Letter Sample

That’s a cover letter for McKinsey that’ll get you to the top of the consulting tree in no time.

Read on and we’ll explain why.

We’ve also got a more general guide for careers in consultancy: Consulting Cover Letter: Example & Writing Guide

Considering similar positions too? See other cover letter examples for jobs in your industry:

• Bank Teller Cover Letter
• Business Cover Letter
• Business Analyst Cover Letter
• Business Development Cover Letter
• Consulting Cover Letter
• Executive Cover Letter
• Finance Cover Letter
• Financial Analyst Cover Letter
• Investment Banking Cover Letter
• Manager Cover Letter
• Product Manager Cover Letter
• Program Manager Cover Letter
• Project Manager Cover Letter

Want to explore your options further? See our full selection of cover letter examples for every career: Best Cover Letter Examples

1. The Perfect McKinsey Cover Letter Template

A McKinsey cover letter is a formal letter proving you understand the McKinsey culture and showing why want this specific job. It should focus on presenting relevant achievements.

But—

Your McKinsey cover letter is going to be one of hundreds. Recruiters need a way of sorting the wheat from the chaff. The fastest way to do this? Immediately delete any cover letter that doesn’t have the basic formatting right.

Here’s how to stop that happening:

The Best McKinsey Cover Letter Template [Checklist]

• Your contact details
• The company’s details
• A salutation personalized to the hiring manager
• An attention grabbing opening statement that highlights your achievements
• A paragraph explaining why you’re the perfect McKinsey candidate
• A paragraph showing your motivation to have this job
• A closing statement with an irresistible call to action
• Formal close (e.g., Sincerely,) and your name
• A powerful postscript (P.S.) to seal the deal

Now let’s get writing.

For more detailed information on cover letter formatting see our guide: How to Format a Cover Letter for a Resume

2. Add a Header to Your McKinsey Cover Letter 

This might seem obvious but you’re applying for McKinsey. You need perfection from the outset.

Remember, eye-tracking studies prove the top left of the page is the first thing people look at. So get this first impression right.

Start you McKinsey cover letter header with:

• Your name
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Date
• Hiring manager's name (and title)
• Company name and address

You can also add:

• Your job title
• Your address
• Links to your online presence (portfolio websites, LinkedIn, and Twitter)

Let’s put theory into practice:

McKinsey Cover Letter Header Example

Need some pointers? Check out our guide: How to Write a Cover Letter Heading

3. Give Your McKinsey Cover Letter a Professional Salutation

What would you think if you received a letter addressed To Whom It May Concern?

Impersonal, lazy. Heck, even downright spammy.

You wouldn’t accept this and neither will the hiring manager at McKinsey. If you don’t make it personal then you may as well not bother applying at all.

It’s essential to find out their name and use it. This is a powerful strategy that actually activates the reader’s brain in a powerfully unique way.

Salutation on a McKinsey Cover Letter

Remember, McKinsey is a conservative and traditional company. Use both first name and surname. For more relaxed workplaces just first name will do.

A whopping 84% of job seekers don’t bother to personalize the job application. The 16% that do are already ahead of the game.

What if you really can’t find the hiring manager’s name? Don’t sweat it, you can still make a smart and attention grabbing choice. 

Try these:

Addressing a McKinsey Cover Letter Without a Name

• Dear Consultant Hiring Team,
• Dear Associate Hiring Manager,

Snap. That’s the sound of the reader’s attention being switched on. 

You’ve made the salutation specific to the job being applied for and avoided the slumber inducing “To Whom It May Concern.”

Learn how to find the hiring manager’s name in our guide: How & to Whom You Should Address Your Cover Letter

4. Write an Incredible Opening Paragraph on Your McKinsey Cover Letter

You’ve hooked them with your salutation. Now you need an opening paragraph to your successful McKinsey cover letter.

Before you begin, get yourself in the McKinsey mindset. You’ve got to be Type A and you’re in it to win it. You’re a unique and powerful individual at the absolute pinnacle of achievement. A king of consulting.

You there? Good. Let’s begin with a McKinsey cover letter sample for a Ph.D. graduate applicant.

McKinsey Cover Letter Examples: Opening Paragraphs

You hear that sound? That’s the sound of your McKinsye consulting cover letter being balled up and tossed in the trash.

This is dull, derivative and feels stock standard. Everything McKinsey isn’t.

Much better. At McKinsey, it isn’t enough to just have an Ivy League business degree. The competition is brutal.

Here the applicant has highly specialized knowledge at a Ph.D. level. It's the crème de la crème achievement you need to turbocharge your McKinsey cover letter.

What’s more, it shows insight and focuses on McKinsey’s needs.

But what if you don’t have a terminal degree? Don’t sweat. But you’ll still need to start your McKinsey cover letter in style.

You’ll need to highlight significant achievements in your opening paragraph. Here are some ideas.

McKinsey Cover Letter Sample Achievements

• Founding a company
• Work experience from a summer internship at one of the Big 3 consultancies
• Inventing a cutting edge new technology or process

Pro Tip: McKinsey has a global staffing model. You could highlight prestigious international experience or fluency in foreign languages. Think fluency in Mandarin with a summer internship at Deutsche Bank Shanghai.

Find out more here: How to Begin a Cover Letter so the Hiring Manager Wants More

5. Explain Why You’re the Perfect McKinsey Candidate

We’re not kidding. For McKinsey consulting, you’ve got to be perfect. Or at least give a damn good impression of perfection.

But wait. There’s a trap.

Don’t just rehash your resume in this part of your cover letter. Kick it up a notch by showing how you can help McKinsey. See how:

Sample Cover Letters for McKinsey: Central Paragraphs

See what this does? This is top-notch experience. It includes quantifiable results and just like the example says it delivers value to McKinsey. 

It’s ok, but it won’t make the person reading it sit up and say “There’s our new associate!”

(What’s more, it reads like a rewrite of a resume experience section.)

Remember, McKinsey values specialization and moves consultants into specific practices early on. With the first cover letter example they’re already planning what team to assign you to.

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6. Show Why You Really Want This Job With McKinsey

What else does McKinsey need in a candidate? It’s more than the sum of your experience and education.

It wants commitment, engagement and focus. McKinsey’s work culture has been described as a religion due to the sheer ruthless commitment its consultants have to company values.

And the firm is famed for it’s “up and out” policy where if you don’t get promoted within a certain amount of time after joining, you’re out.

With McKinsey you have to get this right. So in your McKinsey cover letter body:

• Mention specific requirements in the job description.
• Say why they excite you.
• Explain how your skills can help.

The McKinsey cover letter sample below shows how:

Sample McKinsey Cover Letter: Your Motivation

That put upon junior consultant? They’re paying attention now. 

You’ve demonstrated understanding of both the job requirements and the corporate culture. And you’ve shown real motivation.

This one doesn’t work. It’s too generic and feels like you didn’t even read the job description.

Pro Tip: McKinsey loves buzzwords. Their big 3 are structure, credibility, and credentials. Keep them in mind when writing your successful McKinsey cover letter.

7. Make Your Offer in the Closing Paragraph

Your McKinsey cover letter is shaping up nicely.

Incredible introduction? Check.

Demonstration of a superior skill set? Check.

Explaining how you want this job? You’ve hit the ball out of the park. Now it’s time to go in for the kill. Make an offer that’ll land you the interview.

McKinsey Cover Letter Examples: Closing Paragraphs

This McKinsey cover letter example seals the deal. It shows a true understanding of McKinsey’s goals and how you can help to achieve them. 

That mention of specialist knowledge and savings? Just the sort of thing McKinsey wants from its associates.

Use this and you’ll only be consulting unemployment. It’s generic and shows no understanding of either McKinsey or the role.

Need more tips for ending your McKinsey cover letter? See our guide: How to End a Cover Letter: Complete Guide

8. Add P.S. to Your McKinsey Cover Letter To Land The Interview

No, not “P.S. I love you.” That’s sweet, but it won’t help here.

This is a little known strategy that could be the final piece in the puzzle.

Those two letters. P.S. They’re a surefire attention grabber. That junior consultant is guaranteed to keep reading.

Sample Postscript for a McKinsey Cover Letter

Snap. That’s a prestigious award from a prestigious university. Innovation? Commitment? That’s McKinsey catnip right there. 

Who wouldn’t want to get to meet you to know more?

P.S. Don’t forget to use the right formal closing for your letter before you use this trick. You know the drill. A Best Regards, Sincerely or Kind Regards will do nicely.

You see. The P.S. trick works!

Pro Tip: How long should a cover letter be? Short. One page, no exceptions. Three paragraphs are best. The first set of eyes to see it will be a junior consultant who has to review tons of cover letters. They won’t read more.

Key Takeaways

Writing a McKinsey cover letter doesn’t have to be hard. Just remember these lessons-learned: 

• Get the McKinsey cover letter header right and personalize your greeting. Be attention-grabbing from the outset.
• Start with impressive achievements and make them relevant to McKinsey.
• Explain why you’re the perfect candidate and back it up with numbers.
• Show your motivation and explain why you want this specific McKinsey job.
• Finish with a call to action. Ask for the interview and offer something in return.
• Add P.S. It’s the final attention grabber that will guarantee a call back.

Want more advice on how to craft a perfect McKinsey cover letter? Ask away in the comments below. We’d love to help.

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Sources

• https://uxplanet.org/f-shaped-pattern-for-reading-content-80af79cd3394
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1647299/