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Cover Letter Structure

22 Oct, 2022

An efficient Cover Letter set-up

There are many ways to structure your Cover Letter, but here is the structure we think works best for SSE students, see below:

Practical information
Use good version handling: e.g. "Date_Cover letter_Name".
In the header, write location + date, e.g. Stockholm, April 20, 202X.
Use a clear document title, e.g. Scania Business Analysis Internship Application

Feel free to download our Cover Letter Recommendations Document: 20220501_Cover Letter_Recommendations.pdf
1. The Introduction Paragraph
Start neutral, e.g "To whom it may concern,".
Show:
What you do and why you're relevant to the company right now, e.g. "I am a last year MSc student in Finance at the Stockholm School of Economics,
graduating in June 20XX." The recruiter want to know if you are in the "right" year and applying for the "right" role.
Why you are writing, e.g. "I am writing to express my interest in the xxx role.
Be specific: If there are different internships or periods offered in the ad, specify which one you are interested in.
Feel free to personalize the introduction a bit more, but in general, keep it short and simple.

2. The Company Paragraph ('Why them' to you)

Shows:
How the role, company and industry align with your motivation, drive, passion, interests, future plans (short/long term)
I know what I am talking about, since I have done my research both about you, the role and the industry.
Could include:
the aspects, situations and people that initially drew your attention to the company/position.
previous meetings with the company and/or its employees. Mention who you met, where you met them and what you talked about.
Order of information:
Generally start with "hard" facts such as company and role characteristics (e.g. role tasks, business models) and move into the more "softer areas" such as
company values, culture, leadership policies, people aspects etc.
Emphasize on them (e.g. what they do, how they do things and what their business is about) and how you relate to these aspects, rather then focusing on
yourself and how the company relates to you.

3. The 'Why You' Paragraph

Shows:
This is how my skills and previous experiences are relevant to the position in your company/organization.
Bring up all relevant qualities and skill-sets that make you a good match for the company and the role, e.g. analytical skills, communication, project
management skills. Extract the juicy relevant bits, even if it is only 1-5% of your time in your previous positions.
Bring forth your strengths/background/qualifications that you want to stick with the recruiter (keep in mind how you match with what they are looking for - the
role and the company)
Give examples (but not too many per area):
Per skill/area that they are looking for (tip: compare with the job ad), detail 1-2 experiences if possible, e. g. ‘My banking experience includes working for two
top tier banks: X and Y. My last position with X was as Title XXX.
Give accomplishments (increased, decreased, achieved, modified) and quantify the impact you made if possible, i.e. ‘In my previous job, I consistently
delivered the targeted sales growth of 20% over targets, which led to a fast track career progression.’
Order of information:
Paragraph 3a: Start with your "hard facts", e.g. skills and experiences from previous jobs, internships, traineeships, school etc.
Paragraph 3b: Add information about your "soft skills" such as personality traits, work moral, values, e.g. "To describe my personality, I am ... (including an
example if possible).
4. The Wrap-Up Paragraph + Contact details
End with a "call to action"/suggestion of a next step, e.g. “I look forward to hearing from you and hope to meet you in person to further discuss my candidacy. Best
regards, XXX.
After your name, at the end of the document, provide your contact details (e.g. email, phone number + LinkedIn)

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