Have you mentioned the names of people working at the company?

Score 2 marks for each relevant professional to a maximum of 6: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Have you mentioned a deal or transaction or award or trading platform or something else that shows that you have properly researched and truly understand the specific business area in this company?

Score 2 marks for each item to a maximum of 6 points : 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Have you demonstrated that you clearly have strong technical knowledge of how this business area works and what it does?

Score 3 marks for each item to a maximum of 9: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Does your cover letter look beautiful cosmetically?

Score up to 5 marks: 0 1 2 3 4 5

Do the first 35 words of your cover letter explain who you are and exactly what you are applying to?

Score up to 2 marks: 0 1 2

Is your cover letter too long?

The ideal length is between 500 and 750 words. Score 0 if your cover letter is more than 750 words or if it prints out on more than 1 page. We all know that brevity is best, so score 3 marks if it is between 500 and 750 words, score 4 marks if it is less than 500 words, and score 5 marks if it is less than 400 words.

However, note that the extra 2 marks you score for having a shorter letter are likely to be less than the extra marks you will pick up by making your cover letter between 500 and 750 words (assuming you use that space to include impressive, relevant content). Note too that some companies apply word limits to their cover letters, such as Goldman Sachs which insists on a 300-word limit for entry-level applications. This may suit Goldman, but in our view it does not enable candidates to say what they need to say, in order to effectively distinguish themselves from other applicants.

score up to 5 marks: 0 1 2 3 4 5

Work experience.

Maximum score – 8 marks. Score up to 5 marks for your most relevant, most impressive work experience, and up to a further 3 marks for your second most relevant, impressive work experience. If you are applying for fixed income trading at Goldman Sachs, a fixed income internship would score maximum marks, and an internship in, for example, assurance would score 3 marks. Referring to more than 2 previous jobs is obviously relevant, but will not score extra marks.

score up to 8 marks : 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Academics.

Maximum score – 10 marks. If you do not meet the minimum academic criteria, then you are unlikely to be offered an interview no matter how good your cover letter is. Score 4 marks for meeting the minimum criteria, and then score a further 2 marks for each piece of academic evidence which suggests you are in the top quartile of applicants applying to this position. Examples include a first class degree, AAAA at A-Level, an IB score of 43 or more, SAT score of top 6%, GMAT score of top 6%, award-winning dissertation.

score up to 10 marks : 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Professional qualifications.

Score 3 marks each for any relevant professional qualification, up to a maximum of 6 marks

score up to 6 marks: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Written English.

Score up to 4 marks maximum for writing statements that your grandmother would understand. We want plain, simple English. No management-speak.

score up to 4 marks: 0 1 2 3 4

Other Achievements.

This section refers to anything other than academics or work experience. Score 2 marks for each achievement which is not academic or work experience-related which makes you truly stand out from other candidates. Up to a maximum of 6 marks.

score up to 6 marks: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Communication.

Score up to a maximum of 2 marks for items which show you have exceptional communication skills. This would include languages, experience of giving presentations, or significant client contact.

score up to 2 marks: 0 1 2