Banking and Capital Markets Traineeship: Motivation for the department

Hi everyone,

I am seeking help regarding my statement of interest. The application is split into two sections where one has to state their motivation for the traineeship in small paragraphs.

The first section is pertinent to the motivations for this specific area of interest(banking & capital markets in this case).

I would really appreciate it if you could give me a few tips/rectifications.

Side note: These should not necessarily take the form of a formal cover letter.

My own remarks:
- I don't think I've emphasized enough on "why this specific department"
- I need to strengthen the way I articulate my interest in the European Union context.

Thank you!

" Dear Hiring Manager,

I hold a [degree] from [university] along with [degree] from [university]. My interest in undertaking a traineeship in the banking and capital markets department primarily stems from my aim to shed light on the theoretical knowledge acquired during the course of my degrees where I heavily focused on corporate law, banking law and EU constitutional and competition law in both French and English. In light of the international aspect of my degrees, I have developed a keen curiosity towards international economic governance, in particular within the scope of the European Union. I am therefore seeking to gain first hand understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks underlying banking and capital markets operations at a European Union level and witness the impact of such legislations on national contexts.

The intensive nature of my degree significantly sharepened my highly analytical thinking and provided me with demonstrated research skills, both of which will allow me to proficiently provide support and assistance to interpret complex legislation, synthetize its objectives and assess its enforcement. In light of my professional aspirations, I interned as a coporate governance and capital markets analyst at [company], where I obtained a sound technical understanding of capital markets, financial instruments and investment management pertinent to the French market. I was assigned to monitor, investigate and analyze financial and governance data of French publicly-traded companies to produce comprehensively detailed vote recommendations reports to institutional shareholders ahead of annual shareholder meetings.

As a results-driven achiever with a perfect command of legal and financial terminology in French and English, I will ensure to evidence my enthusiasm to be a part of your team by providing an added-value through a proactive approach to data accuracy and performance.

Thank you for your consideration"

The first thing you should consider are the job requirements for the department that you wish to join. What is the position that you are applying for? How does it relate to your academic and immediate professional background? These are aspects that you have to consider as part of your motivation for applying to become a part of a certain banking department.

Your motivation for joining the bank as a trainee should be justified by your interest in the specific trainee program that you wish to join. Do a little background check on the bank and the program. Discover what it is about the program that you feel relates directly to your interest in European banking and capital markets. Then, explain how the trainee program will actually help you develop the skills necessary to prepare you for the financial world you wish to join in the future.

There is no need to repeat the information about your academic background. That is information that the bank will want to confirm for themselves. Keep your attention on strengthening your application by indicating the skills that you developed as a student which you feel set you apart from other trainee applicants. Make them understand that you don't plan on being there just to fetch their coffee and deliver the mail. Right now, these aspects of your application remain unclear.