About this template
The Classic Bookman template is a cover letter in Bookman Old Style — sturdy serif with generous x-height, classic block alignment and a single horizontal rule between header and body. It reads as the kind of letter your bank manager wrote in 1985, in the best sense. Compatible with ATS systems used by regional banks and established accountancy firms (Workday, SuccessFactors, ADP Workforce Now for community banks and mid-tier accountancy practices).
Who is it for?
It suits Certified Public Accountants (AICPA members), Chartered Accountants (ICAEW, ICAS, ICAI), financial planners (CFP, CFA), family-office managers, regional bank managers and senior administrators applying to long-established firms (Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, EY for traditional audit; Grant Thornton, BDO, RSM, Crowe; family-office specialists such as Bessemer Trust, Northern Trust, US Trust). Conveys institutional reliability — too settled for fast-moving startup or consumer-design contexts.
How to use it
The header carries name, professional title (Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Accountant FCA, Certified Financial Planner), state registration or ICAEW membership number and contact details. The body follows the four-paragraph convention. For a Big Four audit application, mention significant audit clients (signed-off opinions) by sector without naming clients covered by confidentiality ("FTSE 100 retail group, IFRS audit, three-year tenure as senior manager"). The signature includes the registration or membership number.
Frequently asked questions
Should I mention my training contract?
Yes for early-career profiles (CPA candidates, ACA in training, CA Articleship). State the training firm, principal lines of work (audit, advisory, tax) and the sectors covered. For registered professionals, the qualification appears once in the header — no need to repeat it in the body.
Does Bookman Old Style parse cleanly through modern ATS?
Yes. The PDF embeds the font and the text remains selectable. Workday and SuccessFactors extract the content correctly. On ATS portals that accept only Word format (rare in 2026), a Georgia fallback is applied automatically without breaking the line breaks.
Is it suitable for a private banking application?
More for operational functions (portfolio manager, wealth adviser, trust officer) than for ultra-high-net-worth client-facing roles. For UHNW (Pictet, Rothschild, Lombard Odier, JPMorgan Private Bank), prefer letter-exec-luxury or letter-prof-c-suite which carry a more international register.
