Drop “To Whom It May Concern” for These Cover Letter Alternatives

The weakest way to start your cover letter is with “To Whom It May Concern.” This vague, antiquated phrase causes a hiring manager to ask, “Does this really concern me?” – at which point your letter will pale compared to all the more urgent matters on their desk.

Fortunately, it’s easy to avoid “To Whom It May Concern” as your salutation. See how to address your recipient more clearly and confidently.

Use This Default Greeting

First, replace “To Whom It May Concern” with the more straightforward “Dear Hiring Manager.” Consider this phrase your new default for those rare cases where you don’t know anything about your addressee or the hiring organization. But also view it as a foundation on which it’s important to put other details revealed by the job posting.

Here are the five most common types of information you can find in a job posting, along with tips for adding them to “Dear Hiring Manager.”

1. Company name

Most job postings specify the hiring company. In these cases, simply place it before “Hiring Manager.”

2. Division or department name

If the job posting doesn’t name the company, it may still mention the division or department you’d be working for. Take the same approach.

3. Addressee’s job title

Some job postings give the title of the person you’re sending your application to or would report to in the role. Replace “Hiring Manager” with their given title.

You can combine these first three variables to the extent you know them, such as with:

But depending on the job details, that can make an awkward “noun pileup” such as:

In these cases, keep the job title but move the other details above your greeting, as in:

Or, if you’re sending your cover letter as an email message, you can move details up to the subject line instead:

4. Work culture

If you know or can tell a hiring company’s work culture is on the casual side, you can trade out “Dear” for the less formal “Hello,” “Greetings,” or even “Good morning.” You can also make the text slightly less formal by trading the colon at the end of the line for a comma.

5. Addressee’s name

As the best option, trade out “Hiring Manager” for the addressee’s name if it appears on the job posting.

Use “Ms.” for female recipient names unless the job posting suggests they’re to be addressed as “Mrs.” or “Miss.”

If the recipient’s name is non-gender specific, use their full name (or just their first name for a company with a more casual work culture).

Keep Your Introduction Personal

Apart from “Dear Hiring Manager” and its many variations, you can also avoid “To Whom It May Concern” by referring to the job opening at hand, as in:

This option is specific and concise enough. But we don’t recommend it because it’s not very personable. When possible, address your recipient directly – your cover letter is, after all, a letter. By keeping that human touch, you’ll help hiring managers envision you as someone they can call and have in for an interview.

Frequently Asked Questions: “To Whom It May Concern” on a Cover Letter

Jacob Meade

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, ACRW)

Jacob Meade is a resume writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience. His writing method centers on understanding and then expressing each person’s unique work history and strengths toward their career goal. Jacob has enjoyed working with jobseekers of all ages and career levels, finding that a clear and focused resume can help people from any walk of life. He is an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) with the Resume Writing Academy, and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.