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Career Planning
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Cover Letters

How to Choose the Right Salutation for Your Cover Letter

When to Use 'Dear' or 'To Whom It May Concern' as Greetings

Cover Letter Greetings to Avoid

When you have a contact person.

When You Don't Have a Contact Person

Examples of General Salutations

When to Use 'Dear' in a Cover Letter
Writing a Cover Letter Salutation

Concluding Your Letter

Cover letter example, sending your letter.

Hilary Allison / The Balance

A salutation is a greeting at the beginning of a cover letter that is included with a resume when applying for a job. When you're writing a cover letter or sending an email message to apply for a job, it's important to include an appropriate greeting at the beginning to set the tone for your letter, which should be professional and appropriate.

The greeting is the first thing the recipient will see when they read your cover letter. Therefore, you need to convey the appropriate level of familiarity and respect.

Using casual greetings, such as “Hello” and “Hi” can make your letter seem unprofessional. Reserve these casual greetings for personal email and refrain from using them in your cover letter unless you are very familiar with the recipient. Such greetings are simply too informal—not the most professional way to begin the conversation if you’re looking to land a job.

“Hi” is appropriate only in casual email correspondence with people you know well—if you're checking in with a close friend to find out if they've heard of a job opening at their company, for example. "Hello" is appropriate only in email correspondence. It should be used primarily for people you know well but can be used in very casual circumstances.

Beginning your correspondence “To Whom It May Concern,” on the other hand, may seem too impersonal and make the hiring manager believe you do not care enough to find out whom you should be addressing. The only time to use " To Whom It May Concern " as a cover letter greeting is when you simply cannot find out the specific person to whom you are writing.

You should, of course, make every effort to find the name of a contact in the specific department in which you are interested. When inquiring with a company for unadvertised openings, this greeting may be most appropriate.

The following is a list of letter salutation examples that are appropriate for cover letters and other employment-related correspondence when you have the name of a contact.

Dear Mr. Jones
Dear Ms. Brown
Dear Riley Doe
Dear Dr. Haven
Dear Professor Lawrence

When You Don't Have a Contact Person

If this information was not provided in the job announcement and you cannot find it on the company’s website, then you may be able to call the company, ask to be forwarded to their human resources department (if they have one), explain that you will be applying for a job there, and ask for the name of their hiring manager.

Always make every effort to find a contact name to use in your letter. It leaves a good impression on the hiring manager if you have taken the time to use their name, especially if you had to work a little to find it.

LinkedIn is also a great tool to find out the name of the hiring manager. You can search for the company you are applying to with one or two keywords that would describe the person hiring for the position. Scroll down the list until you find the person who fits the criteria. This approach may help you pinpoint the appropriate contact person.

Many companies don't list a contact person when they post jobs because they have a team of hiring staff who sort through cover letters and resumes before passing them to the hiring manager for the appropriate department. They prefer to leave the hiring manager anonymous until he or she contacts you for an interview.

An organization may also not want to disclose who the hiring manager is to avoid emails and phone calls from applicants, particularly if they anticipate receiving a large number of applications from potential job candidates. So, don't worry if you can't find someone to address your letter to. It will be forwarded to the correct department and recipient.

If you don't have a contact person at the company, either leave off the salutation from your cover letter and start with the first paragraph of your letter or, better yet, use a general salutation.

When using a general salutation, capitalize the nouns.

Dear Hiring Manager
To Whom It May Concern
Dear Human Resources Manager
Dear Sir or Madam
Dear [Company Name] Recruiter

When to Use 'Dear' in a Cover Letter

It is appropriate to use “Dear” in most circumstances, such as when the potential employer is someone you know well, or they are a business acquaintance. Follow these tips on choosing the right greeting:

For people who you know well on a first-name basis, it's okay to use their first name only. For a business acquaintance or associate, use their first name if you have met them more than once and typically address them by their first name.
For potential employers, use Mr., Ms., or Dr., unless you have been instructed otherwise. Even if you know a woman is married, it is safer to use “Ms.” as opposed to “Mrs.,” as the latter may be offensive in certain circumstances.
If you are unsure of the appropriate greeting, play it safe and use Mr./Ms./Dr. [last name] or Mr./Ms./Dr. [first name, last name].

How to Write a Cover Letter Salutation

Standard business correspondence formatting requires that, after providing your contact information and the date of your letter, you then write down your contact person’s name, the company’s name, and the company’s address.

The formal salutation or greeting comes next: “Dear [Contact Person’s name].” If you have a contact person for your letter, include their title and name in the salutation (i.e. "Dear Mr. Franklin"). If you are unsure of the reader's gender, simply state their full name and avoid the personal title (i.e. "Dear Jamie Smith"). Follow the salutation with a colon or comma, leave one line blank, and then start the first paragraph of your letter on the following line.

Your letter greeting has the potential to improve your chances of getting an interview. To enhance your candidacy, make sure your cover letter maintains a professional appearance and offers relevant information, including your qualifications for the position. Choose the appropriate closing and always thank the reader for their time and consideration.

This is a cover letter salutation example. Download the salutation cover letter template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online), or see below for more examples.

Cover Letter With Salutation Example (Text Version)

Alex Applicant 123 Main Street Anytown, CA 12345 555-555-5555 alex.applicant@email.com

August 1, 2024

Brett Lee Nurse Manager St. Ansgar Hospital 123 Business Rd. Business City, NY 54321

Dear Mr. Lee:

I am writing to apply for the position of nursing attendant, as advertised on the St. Ansgar Hospital website. As a trained nursing assistant who is fulfilled by working with patients and staff, and by helping people, I would be a great asset to your nursing staff.

I completed my nurse assistant program in June of 20XX, and I also have a nurse attendant certificate from the state of New York. I have been working part-time at Dr. Ellen Mueller’s primary care office in Smithtown, NY, for the past year, so I am experienced in working with patients. In addition, I am diligent about my responsibilities, and I have a flexible schedule, which enables me to work almost any hours that you need.

I’ve attached my resume so that you can review my education and experience. I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,

Signature (hard copy letter)

Alex Applicant

When you are sending your letter via email, include the reason you are writing in the subject line of your message:

Subject: First Name Last Name – Nurse Attendant Position

List your contact information in your signature, rather than in the body of the letter:

FirstName LastName Your Email Your Phone Number

Key Takeaways

The salutation in a cover letter sets a professional tone and should be appropriate for the job application; avoid casual greetings like "Hello" and "Hi."
Always try to find and use the name of a specific contact person in your salutation, as it shows effort and can leave a good impression on the hiring manager.
If a contact person is not available, use general salutations like "Dear Hiring Manager" or "To Whom It May Concern," but ensure the overall letter remains professional and courteous.

Should You Use "Dear Sir or Madam" on Your Cover Letter?

In This Guide:

Why you shouldn’t use “Dear Sir or Madam” to start your cover letter

Avoid these equally bad salutations too

Dozens of ways to substitute “Dear Sir or Madam” for success

In conclusion

Quick Answer: "Why you shouldn't use ""Dear Sir or Madam"" to start your cover letter. It is not acceptable to send an impersonalized cover letter. You risk leaving the impression that you are lazy, careless, or not interested in the position. There are dozens of ways to substitute ""Dear Sir or Madam"" for success, like ""Dear [First name]."" Always refer back to precise business communication rules."

Offering the best career advice means equipping you with best tools, tips, and tricks that you can't easily find on the internet.

For example, even though some experts may assure you that for an IT startup initiating your cover letter with "Hi (First name) ", we strongly advise against that.

"Dear (First name)" is a million times better alternative. Plus, you will have a chance to infuse your cover letter with your vibrant personality, demonstrating to HR that you are a pure organizational fit without having to address them like they are just one of your friends.

Similar to "Hi (First name) " is “Dear Sir or Madam” - even if you read somewhere that using it is still acceptable, don't bite that poisonous apple.

In this blog post, you will learn:

Why you should not use Dear Sir or Madam.
To avoid other equally bad salutations.
Ways to substitute “Dear Sir or Madam” on your cover letter.

Why you shouldn’t use “Dear Sir or Madam” to start your cover letter.

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In 2024, writing “Dear Sir or Madam” as the salutation of your application letter isn’t just old fashioned – it’s archaic. The salutation was a safe bet a couple of decades ago when you couldn’t easily find the hiring manager on LinkedIn and there was no way you could find our who’s desk your application will end up on.

Back then, of course, it was totally okay to use it.

On the contrary, today, almost any company, big or small, has a good social media presence. Corporate HRs can very well be more popular than their respective CEOs. Recruiters are the face of the organization, hence it’s easier than ever to find out the name of any HR.

Hence, if the information is just a few clicks away, it is not acceptable to send an impersonalized cover letter, starting with "Dear Sir or Madam." Doing so, you risk leaving the impression that you are a bit lazy, careless, or not so interested in the position.

How to nail the proper cover letter salutation .

Moreover, we live in a dynamic, diverse, and disruptive world. Opening your cover letter with an old-school salutation like "Dear Sir or Madam," you may sound not progressive enough. Instead, consider several inclusive and imaginative alternatives, which we’ll discuss later.

Avoid these other equally bad salutations.

While with the “Dear Sir or Madam” salutation, you would teleport the recruiter 30 years back in time, if you used “ To whom it may concern ”, they are going back to the 70s.

Even worse, such an opening will immediately diminish the power of your cover letter. These are by far the worst and most dangerous openings.

Further down the rabbit hole are expressions like:

They break the standards of proper business communication.

Dozens of ways to substitute “Dear Sir or Madam” for success.

Let's look at how you can avoid the dreaded outdated cover letter salutations but still convey your value proposition respectfully and reasonably. As a general rule, if in doubt, always refer back to the precise business communication rules. Better to stay more official than inappropriately casual.

Need to read more PRO tips on how exactly to write a cover letter that recruiters will talk about long after? Check our article How to Write a Cover Letter – Writing Guide + Examples & Downloadable Templates .

Here are a dozen backup options to completely eradicate from your Cover letter the “Dear Sir or Madam” in various scenarios:

When you know the name of the recruiter,

Dear [First name]
Dear [First and Last name]
Dear [Ms. Last name] - marital-status neutral salutation
Dear [Mr., Mrs. Ms. Last name] - if you know the gender of the HR
Dear [Mx Last name] - if you don't know the gender of the HR

Using the above alternatives, you show up from the start as a considerate, respectful individual with all the right know-how on proper business communication.

When you don't know and can't find the name of the recruiter.

No name? No problem. Check out how you can navigate that situation with class.

Dear Hiring manager
Dear HR manager
Dear Recruiter
Dear (Position name)

When you are addressing a whole HR team.

There are also these situations when you apply to a big multinational corporate organization or via a Recruitment agency. Typically, you would not be communicating with only one particular HR responsible for the position, but often with the whole Recruitment team. So then, the smart go-to approach is to be inclusive and address the entire group with one of the below options:

Dear Human Resources department
Dear Recruitment team
Dear HR Team

Now you have 12 savvy salutations for any Cover letter at your immediate disposal. Which one will you choose to open the door to the HR's heart? Head over to our cover letter builder and start enchanting from “hello”.

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