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How to Address a Cover Letter With Examples

Options for Addressing a Cover Letter

• Letter Without a Contact Person
• Non-Gender-Specific Names

What Title to Use

• Address an Email Cover Letter
• Review a Sample Cover Letter

Before You Send Your Letter

One of the trickiest parts of writing a cover letter comes at the very beginning. Much of the time, you won’t know exactly who will read your letter. How do you address your cover letter when you don’t have the contact person’s name and/or gender ?

First of all, try to find out the name of the contact person. Some employers will think poorly of an applicant who does not take the time to learn the hiring manager’s name. Also, take care not to assume that you know the gender of the recipient based on the name. Many names are gender-neutral, and some hiring managers may identify as a gender other than male or female.

It’s also possible that you’ll do your research and still be unable to figure out to whom you are addressing your letter. In that case, it's better to be safe and use a generic greeting . It's also acceptable to start a letter without a greeting and start with the first paragraph of your letter .

You have a lot of options when addressing your letter. Learn more about the possibilities before you make your choice.

How to Address a Cover Letter Without a Contact Person

There are a variety of general cover letter salutations you can use to address your letter. These general cover letter salutations do not require you to know the name of the hiring manager.

In a survey of more than 2,000 companies, Saddleback College found that employers preferred the following greetings:  

• Dear Sir/Madam (27%)
• To Whom It May Concern  (17%)
• Dear Human Resources Director (6%)
• Leave it blank (8%)

Do keep in mind that terms like "To Whom It May Concern" may seem dated, so the best options may be either to use "Dear Hiring Manager" or not to include a greeting at all. Simply start with the first paragraph of your letter.

How to Address a Cover Letter for a Non-Gender-Specific Name

If you do have a name but aren't sure of the person's gender, one option is to include both the first name and the last name in your salutation, without a title that reveals gender:

• Dear Sydney Doe
• Dear Taylor Smith
• Dear Jamie Brown

With these types of gender-ambiguous names,  LinkedIn  can be a helpful resource. Since many people include a photo with their profile, a simple search of the person's name and company within LinkedIn could potentially turn up the contact's photograph.

Again, you can also check the company website or call the company’s administrative assistant to get more information as well.

Even if you know the name and gender of the person to whom you are writing, think carefully about what title you will use in your salutation.

For example, if the person is a doctor or holds a Ph.D., you might want to address your letter to “Dr. Lastname” rather than “Ms. Lastname” or “Mr. Lastname.” Other titles might be “Prof.,” “Rev.,” or “Sgt.,” among others.

When you address a letter to a female employer, use the title “Ms.” unless you know for certain that she prefers another title (such as “Miss” or “Mrs.”).

“Ms.” is a general title that does not denote marital status, so it works for any female employer.

How to Address an Email Cover Letter

Hiring managers get a lot of emails each day. Make it easy for them to scan your email and follow up by including a clear subject line and a signature with your contact information. It's important to address the email cover letter correctly, including the name of the person hiring for the position if you have a contact, to ensure that your letter gets noticed.

Subject Line of Email Message

Never leave the subject line blank. There is a good chance that if a hiring manager receives an email with no subject line, they’ll delete it without even bothering to open it, or it could end up in their spam mailbox. Instead, write a clear subject indicating your intentions.

List the job you are applying for in the  subject line of your email message , so the employer knows what job you are interested in. They may be hiring for multiple positions, and you will want them to identify the position you’re interested in easily.

How to Address the Contact Person

There are a variety of  cover letter salutations  you can use to address your email message. If you have a contact person at the company, address the letter to Ms. or Mr. Lastname. If you aren’t given a contact person, check to see if you can  determine the email recipient's name .

If you can’t find a contact person at the company, you can either leave off the salutation from your cover letter and  start with the first paragraph  of your letter or use a  general salutation .

How to Format the Salutation

Once you have chosen a salutation, follow it with a colon or comma, a space, and then start the first paragraph of your letter. For example:

Dear Hiring Manager:

First paragraph of the letter.

Body of Email Cover Letter

The body of your cover letter  lets the employer know what position you are applying for, and why the employer should select you for an interview. This is where you'll sell yourself as a candidate. Review the job posting and include examples of your attributes that closely match the ones they are looking for.

When you're sending an  email cover letter , it's important to follow the employer's instructions on how to submit your cover letter and resume.

Make sure that your email cover letters are as well-written as any other documents you send.

If you have attached your resume, mention this as part of your conclusion. Then finish your cover letter by thanking the employer for considering you for the position. Include information on how you will follow up. Include a closing, then list your name and your  email signature .

Your email signature should include your name, full address, phone number, email address, and  LinkedIn Profile URL  (if you have one) so it is easy for hiring managers to get in touch.

Firstname Lastname  Street Address  (optional) City, State Zip Code  Email  Phone  LinkedIn

Sample Cover Letter

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

Sample Cover Letter (Text Version)

Mary Garcia 12 Rogers Avenue Townville, New Hampshire 03060 555-555-5555 mary.garcia@email.com

February 17, 2021

Franklin Lee

CBI Industries 39 Main Street Townville, New Hampshire 03060

Dear Mr. Lee:

I was excited to see your ad for the operations assistant position in your Townville offices.

I have five years of experience as an operations assistant/associate. In my most recent role at ABC Corp., I fulfilled orders, resolved customer issues, ordered supplies, and prepared reports. In previous roles, I’ve done bookkeeping, data entry, and sales support. Basically, anything your department needs to run smoothly, I can do – and most likely, I already have experience doing it.

My other skills include:

• Strong communication skills, in person, in writing, and on the phone
• Excellent attention to detail and organization skills
• Top-notch customer service
• Experience in the industry and passion for the product
• Adept at all the usual professional software, including Microsoft Office Suite

I’ve included my resume for your review. Please contact me if you have questions or would like to schedule an interview. Thank you for your consideration.

Signature (hard copy letter)

Mary Garcia

Review Cover Letter Samples: It’s hard to write cover letters from scratch. To make life easier – and to make sure you don’t forget any of those pesky formatting rules —start by reviewing cover letter samples . Sending an email version instead? Look at a few examples of email cover letters to get started.

Customize Your Cover Letter: Why personalize your cover letter every time you apply for a job? Because even similar job titles have different requirements. The goal of a cover letter is to show the hiring manager that you’re the best candidate for this particular job. Customizing your cover letter will help you emphasize your skills and experience and how they fit with the job requirements .

Spell-Check Names: Before sending your cover letter, make absolutely sure that you have spelled the hiring manager’s name correctly. That is the kind of small error that can cost you a job interview.

Carefully Proofread Your Letter: Whether you're sending an email or uploading or attaching a printable cover letter, it's important to make sure that your cover letter and resume are written as well as any other business correspondence. If you can, have a friend proofread before you hit send, to pick up any typos or grammatical errors.

Saddleback College. " Your Resume is Your 1st Interview ," Page 14. Accessed Feb. 17, 2021.

How to Address a Cover Letter When Applying for a Job

While addressing your cover letter may seem like a small part of your job application, your salutation may be the first thing an employer reads on your application. An appropriate opening can leave a good first impression and set the tone for a successful application that engages the interest of an employer. This article explains how to address a cover letter depending on the information available to you about the job you are applying for.

Who should you address a cover letter to?

While you may not be certain who will read your cover letter when applying for jobs, there are a few best practices for addressing a cover letter. Unless a job description includes information on a different person to send application materials to, you should address your cover letter to the hiring manager for the position. ‘Dear Hiring Manager’ is an appropriate greeting for situations when you don’t know the hiring manager’s name, but seeking out details about the team you would be working with shows that you have a strong interest in the company and pay attention to details.

Methods for finding the hiring manager’s name

The following methods can help you find the hiring manager’s name when applying for a new job:

Check the application materials

Sometimes a job posting or other application materials have the name and title of the person reviewing your application listed. Many companies include information about who to contact in order to streamline the job search process, so read the job listing carefully for any instruction on who to address your letter to. Look at email addresses or social media profiles linked to the posting and see if the hiring manager’s name is listed. If you previously communicated with someone at the company about your application, consider reaching out and asking who you should address your cover letter to.  

Look at the company website 

Some companies keep a list of key employees or even a full directory of their employees available on their website. They may have a separate careers page with information on a hiring manager, or you may be able to find the name of a human resources representative for your position. Look for who the managers are for the department are applying to work with and determine who would work most closely with your position. You can also search for the company online and find outside information on their hiring structure.

Call the business

You can call the front office of a company and ask for the name of the contact person for the position you are applying for.  Be sure to call during business hours and be as specific as possible so that you get the name of the correct person. If you are still not able to confirm the name of a contact, the company will likely expect applicants to use the name of their hiring manager’s position or even leave off the greeting entirely.

How to address a cover letter

Use these steps as a guide toward addressing your cover letter:

1. First, verify your information

Once you have the name or title of the person receiving your cover letter, make sure that all of your information is accurate. Do a quick search to see if they have any honorifics such as Dr. or Prof. that you can include in your greeting Avoid using gendered language such as ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ unless you have confirmed that they prefer to be addressed by that term.

2. Second, choose a salutation

Including a salutation is optional and based on personal preference. One option for beginning your cover letter is to simply list the name of the hiring manager followed by a comma. ‘Dear’ followed by their name and a comma is also a professional way to open your greeting. You should avoid less casual greetings such as ‘hey’ and ‘hello.’

3. Third, use a consistent format

When addressing your cover letter, use the same font and style as the rest of your application materials. Your greeting should be above the body of your letter and below a header that includes your name and contact information. Use consistent spacing before and after the greeting to make the letter easier to read for the hiring manager while devoting most of the page to the content of your letter.

4. Lastly, proofread

Every time you send out a cover letter, proofread every part of it including the address. Proofreading can help you avoid accidentally sending one company a cover letter with another company’s hiring manager listed in the greeting. Confirm the spelling of any names or titles and have another person check your work for typos. You should also make sure that you are using proper capitalization for their name and title.

Template for how to address a cover letter

Here is a brief template you can use when crafting a new cover letter or adding to an existing one:

[First name] [Last name] [Address] [City, State ZIP code] [Email] [Phone number]

Dear [Honorific]. [First name] [Last name],

Examples of how to address a cover letter

These are all examples of an acceptable greeting for a cover letter:

• Dear Hiring Manager,
• Dr. Alison Choudary,
• Dear Human Resources Manager,
• Dear Revolve Marketing Team,
• Dear Prof. Rivera,
• Dear Sierra, 
• Ms. Cleo Thet,

Regardless of whether you can find the name of the hiring manager or not, you can still include a professional greeting when addressing your cover letter. While the way you address your cover letter will not likely convince someone to hire you, a greeting with dated or unprofessional language can easily discourage a hiring manager from taking your application seriously. You can use only a first name or add a salutation and honorific depending on your preference. 

Tips for addressing a cover letter

Use these tips to make sure your greeting is relevant and appropriate to the position:

• Avoid phrases like ‘to whom it may concern’ or any other excessively formal language when possible.
• Consider addressing the team you will be working with as a group if you do not have the name of your contact for the job.
• If you have already communicated with the hiring manager, look at their email signature to see how they prefer to be addressed. For example, if the hiring manager signs their emails as ‘Mr. Dunlap,’ that is an indication that you should call him that as opposed to his full name.
• When writing your cover letter or adapting it for a new position, make sure that every section including the greeting is professional and purposeful.

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How to Address a Cover Letter

Don't know how to address your cover letter in the most respectful and appropriate way? See the best tips on what business etiquette dictates and how to get points as a good candidate.

Making a great first impression is imperative to becoming the #1 candidate for the job. The first impression, as we found out in our previous articles, comes from the cover letter. An appropriate salutation secures the right tone for the rest of your cover letter and wins the recipient’s favor. By directing your cover letter to a specific person you simulate a dialog, a conversation, where you’ve been yielded the floor. Stop cranking out templatized impersonal covering letters — they end up in the discard pile!

In this article, we’ve drawn up an explicit guide on “how to” and “who to” for addressing a cover letter when applying for a job opening.

Addressing a Cover Letter: Why is it Important?

Imagine you’re a hiring manager. It’s an average day at work — your company is looking for a Sales Manager . You brew your daily cup of strong coffee and check your inbox. The inbox displays 200+ incoming emails from applicants for the job opening.

You open one email and it reads

The first idea in your head will probably be something like:

“Another cliched cover letter. I bet this applicant’s been sending this cover letter to dozens of companies. I’ll leave it for the end.

You open the next one and it starts

Easy, easy! My name is Rachel, I’ll have you know!

You’re not in the best mood already, right? Would you give a chance to an applicant who calls you “Sir”? Bet you won’t.

To make things worse, these examples are real-life cases. You can ask hiring managers and recruiters from different companies and they all will say that they read letters like this time and time again. Moreover, they will definitely tell you even more ridiculous stories from their experience.

Let’s move to our article and consider the best options for addressing a cover letter for a job and the mistakes to avoid.

Options for Addressing a Cover Letter

Our experts strongly suggest that job seekers address their cover letters using the recruiting manager’s name. Now, this is not always possible for various reasons, so what’s the next best thing? We’ll show you how to address a cover letter for an online application the right way in any situation.

Use the Hiring Manager’s Name

Always make the effort to find who to address cover letter to. How do you find the info?

You can say something like:

“Hello, my name is Theodore. I’m applying for the content writer position at your company. Do you by any chance know the name of the hiring manager responsible for the position? It would be much appreciated.”

You might think that this is a waste of time, but going out of your way to find the recruiter’s name really shows that you put in the effort to apply and have a genuine interest in working there.

Use the Recipient’s Title In Your Address

Dear Dr. House, Dear Maj. Payne, Dear Prof. Hulk,

Although finding the name of the hiring manager is always preferred, it’s not always possible. What should you do in these occasions? HR professionals have answered this question for you. In a recent study done by Saddleback College, which surveyed 2,000 hiring managers, the majority of the polled specialists liked to see “Dear Hiring Manager” if the name is unknown. Starting your cover letter , write the role you’re applying for and “Hiring Manager” in the recipient info section.

Hiring Manager for the Engineer Position

From: John Doe

11301 West Olympic Boulevard Apt. 100

Los Angeles, CA 90064

(212) 245-7154

[email protected]

To: Hiring Manager for the Engineer Position

XYZ Worldwide Inc.

28 Second Avenue, NY

(212) 244-7701

Dear Hiring Manager,

I’m writing to you to express my interest in the Engineer position that

is open on your company website with the job ID #10120.

What should you do when you have the name of the hiring manager but aren’t sure of the person’s gender? The answer is simple — include both the first name and the last name in your greeting.

- Dear Taylor Johnson,

- Dear Cory Morgan,

Mistakes to Avoid When Addressing a Cover Letter

Oftentimes, candidates write cover letters half-heartedly and make silly mistakes. You would probably assume that the majority of applicants mishandling cover letters are students because of the lack of experience, but it’s not a matter of experience. It’s a matter of underestimation. Inexperienced internal students sometimes write their applications for an internship much better and more professional than overqualified workers with a vast experience handle their cover letters for a job at a big company. It all depends on how the candidate celebrates this document and realizes the impact of a well-thought-out cover letter.

What's the Proper Format for a Cover Letter Address?

Get Cover Letter expert writers suggest using a traditional business letter format when writing a cover letter for employment. Keep in mind, that while the business style cover letter rules and requirements are pretty strict, there is still room for a free hand and individual approach.

Start with a header that includes the sender’s name, address, and contact info. Add date above or below the sender’s section. Skip 1 line after the sender section.

The recipient’s info section includes the recruiting manager's name, official title and company name, full address, including city, state and zip code, and phone number. Skip 1 line after the recipient section.

Write an appropriate salutation: “Dear Mr. Doe,”, “Dear Cpt. Donovan,”, “Dear Hiring Manager,”. Don’t forget a comma after your greeting and leave 1-2 blank lines before you get down to writing the introduction.

Introduce yourself and get straight to the point of your job application.

From: [Your Full Name]

[Street, City, State, Zip]

[Phone Number]

To: [Recipient’s Full Name]

[Recipient’s Company Name]

[Recipient’s Phone]

[Recipient’s Email]

Dear [Recipient],

First/Introductory Paragraph

Body: Qualifications, Interests, Background, Sales Pitch

Closing paragraph

Farewell words e.g. Best Regards,

[Your Full Name]

Want to know what to write in the rest of your cover letter? See our “ Complete Guide To Writing an Impressive Cover Letter That Gets You Hired”

Now you know how to address a cover letter to a company in any situation you face during your job search. Follow the rules and recommendations from our professional guide and craft outstanding cover letters. If you have specific questions about how to address someone in a cover letter, feel free to contact us for some extra tips and advice. Still doubting yourself or unsure and can’t get past writer's block? We’re here for you. Our company has been providing professional CV and cover letter writing services for thousands of clients from the US and overseas. As of today, over 130,000 cover letters have been successfully built with the help of our online service; thousands of our clients have landed jobs. We are here to assist with your career ambitions and help you land your dream job. Don’t miss a chance to become one of those delighted people!

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How to address a cover letter | with examples

The way you start your cover letter counts.

It’s the first thing a hiring manager sees when they open your application so you need to make them excited to peek into your CV .

In our guide, we’ll show you the ropes on how to address your cover letter, and even teach you how to find the recruiter or hiring manager’s name for maximum impact.

CV templates 

Address the hiring manager or recruiter directly

Address the hiring manager or recruiter by name to start building a rapport with them.

Something simple like, “Hi Lucy” will do the trick.

According to recent research , simply seeing your own name can trigger a strong response in the brain. So, be sure to do this, to captivate the recruiter’s attention.

How to find the recruiter or hiring manager’s name

You may be wondering, “How do I figure out their name?”

There are several ways to find out the name of the person handling the job opening, which we’ll look at below.

When you’re reading a job advert, you’ll sometimes find the name and email address of the person you need to get in touch with directly in the ad.

Look out for the section that says “For enquiries” or “Contact person”.

For example, the advert might say something like:

“For more info, please contact Susan Wright at [email protected].”

Usually, this person manages that job vacancy.

If you see this information, it’s your lucky day – job adverts are the simplest way to find the correct name.

Company website

If you can’t find the recruiter’s name on the job advert , and you’re applying for a job directly via a company, check out their website.

Keep an eye out for a “Who We Are” , “About Us” or “Our Team” section.

Here, you’ll usually be able to find the info about the people who work there, including the head of the department or hiring team connected to the position you’re applying for.

Look at the people’s profiles to get the one that fits your job’s department.

If you have trouble finding it directly, use the search bar on the company’s website and type in “Head of [Department Name]” or “HR Manager”.

You could also run a Google search for “[Company name] + team” for a quick way of finding an About Page for a particular team or department.

LinkedIn is one of the best ways to find a hiring manager or recruiter because millions of them are registered on the platform.

Firstly, ascertain the company that posted the position and the team it’s connected with from the information provided in the job advert.

When you know the department and organisation, head over to LinkedIn . Here, you can use the search bar to look for the company name, department or job title associated with the job opening.

Let’s say you’re applying for a marketing vacancy at Tesco. You can search for “Marketing Manager” in the search bar like this:

Once the search results appear, click the “People” filter button to narrow down your findings further so that you’re only seeing people (and not companies or groups).

Then make sure you choose your target company under “Current Company” – this ensures you only view people who are current employees.

You will need to type the name of the company into the text box like this:

Click on the name of the company you typed in. In this case, it’s “Tesco.”

Then hit the blue “Show results” button.

And examine the profiles that come up.

You’ll be able to find the person handling the job applications by looking for titles such as “recruitment manager” or “team leader” .

And once you view their profiles you may even be able to get hold of their phone number or email address.

Contact info

Here is how you can find a person’s email address via the contact details, if they have entered them.

Click on their profile then seek out the “Contact info” section.

This sits under their profile picture and headline.

If the user has made their contact info visible, you’ll see it here.

About section

Often, you can locate additional contact info, such as email addresses, in the “About” or “Summary” section of their profile.

To do this, scroll down to the user’s “About” section.

If the user has decided to include their email address, you’ll see it here.

If you can’t find an email, you can contact them directly through LinkedIn.

Here’s how you’d do this:

• Send a connection request – Send the person a connection request and a message. When they accept your request, you’ll be able to write an accompanying message.
• Use InMail – If this specific individual isn’t in your network, use the LinkedIn InMail. This is a premium feature which lets you send messages to LinkedIn members outside of your network – it’s useful but do. Of course, there is a fee to use this feature but it’s a useful tool.

What if you can’t find a name?

Don’t panic if you can’t find the name of the individual you’re trying to address. This will happen a lot during your job search .

In such cases, it’s absolutely fine to begin with a friendly “Hi.”

But don’t use expressions like “Dear Sir or Madam” – this sounds extremely outdated and aloof.

If you use the word “Hi”, this ensures your cover letter is more amicable and modern , even when you’re unsure of the person’s name.

This is a courteous and simple way to start if you have difficulty locating the specific hiring manager’s name.

How to write a cover letter email subject line

A recruiter’s inbox gets flooded with applications, so when you write your cover letter email , your initial goal is to entice them to read your email.

You must catch their attention with a compelling subject line and give a captivating reason for them to click on your message.

Avoid using generic subject lines, such as:

• “Check This Out” – Subject lines like this sound spammy, and hiring managers may ignore it.
• “Important” – Recruiters won’t know why your email is important – they might deem it clickbait.
• “CV Attached” – This subject line doesn’t offer any context or engage the recruiter in any way at all.
• “Hire Me” – This comes across as too blunt and provides no context.
• “I Need a Job” – This sounds too direct and may sound a little too desperate.
• “Looking for Work” – While you’re being upfront, this isn’t an engaging subject line.

Instead of including any of these generic subject lines, you must promote your selling points right off the bat.

For instance, use subject lines that highlight your skills and expertise in a concise, screen-friendly title.

Determine your main strengths as an applicant and invent a way to integrate them into your subject line.

You could say something like:

• “Veteran Graphic Designer with a Portfolio of Projects”
• “Registered Nurse with Intensive Care Unit Expertise”
• “Committed Secondary School Teacher with 10 Years’ Classroom Expertise”
• “Certified IT Professional with Experience in Network Security”

These subject lines are effective because they communicate key information and value to hiring managers clearly and concisely. Each tells the recruiter about your qualifications and expertise and is tailored to the specific job or field.

A recruiter is more likely to open an email from someone who can potentially meet their requirements.

A quick tip: Remember, subject lines have a limited amount of space – you’ll probably only be able to squeeze in between 30 and 35 characters.

How not to address a cover letter

When you’re addressing your cover letter , some things simply aren’t worth including. These old-fashioned or overly formal ways of starting a cover letter can make a negative first impression.

So, avoid the below phrases in your cover letter greeting:

• “Dear Sir or Madam” – This is far too old-fashioned and doesn’t show much effort. It’s also fairly impersonal.
• “What’s up, [Department Name]?” – This is excessively informal and will probably give hiring managers the wrong impression about you. It also doesn’t address the specific person.

Steer clear of these unimpressive ways to address your cover letter and plump for a more personal, engaging approach, like “Hi James” or “Hello Sarah”. Don’t forget, you need to get the perfect balance of friendliness and professionalism.

How to Address a Cover Letter in 2024

Yes, how you address your cover letter matters.

After all, this is the first thing the recruiter reads when going through your cover letter, and yes, there is a right and wrong way to do it.

In this article, we’re going to teach you how to address your cover letter in such a way that you leave a positive impression on any recruiter!

• How to address a cover letter to a recruiter? (Casual or formal)
• What title to use when addressing the hiring manager
• How to address a cover letter without a contact person/to a company
• How to address a cover letter without an address
• How to address a cover letter in an email

How to Address a Cover Letter To a Recruiter (Casual or Formal)?

As we already mentioned, the way you address your cover letter is important because it is the very first thing recruiters see upon opening your cover letter. 

A well-formulated cover letter address means that you care enough to research the company (i.e. to find the hiring manager’s name and title) and that you show attention to detail. 

As such, you should always put some research into who you’re addressing your cover letter to and do so in a formal way.  

And yes, the formal part is important too. The recruiter isn’t your best friend - you want to maintain a sense of professionalism.

If this is how you address the recruiter in your cover letter:

• What’s up Hiring Manager
• Hi there Hiring Team

Then you say goodbye to the job.

Now, you’re probably wondering, how can I find out whom to address my cover letter to?

That’s what we’re about to teach you:

Who Am I Addressing My Cover Letter To?

Here are some tricks to find the full name of the hiring manager: 

• Check the job listing. The job listing may have information about the recruiter or the department doing the hiring. Make sure to read through the entire job listing, as it might not be at an entirely obvious place.
• Check the company website. Some websites feature the names of the hiring managers or heads of departments that may go through your cover letter. Alternatively, LinkedIn is another place where you can look for this information.
• Check the company’s LinkedIn. You can look up who works in the company you’re applying for on their LinkedIn page.
• Ask around. Do you have friends that work for the company? They could provide you with valuable inside info.

To avoid making a bad impression, head over to our guide on cover letter mistakes to learn about what NOT to do when writing your cover letter.  

Addressing a Cover Letter With a Name

By now, you have probably found the hiring manager’s full name and gender. With this information available, it’s best to address the hiring manager formally, as follows: 

• Dear Mr. Brown,
• Dear Miss Fitzpatrick,
• Dear Mrs. Lockhart,
• Dear Ms. Walters,

If, for some reason, you are unsure about the person’s title, gender, marital status, or preferred pronouns, just address them using their entire name to avoid any mistakes. For example:

• Dear Alex Brown, 
• Dear Blair Fitzpatrick,
• Dear Jesse Lockhart,
• Dear Madison Walters,

Addressing someone with a title 

Now, if you found out that the hiring manager has a professional or academic title, then it’s more appropriate to address them using that title. If, for example, the hiring manager has a Ph.D., then it’s more respectful to address them as “Dr. Last Name,” instead of “Mr. Last Name.”  

Here are some professional titles and how they’re abbreviated: 

• A professor is Prof. 
• A reverend is Rev. 
• A sergeant is Sgt. 
• Honorable is Hon. 

If, however, you are uncertain about how a title is abbreviated, then avoid it altogether. 

Here are a few examples to give you an idea: 

• Dear Prof. Welsch,
• Dear Director Smith,
• Dear Rev. Owen,

Dear Dr. Leonard,

When addressing women and you don’t know their marital status, always go with Ms., because it doesn’t comment on marital status. Some women prefer not to be addressed with Miss or Mrs. even when they’re married, so sticking with Ms. is the best choice. 

Want to learn more cover letter tips ? Our guide has all you need to ace your cover letter!  

How to Address a Cover Letter Without a Contact Person

It might happen that, no matter how hard you search, you can’t find the name of the hiring manager or department head that will read your cover letter.

In that case, you can address your cover letter to the department, faculty, or the company.

• Dear Software Development Hiring Team,
• Dear Customer Service Department Hiring Team,
• Dear Head of the Literature Faculty,
• Dear Director of Marketing,
• Dear Human Resources Recruitment Team,

Alternatively, if you don’t have enough information either about the department or the team, you can opt for addressing the cover letter directly to the company’s hiring staff, as follows: 

Dear [Company Name] Hiring Team 

Dear [Company Name] Recruiting Staff

If all else fails (meaning, you don’t know the name of the department head or even the exact department, in addition to the recruiter) then you can use one of the good, old-fashioned:

Dear Hiring Manager,

...but NOT the impersonal and way outdated “To whom it may concern” and “Dear Sir/Madam.” 

Starting a cover letter can be challenging. Our guide can show you how to start a cover letter that will get you results from the get-go. 

How to Format the Company’s Address

Before you reach the salutation, you have to make sure that the header with the recipient’s contact information is formatted correctly. 

It might not be the deciding point of whether you’ll secure an interview or not, but it will cost you points if it’s off. 

So, the first thing you want to do is add your name and surname on the upper left side of the cover letter. Underneath, you should write your professional title (if applicable), your email , and your phone number . 

Now, after you’ve also added the date, you should leave one more space and add the recipient’s contact information and, most importantly, the company’s address. 

It should look something like this on your cover letter: 

When You Can’t Find the Company’s Address 

Some companies might have several addresses listed (as per their branches, for example), or even none at all. 

Since an application that doesn’t have an address line could end up lost or misplaced, make sure you do one of the following before skipping the company’s address completely:

• Check all your resources, (pretty much like when you were looking for the hiring manager’s name) to find the company’s address. 
• Use the company’s headquarter address. This is sometimes easier to find, especially if the company has several branches. 
• Use the P.O. Box number for the company. This is not as specific as an actual address line, but if all else fails, it’s still something. 

Frequently, you’ll be asked to submit your job application (including your cover letter) electronically, or by email. In those cases, you can skip the address line altogether. 

Here’s how you’d go about addressing a cover letter in an email.

How to Address an Email Cover Letter

If you’re sending your job application through email, chances are you’ll need to format your cover letter in the body of the email, or as an attachment along with your resume.

First and foremost when you’re addressing a cover letter in an email is the subject line, which should be between 6-10 words long. 

Considering that hiring managers receive countless emails daily, you want to make sure that yours is a job application immediately. And the way to do that is straight through the subject line, which should indicate exactly the position you’re applying for and your name so that it’s easier to find through the recruiter’s swarmed mailbox. 

Here’ what we mean by that:

• Subject Line:   John Doe - Software Development Job Application 
• Subject Line: John Doe - Job Application for Marketing Manager Position   
• Subject Line: John Doe - Stock Manager Job Application 

Afterward, if you’re including your cover letter in the body of the email (as opposed to attaching it as a document), begin by using a salutation, add space, and start your letter. 

If someone referred you for the position, make sure to mention that in the subject line of your email as well as in your opening paragraph.  

So, let’s see how all the above plays out in practice: 

Subject Line: John Doe - Carl Jacob’s Referral for Software Developer

I was very glad that Mr. Jacobs, a long-time partner at your firm who also happens to be my mentor from college, referred me for the Software Developer position. 

Do you want your style, personality, and overall personal brand to shine through your application? With Novorésumé, you can match your cover letter with your resume to make a lasting impression! 

Key Takeaways 

And that’s all there is when it comes to addressing a cover letter! You should feel much more confident in doing so by now. 

Either way, let’s go over the main points we covered throughout the article: 

• Your cover letter address should be formal and well-researched. Don’t address the hiring manager with “hey,” “what’s up,” “hi there,” or even the old-fashioned “Dear Sir/Madam” and “To Whom It May Concern.”
• Always try to find the hiring manager’s full name and professional title through the company’s website, LinkedIn, by calling, or by asking someone who works there.
• If you know the hiring manager’s name, go with “Dear Mr./Miss Last Name,” but if you’re unsure about their gender, marital status, or preferred pronoun, just address them using their full name.
• If the recruiter has a professional or academic title, it’s more appropriate to address them using their title.
• If you can’t find the contact person’s name, then address the department, faculty, or company (i.e. Dear Microsoft Hiring Team , or Dear Software Development Recruitment Team ).

Related Readings: 

• Do I Need a Cover Letter in 2024
• Entry-Level Cover Letter
• Cover Letter for Internship
• How to Write a Cover Letter in 2024

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How to address a cover letter?

I'm sure that you had to create a cover letter at some point in your job search. And like most other job seekers, you probably came across this problem: "How to address a cover letter?"

Most of the time, you have no idea who is going to read the cover letter.

So, how to address a cover letter without a name?

Hiring managers get roughly 100-200 resumes every day. And, they are already under a lot of pressure to sort the resumes.

On top of that, if they get cover letters that do not have proper formatting and do not address the hiring manager in the cover letter header, mark my words; they will surely throw your resume away.

In a resume cover letter, minute details make or break your chance of being hired.

So, you need to make sure that you know how to address cover letter correctly.

Don't worry!

In this blog, we will tell you everything you need to know about:

• Who to address cover letter to?
• How to address a cover letter without a name?
• How to find out who to address a cover letter to?
• How to address an email cover letter?
• How to address a cover letter for internal position?
• What should you not do when addressing a cover letter?
• Example of Proper Cover letter address format?
• Some common question about how to address cover letter

Who to Address a Cover Letter To?

Ideally, you need to address your cover letter to hiring managers , not the recruiters .

In many job postings, the name or email address of the hiring manager is given.

If you are lucky enough to find such job listings, then you are sorted. You can write a personalized cover letter addressing the hiring manager directly.

Unfortunately, not many job listing sites give the name and email address of the contact person.

Do not quit and send the cover letter without a name.

Go to the company website/about page and see if it has the list of staff.

That way, you can probably get the hiring manager's name or someone from the talent acquisition department to whom you need to address your cover letter.

The critical aspect is to do a lot of research .

Suppose you still don't find any name or contact information of anyone in the hiring department. In that case, you can also address your cover letter to someone in authority in other departments, such as the senior manager or the head of the department you are applying for.

It is a hundred times better to address your cover letter to someone in the organization than not addressing it at all.

At least, this way, they will understand that you are not throwing rocks in the dark. You have done your research and have good ideas about the organization.

Also Read: How to write a stellar cover letter in 2022?

How to Address a Cover letter Without a Name?

There are plenty of generic cover letter salutations you can use in your cover letter. These generic cover letter salutations eliminate the need to know the name of the contact person.

The only drawback is that you have no option to personalize your cover letter.

A survey conducted by Saddleback College has seen that only 8% of hiring managers are ok with a cover letter without name. But 92% of hiring managers prefer to have some address in the cover letter.

• Dear Hiring Manager (40%)
• Dear Sir/Madam (27%)
• To Whom It May Concern (17%)
• Dear Human Resources Director (6%)

However, we don't recommend you to use to whom it may concern in your cover letter address.

Instead, the best general salutation can be "Dear Hiring Manager."

If you want to personalize the address, you can address your cover letter to the specific department you are applying for. For example, "Dear Digital Marketing Department."

How to Address Cover Letter When You Don't Know Hiring Manager's Gender?

There will be times when you will find the gender-neutral name of the hiring manager. In that case, altogether avoid using gender-specific cover letter addresses. Instead, address with their both name and last name in the salutation like this:

• Dear John Doe,
• Dear Charlie Brown ,
• Dear Taylor Paisley,

Hiration Pro Tip : In this type of gender-neutral name, you can search for the person on Linkedin to find out their gender. Alternatively, you can search on the company page or call the company reception to get more information about the hiring manager.

How to Address Cover Letter When You Know Hiring Manager's Gender?

If you know the hiring manager's gender, things will be much easier for you. For men, you can address the hiring manager with "Mr.," but things get a bit tricky for female hiring managers.

Imagine this,

You have addressed the hiring manager with "Miss.," and if she turns out to be married, it will not look good on your part. You definitely do not want to offend your hiring manager.

Instead of "Miss" or "Mrs.," use " Ms.," which does not focus on their marital status.

• Dear. Ms. Moore,
• Dear Miss Jane,
• Dear Mrs. Black,

Should You Address the Hiring Manager With Only Their First Name?

If you know the hiring manager personally, only then can you use their first name to address the cover letter. Else, address the letter with their full name.

How to Use Professional Titles When Addressing a Cover Letter?

If the hiring manager has a professional or academic title, don't forget to address them by their title. You can write the full title like this:

• "Dear Doctor Taylor,"

Or you can use the abbreviated form like this:

• Dear Dr. Taylor ,
• Dear Sgt. Park,
• Dear Prof. Hoverman,
• Dear Principal Fury,

Also Read: How long should a cover letter be?

How Do You Find Out Who to Address a Cover Letter To?

If you don't find the hiring manager's name and contact information on the job description, don't just leave it like that! Do some research and put some effort into finding the name and email id of the hiring manager.

It may take some extra effort, but it shows that you are interested in this job. This section will tell you everything you need to know about finding the hiring manager's name and to who you address a cover letter.

Call the Company

Calling the company to ask for a hiring manager's details is the best way to accurately determine the hiring manager's name and number.

• Call the company desk
• State who you are and why you are calling
• Tell that you are applying for a job position and confirm who the hiring manager is for addressing in the cover letter.
• Most of the time, the hiring manager will happily give you the information you need.

Tip : When taking their name, ask for the spelling of the hiring manager's name. You do not want to screw up the spelling.

If the company desk refuses to give information for any reason, don't worry; we have four other ways in our arsenal.

Network With People Working With Prospective Employer

The second best way to get the hiring manager's name and contact information is to connect with your prospective employer's employees.

This way, you can ask your connection to refer you to the hiring manager or ask for the hiring manager's contact information when a job becomes available.

It is easier than you think.

Just do a quick Linkedin search and see the employers active on Linkedin.

Now, slowly start engaging with the person you want to connect with.

After a couple of days, send them a personalized connection request and slowly build a rapport.

You do not want to ask right out for reference after introducing yourself. Instead, add some value to the conversation, and show genuine interest in them.

This process takes some time, but the connection you will make with these people will take you a long way in your professional journey.

Read the Job Description Carefully

It is a sad truth that most job seekers do not read the job description carefully. In this way, they miss vital information and potentially the hiring manager's contact name and details.

Most of the job descriptions contain the email address of the hiring manager at the end. And you can easily find the name of the contact person with the email address.

Most professional email ids contain the name of the person and the company name. For example, [email protected] has two parts- Judy.M and hiraiton.com.

And if you search on Google by the first part of the email address "Judy.M" and the company name, there is a high chance that you will find the Linkedin profile of the respective person. And you can get to know other information about them as well.

Find Out Who Will Become Your Superior or Manager

Many job descriptions include the details about the reporting manager. In such cases, you need to address your cover letter to the reporting manager.

You can find more information about the reporting manager by a quick Linkedin search with the reporting manager's job title and the company.

If the company is larger, there may be multiple individuals with the same job title. In that case, you can further narrow down your search by location.

Do an Online Search

Another easy way to search for the hiring manager is by simply doing a Google search. Google will show you the most relevant results for your search query. Example: See in this example how the first result itself answered your question.

Also Read: How to address a cover letter without name?

How to Address a Email Cover Letter?

We live in a digital age now.

Nowadays, most candidates send email cover letters to the hiring managers. And hiring managers get 100s of email cover letters daily.

To stand out from these 100s of email cover letters, you need to make sure your email cover address is perfect.

1. Subject Line of Email Cover Letter

The first thing the hiring manager will see is your email cover letter subject line. So, never leave the subject line blank.

Hiring managers sort the email cover letters by the job title. And if your cover letter does not have a subject line, it will not show in the hiring manager's list.

Here is an example cover letter subject line :

Subject line: Job Application for Video Editor Position, Ref: Hanna Moore

2. Address the Cover Letter in the Correct Way

The rules of a formal cover letter and an email cover letter salutation are similar. You can refer to the previous section of this blog to know more about it. Here is an example of an email cover letter address

• "Dear Mr. Doe,"

Note : Recent trends have seen many job seekers do not include "Dear" in the salutation. You can do that too. There is nothing wrong with it.

Also Read: How to start a cover letter for maximum impact?

How to Address a Cover Letter for Internal Position?

If you address the cover letter to higher management or hiring manager, always use their name to address in the cover letter.

luckily, since it's an internal position, you can easily find the name of the person by asking your colleagues.

What Not to Do When Addressing a Cover Letter

Even if you did everything right on your resume and cover letter, starting it wrong may cost you a chance to get a call for an interview.

Let's see what you should not do when addressing a cover letter.

Do Not Address the Cover Letter to the Recruiter

" Recruiters do not read cover letters. "

Recruiters only sort the resumes by keywords and forward the same to the hiring managers.

This is the golden rule you need to keep in mind when addressing a cover letter. Always address the cover letter to the hiring manager.

Do Not Address the Cover Letter to an Ex. Hiring Manager

Company websites do not get updated regularly. If a hiring manager leaves the company, you may still find their name and contact information on the website or other third-party websites. So, be extra careful when addressing a cover letter.

Spelling the Hiring Manager or Company Name Wrong

Do not sabotage your first impression by making a spelling mistake on the hiring manager's name or the company name. It demonstrates a lack of attention to detail.

Do Not Start With a Bland Greeting

Avoid using to whom it may concern cover letter address. It is very generic and shows utter laziness on your part. It projects that you did not put much effort into writing the cover letter.

Example of a Cover Letter Address Format

Here is an example of a proper cover letter address format:

Frequently Asked Questions

How to address a cover letter to a large company.

If you have to address a cover letter to a large company, and you don't know the hiring manager's name, you can always address the cover letter to the department you are applying job to. For example:

• Dear Finance Department
• Dear Marketing Team
• Dear Customer Service Department

Can I get creative with my cover letter address?

There is no restriction on being creative with addressing a cover letter. It is essential to research and understand who your audience is and if he/she will appreciate your creativity.

For example, if you do something creative with your cover letter salutation to apply in a creative field, it will get the hiring manager's attention.

On the other hand, if you apply for a technical position, you might hold off from showing your creativity on the cover letter address.

Should a cover letter address the company location?

It is a traditional practice to include the company address in the cover letter. Primary because it is a formal document, it would be better to add the company address before starting your cover letter.

Should a cover letter header include the candidate's address?

The candidate's address is an essential part of the cover letter. If not the whole address, at least City, Country should be mentioned in the cover letter. Example:

• "Pine Bluff, AR"

This helps the hiring manager sort the candidates based on location.

Also, the Application Tracking Softwares sort the resumes and cover letters based on their locations. And if your location is not mentioned in the cover letter, it might get unnoticed by the ATS software.

Should a cover letter header, and resume header be the same?

Ideally, your cover letter header should be the name of the role you are applying for. And resume heading should be your current job title. For example, if you are currently working as a data analyst, your Resume headline should be something like:

• "Jr. Data Analyst."

And you are applying for a Data Scientist position, then your cover letter heading should be,

• "Data Scientist"

There is no hard and fast rule, but this is the approach we at Hiration follow, and it has been working for our clients.

You can also write the same heading for the cover letter and resume if you like. It has some added advantages. If the cover letter gets misplaced, it will be a lot easier to trace it back to the resume.

How to write the intro to a cover letter?

If you want to hook the hiring manager to read your cover letter, you need to write a professional intro explaining why you are applying and what role you are applying for.

You need to remember that hiring managers are often dealing with recruitment for more than one position. And it will help them if you specifically mention what role you are applying for.

Key Takeaways

With that, we have come to the end of this blog. By now, you should get all of your questions answered. But still, if you have any questions regarding how to address a cover letter and who to address a cover letter, let's go over the key takeaways of the blog:

• Do not send the cover letter without addressing someone.
• If you do not know who to address, call the company desk or go to LinkedIn to search the hiring manager's name.
• If you do not know the name, you can address the cover letter with "Dear Hiring Manager,"
• Alternatively, you can address the cover letter to the head of the department you are applying for. For example: "Dear Sr. Marketing Manager,"
• Make sure to use accurate professional and academic titles with the name of hiring managers.
• Do not use "To whom it may concern." It is old-fashioned and does not impress the hiring manager nowadays.

Go to Hiration career platform which has 24/7 chat support and get professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries. You can also write to us at [email protected] and we will make sure to reach out to you as soon as possible.

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