Pongo Resume

Dear Cover Letter Writer:

You probably think the greeting of your cover letter (the "Dear..." line) is pretty simple. After all, it has only four little parts:  the Dear, the Title (Mr., Ms., Dr., etc.), the Last Name, and the Colon [:]. How can you screw that up?

Ah, we have our ways. In fact, there are at least five common mistakes people make in their cover letter greetings, any of which might affect their chances of getting an interview. Are you guilty of any of these? 
 
Mistake #1:  Dear Miss DeVille:

Should be:    Dear Ms. DeVille:

WHY?  "Miss" and "Mrs." are archaic in business settings, because marital status is irrelevant. "Ms." is the business-appropriate way to address a woman – unless of course she’s earned a title such as Dr., Rev., Sgt., or Prof. Be sure to use Ms. (pronounced "miz") when speaking, too.

Mistake #2:  To Whom It May Concern:

Should be:    Dear Mr. or Ms. Lastname:

WHY?  "To Whom It May Concern" just sounds lazy and form-letterish. Check the company web site or make a phone call to find out who "Whom" is. Be the one who takes the extra step. It demonstrates your attention to detail.

Mistake #3.  Dear Sir or Madam:

Should be:    Dear Mr. or Ms. Lastname:

WHY?  Let’s see… "Dear Sir or Madam" is dated, stuffy, awkward, and has the same problem as "Whom." (And don’t EVEN get me started if you try just Dear Sir.) Get a name! If you really, truly can’t find the hiring party’s name, use their job title. It’s (marginally) better to say Dear Marketing Manager than Dear Sir or Madam.

Mistake #4.  Dear Steve,

Should be:    Dear Mr. Lastname:

WHY?  First names are too informal, unless you and "Steve" have already been corresponding and he has clearly set the standard of using first names only. A cover letter is a formal piece of business correspondence, so keep it formal until you've established a relationship. Many workplaces today are informal, and it's typical to move quickly to a first-name basis, but let "Steve" be the one to decide when.

Mistake #5.   Dear Mr. Radcliff:

Should be:    Wait a minute... this looks fine, right? 

WRONG! It would be fine, except the guy’s name is Radcliffe with an “e.” Some folks might not notice a typo like manger instead of manager (though most will), and hardly anybody will get miffed about a comma instead of a colon. But everybody knows when their name is misspelled. Proofread, proofread, proofread — especially the recipient's name.

Summary
In your cover letter greeting...
•  DO use this format:  Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. Lastname:
•  DON'T address women as Miss or Mrs. 
•  DON'T use a generic or gender-specific greeting (find a name).
•  DON'T use first names unless the employer sets the precedent.
•  DON'T misspell anyone's name!

Leave us a comment if you've got other cover letter bloopers to share!

RELATED LINKS
Write a Real Cover Letter, Not Just a Resume Rehash
3 Tips to Avoid a Boring, Self-Absorbed Cover Letter
6 Reasons You Won't Get Hired Without a Cover Letter
Good vs. Bad: Make the Best of Your Cover Letter

Very helpful. I’ve written “to whom it may concern” in the past – but it really seems dated now.

TRICK #1: If a job posting says "Position reports directly to Director of Operations," you can go to the company web site, find out who the Director of Operations is, and address your cover letter to that person.

TRICK #2: Check the e-mail recipient's name. If it says something like "Send resumes to jsmith@company.com," you can call the company's main number, use the voice mail directory to find out if the "j" in "jsmith" stands for John or Jane or Joseph or Julie :)

To: HR Recruiting Staff, XYZ Company Re: Sales Coordinator position (Reference No. 12345)

Greetings, I am very interested in …

While a salutation like “Greetings” (or "Good Day") is not ideal, I do like the fact that it sounds more personal than “To Whom…” and it eliminates the awkward gender issues of “Dear Sir or Madam” or “Dear Madam or Sir.”

If anybody has a better alternative, please post a comment!

If there's no way to contact the company, I've gone with "Dear Mr. or Ms. Smith:" in the past. It's not ideal, but it does the trick.

IT HELPED ME LAND A JOB.

All the best to you in your new position!!

In the case you describe, I'd address my cover letter like a memo:

ATTN: Hiring Manager for Customer Care Specialist Position

Then I'd use a salutation such as Greetings or Good Day. If the employer is "hip" enough to be advertising on craigslist, they are probably not going to be expecting old-fashioned business letter form.

But in the end, there's no definitive answer,so weigh the options and do what feels right for YOU and your brand.

And good luck! --Julie

What should I put after "Dear" in this case, bearing in mind that this is the first letter to this company:

To: Jxxxx Services Attn: Mr. Dave Sxxxx/ Chief Operating Officer Copy: Ms. Sara Mxxxx / Director of Marketing & Communications

Dear "?????"

Although I would spell out their names as written in the address portion of the cover letter, first names included, I would do the salutation with no first names:

Dear Mr. Sxxxx and Ms. Mxxxxx:

Until you have met them, and they have made it clear that they wish to be addressed on a first-name basis, stick with the formal Mr. and Ms.

And good luck with the job!

-- Julie

If I know the name of the person that will be supervising the position, and will be on the hiring committee, but don't know the names of the other two people who will be on the hiring committee, how would I pose my greeting?

Hmm. That's a tough one. I think I would approach it like this:

(We'll call the supervisor Ms. Brown.)

Dear Ms. Brown and Other Members of the Hiring Committee:

Another option might be to just say "Dear Ms. Brown:" and then say something in the cover letter like, "I hope that you will be kind enough to share this with the other members of the hiring committee, whose names I don't yet know."

GOOD LUCK!

Julie

P.S. Anybody else have an idea?

Dear Mr. or Ms. Smith:

or

Dear Chris Smith:

One concern about your advice - it has always been my understanding that Ms does not have a period at the end of it. I believe that this is because it's not actually short for anything so it does not require the period that would denote it as an abbreviation. Otherwise, very helpful advice! Thanks!

Oh, don't get me started....

So I knew you were correct that Ms is not an abbreviation for anything, which logically would mean no period is necessary. But in all my years of reading style guides and editorial rulebooks, I had never seen anything about this.

OK, I'm rambling. As far as I can tell, the term may have originated without punctuation, but soon our expectations and our need for consistency took over, and Ms. [with a period] became the standard. Even the journalistic pioneers at Ms. magazine decided to use the period.

At this point, it's probably safe to say that leaving off the period will look like an error to 99.9% of the population.

Thanks, I had fun researching that!

Julie

If the job ad says "position reports to Director of Blah-Blah," search the company's web site to see if you can find out the name of their Director of Blah-Blah.

If you can’t find it on the web site, call the company's main phone number. Ask for the name of the hiring manager for the position (with correct spelling title, and department). Or ask to be connected to the Blah-Blah Department, and see if they'll tell you the hiring manager's name. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. Only one way to find out!

IMPORTANT: You should always follow the employer's exact instructions for applying, so upload it online as instructed.

But if you CAN find the hiring manager's name, send a separate, personalized resume and cover letter. It's one way to stand out as someone who goes the extra mile.

Good luck,

Julie

Dear Mr. XXXX, and Mr. XXXX,

This would help me so much. I hate writing cover letters... :-) But this job might be the one and I am afraid of making a mistake. Your site is wonderful and so very helpful. Thank you so much.

Marie

Dear Mr. XXXX and Mr. XXXX, and Other Members of the Hiring Committee, ?? Help!! :-) Thank you.

Marie

Hi Marie, Thanks so much for the compliments! You are definitely on the right track with this greeting.

If you want to be very formal and proper, use the plural form of "Mr." which is "Mssrs." Like this:

Dear Mssrs. Smith and Jones, and Other Members of the Hiring Committee:

BTW, Mssrs. stands for "Messieurs" which is the French word for "Sirs," but it's also the official English way to address more than one man at a time.

If it's not a formal, traditional company, then I'd go with:

Dear Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones, and Other Members of the Hiring Committee:

And good luck with this job!!! Let us know how it goes.

~~Julie

Thank you, Vicki

Great question. You're right that some of the online sites don't allow for a cover letter, but many do. Sometimes it actually comes after the field where the resume goes, almost like an afterthought.

If there is definitely no field for uploading or pasting in a cover letter, then yes, it is appropriate to bundle it with the resume. However, I would probably add it AFTER the resume (since the resume is what they obviously are expecting; the cover letter is just a bonus in this case).

Also, I'd insert a clear separation, such as:

*** END OF RESUME; COVER LETTER FOLLOWS ***

Hope that helps!

Julie

In this case, I would probably e-mail the HR person and attach your cover letter and resume to the e-mail. Address the e-mail message to the HR person, and address the cover letter to your friend the hiring manager, using his or her first name (assuming that's how you typically address each other).

IN ADDITION, I would walk to the other department and hand the hiring manager your resume and cover letter. Let him or her know that you also sent your documents through the proper channels (via HR), but give a quick pitch such as, "I hope you'll consider me for this role because I really enjoy working with you and your team, and I think I could contribute a lot to the department."

You can use a slightly less formal tone in the cover letter than you would with a stranger.

Hope that helps... Julie

I understand that getting the greeting correct is very important. What should I do if I am applying to a job on theladders.com through a recruiter? Should the cover letter be addressed to the recruiter? Or does she pass it to somebody at the hiring firm?

Thanks,

Lake St.

Great question. I'll assume that you have no direct contact with the recruiter, because the simplest way to get the answer would be to ask.

Recruiters work for the employer, pre-screening candidates and presenting only the cream of the crop to the employer for interviews. So part of the recruiter's job is to present your credentials to the employer (as opposed to you presenting yourself directly). In fact, the recruiter may have a lot more information about the employer's expectations than the job ad would reveal. Therefore, I would suggest you address your cover letter to the recruiter, and highlight the points you feel will be most important for the recruiter to communicate to the employer on your behalf. And be as professional with the recruiter as you would with the employer.

Best of luck!

Julie

Yup, that is definitely a problem. We actually had a similar question above, and my suggestion was to address the cover letter like a memo.

For example: ATTN: Hiring Manager for Customer Care Specialist Position

Then follow with a salutation such as Greetings or Good Day.

Take care! Julie

The answer you gave Kim on July 12 2010, is very helpful for me as Im almost in the same situation as her. The director of my actual job was transfer to another hotel but within the same company, Im applying for a position in that new place and the hiring person is my ex director who knows me very well. You said you would use a slightly less formal tone in the cover letter than you would with a stranger. can you give me an example please?

You're lucky to have an interview with someone who knows you and your work history! That always makes the process easier.

What I meant by using a "less formal tone" in the cover letter is that you can address the person by his or her first name, and you can write the letter in a more casual, friendly style.

For example, instead of:

"During my three years at Hotel X, I was proud to lead a team of four people..."

You can be more conversational, such as:

"As you know, I had success leading the team at Hotel X for three years..."

You can include the same information, but acknowledge that this person already knows some of it, and write a more personalized letter than you'd write to a stranger.

Best of luck landing the job!

-- Julie

I feel addressing it as Dear FIRST NAME is quite informal, but i cannot FIND this persons last name on the website, or elsewhere. I have thought a more formal Dear Mister Patrick, but that just seems silly. Perhaps I should just write use the attn: hiring manager format?

If they put the person's first name in there, then go ahead and use it. The entertainment industry tends to be less formal, and companies that advertise on craigslist tend to be less formal, so go ahead with just Dear Patrick: (or whatever).

HOWEVER...

I also feel compelled to point out that craigslist tends to have a higher than average number of fake or scam job postings, so please be careful! Be sure you can research the company and confirm they're legit before you go meeting anyone in person.

The fact that they only list a first name raises a little bit of a red flag. Don't let your desire for a job lead you into a troublesome situation. Safety first!!!

Good luck,

Julie

Reason: Several members of my church work for this company and in fact are related to the CEO. However, I asked one of the wives of the employees if she knows the name of the HR person, and she told me the first name and that she will ask her husband her full name for me. I can see her next Sunday to hear the name.

I absolutely cannot wait until next Sunday as time is of the essence. The positions may be filled by then or at leat have too many applicants. is

"Jane from Human Resources" OK?

Or will she be mad because I don't "know her like that". or does "from" help to make things more formal? I mean Latin based last name have words like "de" and "du" meaning "from". I know I may be reaching hear.

Help!

Thanks so much.

Relax, it's fine to use just the first name if that's all you have. But first, I suggest you call the main number at the company, and say, "My friend [____] is an employee at your company, and suggested I send my resume to Jane in Human Resources. Would you be so kind as to tell me Jane's last name?"

Even if they say no (which I doubt), you're no worse off than you started!

One other thing, be sure to mention in your cover letter the name of the person who works there who referred you.

Best of luck!!

Julie

Thanks for sharing.

I am a Swede sending resumes to American firms. I often send open applications to a general HR e-mail address and I do lack a contact person. How should I introduce myself and end such a letter?

I got the following suggestion:

"Dear Sirs", "Yours faithfully"

"Dear Sir or Madam", "Yours faithfully" (however I believe you do not like this version, Julie...)

I send my cover letter as a regular e-mail and then I attach my resume as a pdf.

Any better suggestions?

I appreciate your help.

Kind regards,

David

Thanks for commenting! You are right that those two phrases are not good choices.

You should never use "Dear Sirs" because "Sirs" refers only to men, which makes you seem like a sexist who assumes the hiring manager could not possibly be a woman.

And "Yours faithfully" is overly formal for an American audience. I would suggest you use "Best regards," instead.

The best way to address a cover letter is by the name of the hiring manager. Here is a blog post that can help you do that:

http://www.pongoresume.com/blogPosts/659/how-to-find-a-name-for-your-cover-letter-greeting.cfm

I hope that helps. Best of luck in your job search!

Julie

I'd like to start a precident by addressing all of my cover letters with the opening: "Hey all you people"

I'm already exhausted from all the stuffiness of trying to fill out an application (with cover letter and resume)... Hope this brightens someone's day with a little humor.

Help please!

Cover letter writing for a lot of people is something new and at times difficult. Although I have nothing formal to mail over to you, we do have tons of articles and information related to cover letters within our blog section here on the web site. At the top of the page are all the related topics, one of which is 'cover letters', click on that link to get any information needed as it relates to cover letter writing.

If a recruiter asked me a follow up question by email after I sent my application, and I responded with Dear Miss, do u think l shoul send her an email saying I'm sorry I didnt use Ms.?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Elia