How to Address a Cover Letter

Hi friend,

Let’s talk about addressing your cover letter. This is the single most impactful area when customizing your cover letter; it makes everything you say after that feel more personal. When people include cover letters with their application (most people don’t unless it’s required, but this varies by job), very few customize who the it is addressed to, so this is an easy way to make your cover letter stand out.

First up— how not to address your cover letter:

• Don’t address your cover letter to “Dear Sir or Madam”. Not only is it impersonal, but hello to all our non-binary, gender non-conforming, and marginalized gender friends!

• Don’t address your cover letter to “Whom It May Concern”. Nothing interesting ever came after this phrase.

Next up— six ways to find and address your cover letter to the right person, in order from best to worst option (but still better than the above options):

• The Hiring Manager’s or Recruiter’s Name 

  • If you’re wondering how to find a hiring manager’s name, this is occasionally listed on a job description, but more likely to be discoverable on LinkedIn based on who listed or is promoting the opening, or by asking someone at the organization who you know. If you don’t know anyone and it’s a small organization, you could also call the main line and ask.

• The Manager’s Name

  • Often job descriptions state who the role will report to (usually by title). Look them up on the company website or LinkedIn.

• The Team Name

  • This is almost always listed on the job posting except in very small organizations or for unusual roles.

• A Recruiter, Talent Acquisition Manager, or Human Resources Employee’s Name

  • Use reasonable judgement, such as picking someone associated with the location you are applying to, or someone whose responsibilities include hiring.

• If the company is less than 30 people, the Founder/CEO’s or COO/CTO’s Name

  • At this size, they still ought to be intimately involved in hiring.

• If all else fails- the Company’s Name

  • Unlikely, but sometimes there’s a deadline or the baby’s screaming and you can’t spend 20 minutes searching on LinkedIn.

It does not matter that you get this exactly right, unless you very clearly did not read the job description. Odds are, if you used good judgement, the person reading your cover letter will know the person it’s addressed to. Names we know jump out at us, and very few people bother to customize the cover letter salutation.

Got it? Check out my blog about how to start your cover letter next, for help writing a great opening paragraph.

Bonus: How do I address a cover letter to someone when I don’t know their gender?

I usually start my cover letters with the first name only (“Hi Sara,”), but if someone hasn’t explicitly shared their pronouns and you want to address them formally, skip the title and use their full name:

No: Dear Mrs. Justice,

No: Dear Ms. Justice,

Yes: Dear Karissa Justice,

Happy Monday!

Karissa