To whom it may concern letter
I'll still read through their application and assess their qualifications for the role. “When a candidate addresses a cover letter or application out ‘to whom it may concern,’ it isn't a deal-breaker for me. We asked five professionals who work in recruiting, branding, and career coaching what they think when they see “to whom it may concern.” Kaitlyn Holbein, founder and principal consultant at The Employer Brand Shop If you’re addressing a cover letter or other business letter, but you have no idea who the reader will be, address it to the person or people you want to read your message, like Dear Hiring Manager or Dear InHerSight Team.ĥ recruiters and career experts on ‘to whom it may concern’ If a candidate is unsure of how they want to address the cover letter, I believe it’s always better to keep it to, ‘Dear Hiring Manager/Team.’” Alternatives to ‘to whom it may concern’ “On the opposite side of the fence for me,” Vasquez-Fedrizzi says, “I also appreciate keeping it as a gender-neutral salutation, as you can’t always know what someone’s pronoun is by looking at their photo. “While I do feel that a candidate should take the time to see if there is an HR/talent representative on the company website, there is the unknown of who the actual cover letter is going to, especially if the company is using an applicant tracking system.”īut, sometimes you just can’t find the recipient’s name, and you may not know the pronouns of the person who will be receiving your letter. “I am on the fence when it comes to ‘to whom it may concern,’” Lisa Vasquez-Fedrizzi, managing director of talent and HR advisory Cheer Partners, says. Yes, but this greeting can and should be used only as a last resort.
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Read more: How to End an Email That Gets Results Is it ever okay to use ‘to whom it may concern’?
If it's a very large company, go with ‘Dear Hiring Manager’ instead.” It's a nice touch to address someone by name, and please make sure to spell their name correctly. Sometimes it's on the posting, but if not, check the company website. It can just come off as lazy, and especially if you’re writing a cover letter, you need to show your potential employer that you’ve at least attempted to address the letter correctly.Ĭareer coach Alejandra Hernandez says this about the greeting: “I think it is unoriginal, old-fashioned, and, to sum it up in one word: ‘meh.’ Do a little extra work and search for the hiring manager's name. Hope this ends up in front of the right person! To whom it may concern really reads this way: I have no idea who I’m writing to.
Why ‘to whom it may concern’ doesn’t always work
To whom it may concern is a letter or email greeting used when the sender doesn’t know who will be receiving the message.īut it’s 2020, and it’s pretty easy to figure out who will be reading your email or letter or message, whether it's the hiring manager or a future mentor or a coworker (please, know your coworker's names).Īnd even if you don’t know the name of the person you’re writing to, or if you’re writing to more than one person, there is nearly always a better way to address your letter. Image courtesy of Cathryn Lavery Should you use ‘to whom it may concern’?