To Whom It May Concern
Do you still write “To Whom It May Concern: on your application email or cover letter? This is why you shouldn’t: Recruiters and hiring managers want to know that you are enthusiastic about the opportunity you are applying on and that you have taken the time to personalise your application for this specific job.
Instead of using the generic “To Whom It May Concern” you may want to try one of these instead:
- Dear [Name of Recruiter]
- Dear/Hello [Name of Person Who’d Be Your Boss] and you could also include their salutation (Me, Mrs, Dr, Prof, etc)
- Dear [Name of the Head of the Department for Which You’re Applying]
- Dear [Mr./Ms./Mrs./Miss] [Last Name]
- Dear [Mx] [Last Name] in case the recipient prefers a more gender-neutral pronoun
If there are no names available on the job listing, use these:
- Dear Recruiter/Hiring Manager
- Dear Recruiting Department
- Dear [Department]
- Dear [Job Title]
- Good afternoon
Research on LinkedIn or even the company website to personalize the greeting on your application.