Cover letter · Published October 10, 2026
Use a verified person's name when relevant; otherwise address the hiring manager, recruiting team, or role team plainly. Never invent a name or title.
Use “Dear [Full Name],” when a relevant contact is clearly identified and you can verify the spelling. If you cannot, “Dear Hiring Manager,” “Dear [Function] Hiring Team,” or “Dear Recruiting Team,” is professional. “Hello [Name/Team],” can suit a less formal organization. Avoid guessing the manager from an org chart, assuming an honorific, or using “To Whom It May Concern” when a more specific role-based greeting is available.
The salutation needs to be correct and respectful. It does not need to prove that you performed detective work. The evidence in the letter matters far more.
Use the VERIFIED greeting ladder
Move down only as certainty decreases.
- Named contact in the posting or application instructions.
- Verified recruiter or hiring lead who has contacted you.
- Specific team: “Dear Data Platform Hiring Team.”
- Role-based manager: “Dear Hiring Manager.”
- Recruiting team when ownership is unclear.
| Evidence | Use | Avoid | |---|---|---| | Posting says “Questions to Dr. Ruiz” | Appropriate title/name if clearly the recipient | Assuming that person makes the hiring decision | | Recruiter email signature | Their chosen name and formality | Copying a different profile name | | Only an org chart | Team greeting | Guessing one of several managers |
Accuracy is personalization. Guessing is not.
Verify names without intrusive research
Check the live posting, legitimate recruiter email, employer careers page, and the application system. A company team's public page can help, but job ownership may have changed. Do not message employees merely to ask who should appear after “Dear.”
Use the person's current spelling, diacritics, and professional title. When you do not know someone's preferred honorific, a full name avoids assumptions: “Dear Alex Morgan,”. In medical, academic, diplomatic, or legal settings, a verified professional title may be expected; follow the local convention.
Do not use first names if the culture or sector strongly favors formal address. Do not import U.S. informality into every market. A neutral team greeting is safer than incorrect intimacy.
Worked example: three plausible managers
Rosa applies to a content-design role. LinkedIn shows a Head of Design, a Design Operations Manager, and a recruiter who recently joined. None is named in the posting, and the application uses a central portal.
Instead of guessing, Rosa writes “Dear Content Design Hiring Team,”. Her first paragraph identifies the exact job and connects her information-architecture work to the product. The greeting is accurate even if several people review the letter.
Later, recruiter Sam Lee emails to schedule a call and requests an updated letter. Rosa can now use “Dear Sam Lee,” or address the hiring manager if Sam names them. Personalization improves when evidence improves; it is not manufactured upfront.
Avoid greetings that create avoidable friction
“Dear Sir or Madam” assumes a binary framing and feels distant. “To Whom It May Concern” is broad when the function is known. “Hey!” may be too casual. “Dear Sirs” is outdated for most contexts. A misspelled name is worse than a correct neutral greeting.
- Do not use placeholders such as “[Hiring Manager Name].”
- Do not repeat the recipient's full address unless the format requires it.
- Match the letter tone to the employer while remaining professional.
- Use a colon or comma consistently with local convention.
- If no salutation is customary in an email form, a clear opening can work.
- Proofread company, role, and recipient together.
The goal is a clean entry into the substance.
Spend personalization effort where it pays
After a two-minute verification pass, stop. Use the saved time to understand the employer's work, select evidence, and explain a specific connection. A perfect greeting followed by generic praise is not a tailored letter.
CareerOneStop recommends addressing a cover letter to a person when possible and researching the organization. “When possible” leaves room for honest uncertainty. A role-based greeting is not a failure; false confidence is.
Keep a final checklist: correct recipient, exact job title, employer spelling, evidence consistency, and working links. Those errors affect trust more than whether you chose “Hello” or “Dear.”
Sources and scope
- CareerOneStop: Cover letters — Guidance on when a cover letter adds value and what its core sections should accomplish.
- CareerOneStop: Job search — A U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored map of job-search planning, applications, networking, interviews, and offers.
- U.S. Department of Labor: Resume Essentials Participant Guide (2026) — Current workbook covering targeted resumes, evidence, transferable skills, and special career situations.
Greeting conventions vary by language, country, sector, and organization. This hierarchy favors verifiable identity and neutral role-based address; local instructions take priority. Editorial review: September 6, 2026.
Take the next useful step
Spend two minutes checking the posting and legitimate correspondence; if no relevant person is verified, use the most specific accurate team greeting and move to the evidence.
- AI Cover Letter Generator From Job Description
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Questions readers usually ask
Is ‘Dear Hiring Manager’ acceptable?
Yes. It is accurate and professional when the person's name is not reliably known.
Should I use Mr., Ms., or Mrs.?
Only when the person's preferred title is clear and the context calls for it. A full name avoids unsupported assumptions.
Can I write ‘Hello’ instead of ‘Dear’?
Yes in many contemporary workplaces. Match the employer's tone while remaining professional.
Should I call the company to get a name?
Usually not solely for a salutation. Use available legitimate sources and a team greeting when ownership is unclear.