Cover Letter Salutations

December 2, 2011 9:59 PM | Permalink

The salutation in your cover letter should always avoid sexist greetings - and try to avoid stilted greetings, such as “Dear Madam or Sir.” If you don’t know the name of your intended recipient (and you should always at least TRY to find out):

address the cover letter to “Dear Hiring Manager for “XYZ” Position (where XYZ is replaced with the name of the position);

address the cover letter to “Dear Friends” - though some find that too informal;

don’t include a salutation; instead simply put “Re: Job XYZ” (where XYZ is replaced with the job listing code or name).

You can find other cover letter advice at our Cover Letter Do’s and Don’ts and in Dynamic Cover Letters (Ten Speed Press), which has helped more than a hundred thousand job-seekers with their cover letters.