FresumeThe greeting is the first line a hiring manager reads, and it sets the tone before your first real sentence lands. Address the letter to the right person and you look like someone who did the homework; get it wrong — or fall back on a tired “To Whom It May Concern,” — and you start on the back foot. This guide shows exactly who to address a cover letter to, how to find their name, and which greeting to use in every common situation.
None of it takes long. A five-minute search usually turns up a name, and when it genuinely doesn’t, a clean role-based greeting keeps the letter professional. Here is how to get it right.
How do you address a cover letter?
Address a cover letter to the hiring manager by name whenever you can find it — for example, “Dear Ms. Rivera,” or “Dear Dr. Okafor,”. Check the job posting, the company’s website, and LinkedIn first. When no name is findable, use a role-based greeting like “Dear Hiring Team,” or “Dear Marketing Hiring Manager,”. Avoid the dated “To Whom It May Concern,”.
The order of preference is simple: a specific person’s name first, a role- or team-based greeting second, and impersonal fillers not at all. A named greeting signals that you researched the company rather than blasting the same letter everywhere, and it is the single easiest way to make a strong first impression. For the full letter around it — opening, proof, and close — see our guide on how to write a cover letter.
How do you find the hiring manager’s name?
Most of the time the name is one short search away. Work through these sources in order and stop as soon as you have a confident answer:
- Read the job posting and email closely. The recruiter or hiring manager is sometimes named in the listing itself, the contact address, or the signature of any email you have already received.
- Check the company website. Team, About, and Leadership pages often list the head of the department you would report to.
- Search LinkedIn. Look up the company, then filter by a title such as “recruiter,” “talent,” or the department lead — for a marketing role, the Marketing Director is a good guess.
- Ask directly. A quick, polite email or call to the company’s front desk or HR — “Who should I address my application to?” — is completely normal and often works.
- Use your network. Anyone you know at the company can usually tell you who owns the role in a single message.
Tip: Confirm the spelling before you commit it to the greeting. A misspelled name is worse than no name at all, so copy it directly from LinkedIn or the company site rather than typing it from memory.
What greeting should you use for each situation?
Once you know how much you can find out, match the greeting to your situation. Use this table as a quick reference.
| Your situation | Greeting to use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| You have the full name | “Dear Ms. Rivera,” or “Dear Alex Rivera,” | The safest and strongest option. |
| Name found, gender unclear | “Dear Alex Rivera,” | Use the full name and drop the courtesy title. |
| The person holds a professional title | “Dear Dr. Okafor,” or “Dear Prof. Lin,” | Use earned titles (Dr., Prof.) over Mr./Ms. |
| Only the department is known | “Dear Marketing Hiring Team,” | Name the team so it still feels targeted. |
| You have the recruiter’s name only | “Dear Ms. Chen,” | Addressing the recruiter is perfectly fine. |
| No name is findable | “Dear Hiring Team,” | A clean, modern fallback. |
When is “Dear Hiring Manager” acceptable?
“Dear Hiring Manager,” is an acceptable fallback when you have genuinely searched and cannot find a name — for large companies, blind listings, or roles routed through a shared inbox. It is neutral and professional, if a little generic. What you should retire completely is “To Whom It May Concern,” and “Dear Sir or Madam,”: the first reads as dated, and the second guesses at a gender you have no reason to assume.
| Greeting | Use it? |
|---|---|
| “Dear Ms. Rivera,” | Best — a real name. |
| “Dear Marketing Hiring Team,” | Good — targeted and personal. |
| “Dear Hiring Manager,” | Acceptable — a safe last resort. |
| “Dear Hiring Team,” | Acceptable — modern and warm. |
| “To Whom It May Concern,” | Avoid — dated and impersonal. |
| “Dear Sir or Madam,” | Avoid — assumes gender. |
Should you use Mr., Ms., or Dr. in the greeting?
Use a courtesy title only when you are sure it is correct. “Dr.” and “Prof.” are safe when the person clearly holds that title, but “Mr.” and “Ms.” assume a gender that a name alone doesn’t always reveal. When you can’t be certain, skip the title and use the person’s full name — “Dear Taylor Morgan,” — which is always correct and never risks the wrong assumption. It is a small choice, but guessing wrong on a title is exactly the kind of avoidable slip that colors how a reader sees the rest of the letter.
How do you address a cover letter by email vs. upload?
The greeting itself stays the same; what changes is the block above it. For a formal letter you upload as a PDF, include the full business-letter header — your details, the date, and the employer’s name and address — then the greeting. When you apply by pasting the letter into an email body, drop the address block entirely, open with the greeting, and let the subject line carry the role and your name.
| Uploaded PDF | Letter in the email body | |
|---|---|---|
| Address block | Full header with date and employer address | Skip it; start at the greeting |
| Greeting | “Dear Ms. Rivera,” | “Dear Ms. Rivera,” (identical) |
| Subject line | Matches the portal’s fields | “Application: [Role] — [Your Name]” |
Our cover letter format guide covers the full header, spacing, and margins for both cases.
What are the most common mistakes when addressing a cover letter?
A few avoidable slips undo an otherwise strong greeting. Watch for these:
- Misspelling the name. Copy it from LinkedIn or the company site; never type it from memory.
- Defaulting to “To Whom It May Concern,” before you have even looked for a name.
- Guessing “Mr.” or “Ms.” on a gender-neutral name instead of using the full name.
- Leaving a previous company’s contact name in after copy-pasting an old letter.
- Using a casual “Hi there,” or “Hey,” for a formal application.
- Writing a stiff, comma-free “Dear Sir,” that reads as generic.
For the errors that sink the rest of the letter, see our roundup of cover letter mistakes.
How can Fresume help you address your cover letter?
Fresume takes the guesswork out of the whole letter, not just the greeting. The cover letter generator drafts a tailored letter from your resume and a job posting — you add the hiring manager’s name and edit it into your own voice. For the structure around the greeting, the cover letter format guide covers the header, spacing, and sign-off, and our library of cover letter examples shows finished letters by job title. Prefer to start from a ready layout? Begin with a cover letter template.
It is all part of one workflow: a free ATS resume checker that scores your resume against a pasted job description, a resume builder with 50+ ATS-friendly designs, and a Chrome extension that autofills applications on LinkedIn, Indeed, Workday, and Greenhouse. The core tools are free, and Premium is $17.49 a month with a $2.95 seven-day trial. Get the greeting right, keep the letter tailored, and every application you send will read like it was written for the person opening it.
Frequently asked questions
01Who should you address a cover letter to?
Address it to the hiring manager or recruiter who owns the role, by name whenever you can find it — “Dear Ms. Rivera,”. Check the job posting, the company’s website, and LinkedIn. If no name turns up after a genuine search, a role-based greeting like “Dear Hiring Team,” is the right fallback.
02Is “To Whom It May Concern” still okay on a cover letter?
No. It reads as dated and impersonal, and it signals you didn’t look for a name. If you truly can’t find one, use “Dear Hiring Manager,” or “Dear Hiring Team,” instead — both are neutral, professional, and current.
03How do you address a cover letter without a name?
Use a role- or team-based greeting: “Dear Hiring Team,” “Dear Hiring Manager,” or “Dear [Department] Team,”. These stay professional while still feeling aimed at a real group, unlike the impersonal “To Whom It May Concern,”.
04How do you find the hiring manager’s name?
Check the job posting and any email first, then the company’s Team or About page, then LinkedIn (search the company plus a title like “recruiter” or the department head). If that fails, a short, polite email or call to the company usually gets you an answer.
05Should you use “Mr.” or “Ms.” if you’re not sure of the person’s gender?
No. When a name is gender-neutral or you’re unsure, drop the courtesy title and use the full name — “Dear Taylor Morgan,”. It is always correct and avoids a wrong assumption. Reserve “Dr.” or “Prof.” for people who clearly hold those titles.
06How do you address a cover letter sent by email?
Skip the formal address block and open directly with the greeting, exactly as you would in an uploaded letter — “Dear Ms. Rivera,”. Put the role and your name in the subject line, and keep the email itself short if you’re also attaching a PDF.