To whom do I address my letter?
Summary:
"Writing Your Cover Letter" is a series of short documents that walks you through the creation of a cover letter. Here you can see the information in the "Quick Tips for Cover Letters" and "Preparing to Write a Cover Letter" pages put to use. This page guides you through adapting your experiences to the content in your cover letter and its different sections.
Contributors:Angie Olson, Allen Brizee
Last Edited: 2010-04-25 08:58:20
Whenever possible, address your letter to a specific individual, usually the person in charge of interviewing and hiring. Doing so will give you a greater chance of having your application packet read and not filed away automatically.
Here are some ideas on how to get the name of a specific person:
- Look in the job ad for the contact person.
- Call the company for more information.
- Research the company's website for the person in charge of the department you are applying to, or a person in Human Resources.
If you cannot find the name of that person, you may address your letter to a group. For example:
Dear Selection Committee:
If you find the name, but cannot decipher the gender of the person, you may greet that person using their full name instead of their last name. For example:
Dear Pat Thompson, (For Pat Thompson)
