How and When to Use To Whom It May Concern
How and When to Use “To Whom It May Concern”. “To Whom It May Concern” is a letter salutation that has traditionally been used in business. Before you use “To Whom It May Concern,” consider alternative letter greetings, such as “Greetings” or “Dear Hiring Manager.”
Do your best to find a contact person; doing so will increase the likelihood that your letter or email will be read and acknowledged. The first letter in each word is capitalized and the phrase is followed by a colon.
How To Use “To Whom It May Concern”
It is also appropriate to use “To Whom It May Concern” when you are sending an inquiry (also known as a prospecting letter or letter of interest) but don’t have the details of a contact person.
When addressing a letter with “To Whom It May Concern,” the first letter of each word is typically capitalized, and the phrase is followed by a colon: To Whom It May Concern.
When should you use the term?
It can be used at the beginning of a letter, email, or other form of communication when you are unsure of who will be reading it. This might happen at many points in your job search. For example, you might be sending a cover letter, letter of recommendation, or other job search materials to someone whose name you do not know.
What to Write Instead of “To Whom It May Concern”
1. Dear [Name of Department for Which You’re Applying]
Along the same lines, if you can’t find the name of a department head, you can go ahead and address your letter to the team or department. For example, you could say “Dear Sales Department” or “Hello Product Team.”
2. Dear Recruiter/Hiring Manager
Another option is to address your letter more generically to the recruiter or hiring manager by using those titles, i.e. “Dear Recruiter” or “Dear Hiring Manager.”
3. Dear [Name of Recruiter]
Now, if you’re determined to write to a specific person but have given up on finding the manager or department head, there’s still hope! If you can zero in on the recruiter or talent acquisition specialist (or the head of recruiting), you can address your letter to them.
4. Dear [Role for Which You’re Applying] Search Committee/Hiring Manager/Hiring Team
But even then, you might want to be a little more specific by incorporating the role you’re applying for into the salutation. For example, you might say “Dear Account Executive Search Committee”. At the very least, you’re showing that you know what role you’re applying for and that you’ve done some amount of tailoring of your application
5. Dear/Hello [Name of Person Who’d Be Your Boss]
The best thing you can do for yourself when addressing your cover letter is figure out who the person filling the open role would report to—i.e. your potential future boss. Do some research and see if you can infer who it is, or if you happen to have a connection at the company, ask them!
6. Dear [Recruiting Team or Department Name]
But if you can’t figure out a name there, you can also address the team—just take a few minutes to look up what exactly this particular company calls it. You’ll end up with something like “Dear Recruiting Department” or “Dear Talent Acquisition Team.”
When To Use “To Whom It May Concern”
1. Check the Company Website
You can look on the company website for the name of the person in the position you are trying to contact. You can often find this in the “About Us,” “Staff,” or “Contact Us” sections. If you cannot find the name on the website, try to find the right person on LinkedIn.
2. Check the Job Listing
There are several ways to discover the name of the person you are contacting. If you are applying for a job, the name of the employer or hiring manager may be on the job listing. However, that is not always the case. Many employers don’t list a contact person because they may not want direct inquiries from job seekers.
3. Look for a Contact Person
You can also try to ascertain the name of the specific person to whom you are writing. For example, if you are writing a cover letter for a job application and do not know the name of the employer or hiring manager, do your best to find out. If you’re writing a business letter, it will more likely be read if you address it to a specific person at the company.
4. Ask the Employer
Another option is to call the office and ask the administrative assistant for advice. For example, you might explain that you are applying for a job and would like to know the name of the hiring manager.
Alternative Greetings To Use instead of To Whom It May Concern
It is considered outdated, especially when writing cover letters for jobs. Here are better alternatives you can use for letter salutations:
- Dear Human Resources Representative.
- Dear Human Resources Team.
- Dear [Department] Name.
- Dear Recruiting Team.
- Dear Talent Acquisition Team.
- Dear Customer Service Manager.
- Re: (Topic of Letter)
- Dear [Department] Manager
- Dear Personnel Manager
- Greetings
- Hello.
- Dear Hiring Committee.
- Dear Hiring Manager
- Dear Hiring Team.
- Dear [Department] Team
- Dear HR Manager
- Dear Search Committee.
- Dear Recruiter.
- Dear Recruiting Manager.
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