Quick cover letter question

LadyM

What's the appropriate greeting on a cover letter when you don't know the specific person it's going to? I've looked on this company's website and they don't list anyone in the HR department. (It's a smallish company, so maybe they don't have a formal HR department?)

EggyToast

If you can dig a bit and find out who would actually be reviewing your application -- such as the head of the department -- then that would be best. If you cannot find a name or title, then using "Dear [company/division]" is as good as anything, in my opinion.

Esh

"To Whom It May Concern"

Terrendos

Yeah, if you can find out who would be interviewing you/talking to you about the job, then address it to him or her. If there's no clear HR department then it would probably be one of the managers of the area where you intend to work. If it's a smallish company as you say, that should be pretty obvious.

EDIT: "To Whom It May Concern" works too, but it sounds to me like I was too lazy to research the company. I'd only put that if I couldn't find any reasonable name.

Esh

Did you try calling and asking the name of who would be reading your letter?

VisionOfClarity

Just use To Whom it May Concern. Trust me, we don't give a shit as long as it is spelled correctly.

LadyM

Thanks for the input, everyone. In the end I went with To Whom It May Concern.

Figgy

I always call and ask the name of the person who receives resumes/cover letters, except one particular time the person on the phone said, "Well what does it say in the job posting?"

I said, "I just says to send it to human resources."

"Right, well maybe you should follow directions."

I didn't bother completing the application.

brain operator

LS

Stands for Lectori Salutem, Latin for "greetings to the reader".

Esh

brain operator wrote: »

LS

Stands for Lectori Salutem, Latin for "greetings to the reader".

...No. This is not something you should ever put on a cover letter.

Conroy Bumpas

i was allways taught to if i cound find the name of the person or evan the sex of the person to put

Dear Sir and end with yours faithfully

and if i could get there name yours sincerely

and to always start the corispondence with somthing like I am wrighting to you with refrence to...


i am in the UK so diffrent customs in diffrent places but i was told in my business class to not use To whom it may concern. and that one of the only times to use "To whom it may concern" would to be if the letter was intended to be passed on to another unknown party.

Esh

Conroy Bumpas wrote: »

i was allways taught to if i cound find the name of the person or evan the sex of the person to put

Dear Sir and end with yours faithfully

and if i could get there name yours sincerely

and to always start the corispondence with somthing like I am wrighting to you with refrence to...


i am in the UK so diffrent customs in diffrent places but i was told in my business class to not use to who it may consern

I'm assuming you meant "if I couldn't", but "Dear Sir" isn't a good idea in case the person hiring happens to be female.

As someone who has done quite a bit of hiring, To Whom It May Concern is just fine.

"Yours Faithfully" is a bit over the top as well. It might be different in the U.K., but I'd look at a resume really odd like if someone wrote that.