| April 29, 2010 | Posted By: Trevor Wilson | Category: Cover Letters |
Under no circumstances should you use “To Whom It May Concern” in a cover letter. Ever. It reeks of “form letter” to anyone who reads it.
But that being said, not doing so can leave you in an interesting predicament. How do you personalize a cover letter if no contact information is provided?
This is where The Talent Buzz comes in. I was reading Is “To whom it may concern” the kiss of death? the other day and it’s a great resource for anyone who has run into this problem. The entire article offers tips and advice on what you can do to track down a contact name and what you should resort to if you are unsuccessful.
My favorite?
2. Call the company
If a job posting does not list a contact name, call the company. Yes, it really is that simple. Call the main number listed for the company and ask for the name of its corporate recruiter or hiring manager. Or, call and say you were wondering who manages the position to which you’re applying. That way, your materials get sent directly to the person who needs to see them.
This is a great read for anyone currently looking for work.
Enjoy!
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This sounds like interesting advice, but what of the companies that request no phone calls in their posting, or the occasional blind ad? Are you specifically against “To Whom it May Concern” or does any generic salutation irk you. Would a “Hello Hiring Manager” also fall under the never umbrella?
I prefer the “Hiring Manager” line to the “To Whom It May Concern”. I recognize that you can’t always get a name to address it to, but I would still try to tailor the letter as much as possible in any case (instead of the generic line).
One trick is to call the receptionist as ask for a name to address the cover letter to. It may not work, but it’s worth a shot.
This sounds like interesting advice, but what of the companies that request no phone calls in their posting, or the occasional blind ad? Are you specifically against “To Whom it May Concern” or does any generic salutation irk you. Would a “Hello Hiring Manager” also fall under the never umbrella?
+1
I prefer “Dear Hiring Manager” over “To Whom It May Concern” because it’s less cliche.
just tried the advice, called the institution’s main contact no. and she gave me the name of the dir. of the HR dept. thnks for the advice!
Awesome! Glad to hear it!
What if you are replying to an ad posted by a recruiting firm? In that case thre is no company to call.
Tougher situation. You can try calling the firm’s main line and see if you can get someone from there. Ultimately though, these are tougher nuts to crack…