Cover Letter Salutations With Examples of Greetings

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A thoughtful opening sets the tone of your cover letter, so it’s important to consider how to make a great first impression with your cover letter’s salutation.

We’ll show you the specifics plus several cover letter greeting examples so you start your own letter off smoothly.

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Our free-to-use cover letter builder can make you a cover letter in as little as 5 minutes. Just pick the template you want, and our software will format everything for you.

Your header is where you add your name, job title you’re applying for, and your personal information so the hiring manager can easily contact you. Check to make sure all of the information above your salutation is correct and follows the proper cover letter format, as in this example:

If you’re not sure how to format your cover letter, take a look at our wide range of cover letter samples.

2. Choose the best salutation for the hiring manager

Leave a blank space above and below the salutation, separating it from the header and the body of the letter.

The most professional salutation for every cover letter is “Dear.” Even an email cover letter should start with “Dear.”

Here’s how you should address the hiring manager in any situation:

When you don’t know the hiring manager’s name

If you don’t know the hiring manager’s name, try looking on the company website, LinkedIn, or Google.

If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, you can still write an effective salutation for your cover letter. Use information that is specific to the job opening to address your cover letter without a name, such as job title and department:

Examples of salutations when you don’t have a name

Dear Client Services Manager,
Dear Vice President of Business Development,
Dear Sales & Marketing Director,
Dear Hiring Manager,
Dear Human Resources Team,

When you know the hiring manager’s name

Using the hiring manager’s name in your cover letter salutation increases your chances of being invited for an interview, because it shows them you took the time to find their name.

You can use their full name, otherwise use Mr. or Ms. unless the job posting or company website shows another preference. Some hiring managers may use Mx. as a gender-neutral title, so be sure to follow their preferences if stated.

Examples of salutations when you know the name

Dear Mr. Tsai,
Dear Ms. Rodriguez,
Dear Eli Watson,
Dear Mx. Sanders,

Finally, if the hiring manager has an academic or professional title, use this in your cover letter greeting to show you’ve done your research:

Examples of salutations with academic or professional titles

Dear Dr. Al-Bassam,
Dear Lieutenant Pritchard,
Dear Professor Lin,
Dear Assoc. Prof. Barker,
Dear Pres. Jardyn,

When their gender is unknown

While it’s best to use titles in your cover letter salutation, gender-ambiguous names (such as Kerry) make this difficult. In these cases, your salutation should include their full name:

Examples of salutations when their gender is unknown

Dear Cameron Hill,
Dear Jay MacBride,
Dear Taylor O’Malley,
Dear Blake Liverly,

Regardless of gender, never address a hiring manager by their first name only — unless you already know the person. Unless your cover letter is written to fill an internal position “Dear Jeff” may be seen as disrespectful.

Cover letter greeting template

Here is a copy-and-paste cover letter greeting you can paste into your own word processor.

Cover letter salutations to avoid

There are certain cover letter greetings you should avoid because they’re too old-fashioned, impersonal, or casual.

Examples of salutations to avoid

Dear Sir or Madam,
To Whom it May Concern,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Hey/Hello,
Greetings,

Don’t forget to end your cover letter professionally. Write “Sincerely,” followed by a blank line, and then your name.

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The Resume Genius Team is a tight-knit crew of career coaches, hiring managers, and staff writers who are passionate about providing the best, most up-to-date career advice possible and helping job seekers land their dream jobs. Every article is reviewed by either Geoff Scott, Samuel Johns, Eva Chan, Corissa Peterson, or Dominique Vatin, our team of in-house Certified Professional Resume Writers. Resume Genius and its authors' career and resume advice have been featured in major publications such as CNBC, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.

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