Cover letter guide

How to address the hiring manager.

A cover letter with the recipient's name on it gets read more carefully than one that starts with "Dear Sir/Madam". But finding the name isn't always possible, and using the wrong name is worse than using none. This guide explains when to look, what to look for, and what to do when you can't find it.

By Advoke CV Editorial Team Published: January 2025 Reading time: ~3 minutes

1. Why it matters

A named salutation signals that you've taken the time to look. It reads as a personal letter rather than a mass application. On average, it earns slightly more attention from the reader. It's not a magic trick, but it's a real signal.

That said, using the wrong name is worse than using no name at all. If you're guessing, don't guess.

2. Where to look

In rough order of reliability:

  1. The job posting itself. Some postings say "reporting to [Name]" or "contact [Name]".
  2. The company's careers page. Sometimes lists the hiring team.
  3. LinkedIn. Search the company + job title, then look at who might be the hiring manager (usually the head of the relevant team or the specific team lead).
  4. People you know at the company. A mutual connection can often tell you who's running the search.
  5. The company's website "team" page. Some small companies list the whole team.

3. When not to guess

If you can't find a confident answer, don't guess. Guessing produces letters like "Dear Sana" addressed to a company where nobody named Sana works. This reads worse than a generic salutation because it reveals that the writer didn't actually verify.

You also shouldn't assume that the head of the department is the hiring manager. In many companies the hiring manager is a specific team lead, not the department head.

4. Alternatives when you can't find a name

Use a professional alternative — none of these are wrong, and all are clearly better than a fabricated name:

  • "Dear Hiring Manager" — standard, professional, widely accepted.
  • "Dear Hiring Team" — appropriate when the role reports to a team rather than a single person.
  • "Dear [Department] Team" — e.g. "Dear Engineering Team", "Dear Marketing Team".
  • Role-specific: "Dear Product Team Lead" if the posting makes that clear.

Avoid:

  • "To Whom It May Concern" — dated and impersonal; many readers interpret it as lazy.
  • "Dear Sir/Madam" — similarly dated, and assumes the recipient is one of two categories.
  • "Hello" without a name — informal for a formal application.
  • "Hi there" — too casual.

5. Format

Use "Dear [First Name] [Last Name]," followed by a comma (or colon in very formal US contexts). "Dear Ms. Rahman," or "Dear Mr. Iqbal," is also fine when you know the person's title preference. If you don't know the title preference, use the full name.

Avoid "Dear [First name only]" unless the company culture is clearly informal (e.g. an early-stage startup) and you've confirmed that.

6. Final checklist

  • If you have a name, is it verified from a reliable source?
  • If you don't have a name, have you used a professional alternative?
  • Have you avoided "To Whom It May Concern" and "Dear Sir/Madam"?
  • Is the salutation punctuated consistently with the rest of the letter?