Starting your cover letter with ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ is off-putting to some employers. Here’s why the greeting is unpopular, plus several alternatives you can use instead.
Should I use ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ in a cover letter or email?
No, you shouldn’t use ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ to start a cover letter or email.
The greeting ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ is inappropriate to use when writing an email or a cover letter for the following three reasons:
1. ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ lacks effort
Traditionally, you’d use ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ to address a contact person whose name, gender, and title you didn’t know.
But Google and social media have made it much easier to find out who the contact person is before you write. The greeting ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ makes it sound like you haven’t bothered to do your research.
And if you’re writing a cover letter for a job, using ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ may suggest to employers that you’re sending out the same application to multiple positions.
2. ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ is outdated and overly formal
Greetings like ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ or ‘To Whom It May Concern’ are rarely used in business letters today. Using these salutations makes your writing appear awkward and may make employers think you’re not up-to-date with modern job search practices.
3. ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ isn’t gender inclusive
Not all contact people identify with the gendered terms ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’. Assuming someone’s gender might cause offence and make a bad first impression.
Using a gendered greeting on your cover letter might even hurt your chances of getting the job.
Instead, try starting a cover letter or email with the gender-neutral salutation [Mx] followed by their given name or surname.
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Dear Sir or Madam Alternatives
If you’re wondering how to address a cover letter, business letter, or email in a way that encourages employers to continue reading your application, look no further.
Here are some alternative greetings to help you learn how to write a cover letter smoothly and appropriately address a company’s contact person:
- Dear Ms Harrison,
- Dear Dame Abbey,
This is how to address an employer with an academic or professional title:
- Dear Prof. Levitt,
- Dear Dr Mischenko,
If you can’t find a name, you can use a job title instead:
- Dear Hiring Manager,
- Dear Marketing Director,
Examples of Better Cover Letter Greetings
Whether you’re applying for a job or contacting a potential business partner or customer, greeting them correctly will make a better first impression and encourage them to read your letter or email more carefully.
Below are four examples of email and cover letter introductions that use alternative greetings instead of ‘Dear Sir/Madam’.
1. First, have a look at this email cover letter example for a UX researcher role:
2. Here’s another example of a cover letter greeting that directly addresses the contact person using the gender-neutral title [Mx] along with their surname:
3. This cover letter example starts by politely greeting the entire recruitment team:
4. In this example, the applicant addresses the hiring team by the position they are hiring for:
