How to Address a Cover Letter (With or Without a Name)

Typically, here’s how to address a cover letter (but keep scrolling to find good alternatives for every other situation):

But how you should address your cover letter (and who you should address it to) depends on what information you have about the contact person and company you’re sending your job application to.

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about how to address your cover letter when you:

1. know the contact person’s name
2. don’t know the contact person’s name
3. send an email cover letter

1. How to address a cover letter with a name

Even if you know the contact person’s name, how you address your cover letter depends on whether:

• you know the contact person’s gender
• you don’t know the contact person’s gender
• your contact person has a special title

When you know the contact person’s gender

If you’re certain of the employer’s gender, use the title ‘Mr‘ or ‘Ms‘ in your greeting, followed by their last name and a comma:

‘Mr’ and ‘Ms’ are neutral titles that don’t have implications about a person’s marital status, so it’s fine to use them.

When addressing a woman, use ‘Ms’ instead of ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs’, unless they’ve used those titles in the job advert.

When you don’t know the contact person’s gender

Some employers have a gender-neutral name or are non-binary individuals. If you’ve done some research and still don’t know what title to use or aren’t certain of the contact person’s gender, then you can use the title ‘Mx‘. For example:

When the contact person has a special title

Some recruiters have specific professional titles, so it’s important to use the right title to show respect for their accomplishments. Below are examples of titles you may need to use when you address your cover letter:

Using ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’ on a cover letter

Successful business people often receive knighthoods or damehoods as recognition for their skills (think Sir Alan Sugar). Such business people use the titles ‘Sir’ (for men) or ‘Dame’ (for women).

In such cases, write ‘Dear [Sir/Dame] [First Name]‘. There’s no need to include their last name. Here are examples of how to address employers with a knighthood and a damehood:

Using medical titles to address a cover letter

If you’re applying for jobs in healthcare, check whether the contact person uses a specific title. If they use the abbreviation ‘Dr’ in their name, address your cover letter to them as ‘Dear Dr [Contact Person’s Name]‘.

Using academic titles in your cover letter salutation

If the employer is a university professor, use ‘Prof‘:

If they’re a lecturer or tutor with a doctorate (for example, a Ph.D), address them as ‘Dr‘ along with their name:

If they work in some other capacity and don’t have a doctorate, or you’re unsure which titles to include, address them as ‘Mr’, ‘Ms’, or ‘Mx’.

Using additional titles to start a cover letter

If the contact person holds another type of title, such as a military or religious title, use Google or LinkedIn to see whether they use these titles in your greeting. These are examples of how to address contacts with various titles:

2. How to address a cover letter without a name

When you respond to a job advert that doesn’t include a contact person, you should do all you can to find a name, as it adds a personalised touch that can help you connect with the employer right away. But if you really can’t find a name, you can still personalise your letter by using an alternative greeting:

Try to find the name

Here are some tips for finding a contact person’s name:

Search the company website: The ‘Company Directory’ or ‘About Us’ page may contain the employer’s contact details.

Do a targeted Google search: Find specific information by doing a Google site search of the company’s website. Add the position title in double quotation marks using this format:

site:companyname.com “job title”

So if you’re applying for a marketing job at a company named Camilla’s Curry, you could do a site search like this to find the marketing manager:

site:camillascurry.com “marketing manager”

Use LinkedIn: Type in the company’s name and change the filters for ‘location’, ‘job title’, and ‘people’ to see if you can find the person in charge of the hiring team.

Contact the company: Call or email the company and ask for the contact person’s name and work email address. Explain that you’re applying for a position and want to address the cover letter correctly. In addition to getting the contact’s information, the company will see that you’ve shown initiative and a genuine interest in the role.

Use a personalised alternative

When you’ve done the above research and still can’t find out the employer’s name, here are ways to address your cover letter professionally:

3. How to address an email cover letter

If the company asks you to write a cover letter in the body of an email, use the same greeting you would for a traditional cover letter (if you need to, jump back up to our advice on addressing a cover letter with a name or writing a greeting without a name).

Here’s an example of how to address an email cover letter:

How to format the addresses on your cover letter

To make an impactful cover letter, you need to use proper cover letter formatting. Here’s how to put your address and the company’s address on your cover letter:

1. Single space and right-align your contact information (your name, postal address, email, and phone number)
2. Add today’s date under the header and right-align it
3. Hit ‘Enter’ twice to add a paragraph break, and put the employer’s contact information in a left-aligned list
4. Hit ‘Enter’ twice and write your greeting

Here’s what it should look like:

To see how cover letter formatting differs by industry, look at industry-specific cover letter samples.

Frequently asked questions about addressing a cover letter

Below we answer three questions commonly asked about how to address a cover letter for a job:

1. How do you close a cover letter without a contact name?
2. What is a warm salutation?
3. What are the 5 general salutations for a cover letter?