As if customizing your cover letters isn't enough, employers expect to be addressed by the right salutation?!
Yes, they do. It's not old-fashioned—it's regular courtesy. Recently, we heard from a recruiter who advised us that students need to learn how to address a prospective employer using acceptable salutations such as "Dr.," "Mr.," or "Ms." In a recent search for a candidate in which the recruiter gave her full name and title within the job posting, she received letters addressed with all kinds of salutations including "Mrs.,""Miss," "To whom it may concern," and "Sir or Madam."
Here are some simple rules you can review as you're writing a professional correspondence to a potential boss:
1. Whenever a name is given, use the name rather than a generic "Dear Hiring Manager."
2. If you know the person holds a doctorate, use the salutation "Dr."
Name: John Smith, Ph.D.
Your salutation should read "Dear Dr. Smith:"
3. If you know the person is a woman, but you don't know whether or not she holds a doctorate, use the salutation "Ms."
Name: Janine Jones
Your salutation should read "Dear Ms. Jones:"
4. Do not ever use Miss or Mrs. in business correspondence unless you know beyond a doubt that the person prefers that salutation. Both these salutations make assumptions about a woman's marital status, which presumably you don't know and isn't a factor in a work environment anyway. Many women find it offensive to be addressed as either in a business setting, so err on the side of caution and use "Ms." (or "Dr." if the person has Ph.D., Psy.D., Ed.D. or some other doctoral designation after her name).
5. If you know the person is a man, but you don't know whether he holds a doctorate, use the salutation "Mr."
Name: Kenneth Jones
Your salutation should read "Dear Mr. Jones:"
6. If you don't know what gender the person is, use both the first and last names.
Name: Pat Jones
Your salutation should read "Dear Pat Jones:"
Why? Men can be named Lynn, Tracy, and Marion (look up John Wayne's real name, for example) and Devon, Jamie and Morgan can be women. When in doubt, use both names.
7. If you have no name to address your correspondence to, AND you've tried without success to find one, address the letter to "Dear Hiring Manager,""Dear Internship Coordinator," or something like that. Don't use "Dear Sir or Madam," and definitely stay away from "Dear Sir."
8. Use a colon if you don't know the person; use a comma if you do. Also, triple check the spelling of the person's name.
Before you fire off any cover letter, whether email or paper, take advantage of your career center's resume and cover letter critiquing service. Good luck!