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The most traditional way to address a cover letter is to use the person鈥檚 first and last name, including 鈥淢r.鈥� or 鈥淢s.鈥� (for example, 鈥淒ear Ms. Jane Smith鈥� or just 鈥淒ear Ms. Smith鈥�). If you know for sure that the company or industry is more casual, you can drop the title and last name (鈥淒ear Jane鈥�). And if you鈥檙e not 100% positive whether to use 鈥淢r.鈥� or 鈥淢s.鈥� based on the name and some Googling, definitely skip the title.
Never use generic salutations like 鈥淭o Whom It May Concern鈥� or 鈥淒ear Sir or Madam鈥�. If you can鈥檛 figure out the specific hiring manager鈥檚 name, try addressing your cover letter to the head of the department for the role you鈥檙e applying for. Or if you honestly can鈥檛 find a single real person to address your letter to, aim for something that鈥檚 still somewhat specific, like 鈥淧ublic Health Hiring Manager鈥� or 鈥淧ublic Health Account Executive Search Committee.鈥�
You could go with something simple like, 鈥淚 am excited to apply for [job] with [Company].鈥� But consider introducing yourself with a聽 first sentence that highlights your excitement about the company/organization you鈥檙e applying to, your passion for the work you do, or your past accomplishments.
A super common pitfall many job seekers fall into is to use their cover letter to regurgitate what鈥檚 on their resume. Don鈥檛 simply repeat yourself.聽 Instead, expand on those bullet points to paint a fuller picture of your experiences and accomplishments, and show off why you鈥檇 be perfect for the job and the company.
Having trouble figuring out how to do this? Try asking yourself these questions:
Another common cover letter mistake? Talking about how great the position would be for you and your resume. Frankly, hiring managers are aware of that鈥攚hat they really want to know is what you鈥檙e going to bring to the position and company. Try to identify the Job requirements and need鈥攖he problem or problems that they need the person they hire to solve. Then emphasize the skills and experience you have that make you the right person to solve them.
Not sure what skills and experiences you should be featuring? Typically the most important requirements for the position will be listed first in the job description, or mentioned more than once. You鈥檒l want to make sure you describe how you can deliver on those key priorities.
Another trick: Drop the text of the job description into a word cloud tool like , and see what stands out. That鈥檚 what the hiring manager is looking for most.
When you know you have the potential to do the job鈥攂ut your past experience doesn鈥檛 straightforwardly sell you as the perfect person for the position鈥攖ry focusing on your skills instead.
It鈥檚 tempting to treat the final lines of your cover letter as a throwaway: 鈥淚 look forward to hearing from you.鈥� But your closing paragraph is your last chance to emphasize your enthusiasm for the company or how you鈥檇 be a great fit for the position.