Dear Hiring manager,

To Whom It May Concern — When to Use It and What to Write Instead

Quick answer

'To Whom It May Concern' is the most generic salutation in business writing. It is not wrong — but in 2026 job applications, it signals that you made no effort to identify your reader. Career counselors and recruiters consistently rank it below 'Dear Hiring Manager' and far below a named greeting. Reserve it for situations where you truly have zero information: paper applications to a physical address, legal correspondence, or reference letters where the writer does not know the recipient. For digital job applications, almost any other professional salutation is stronger.

When “To Whom It May Concern” is acceptable

Use for formal reference letters written by former employers who do not know who will read the letter. Acceptable for hard-copy applications to a generic company address when no careers portal or contact exists. Some academic and government forms still expect this phrasing.

When to avoid this salutation

Do not use for standard online job applications — you always have access to LinkedIn and the company website. Avoid in emails entirely; it reads like spam or a mass mailing. Never use when the hiring manager's or recruiter's name is findable in under ten minutes.

Why addressing someone by name works better

'To Whom It May Concern' dates to an era of paper memos routed through secretaries. Modern hiring is digital, searchable, and personal. Recruiters interpret this salutation as 'I did not try.' In A/B comparisons of outreach emails, named salutations outperform generic ones by 20–30% in open and reply rates — cover letters follow the same human psychology. Replacing this phrase with even 'Dear Hiring Manager' shows slightly more effort; replacing it with a real name shows you want this specific job.

How to find the recipient's name

Replace with any specific title before giving up

Before defaulting to 'To Whom It May Concern,' try 'Dear Hiring Manager,' 'Dear Recruiting Team,' or 'Dear [Department] Team.' Any of these is more modern and job-specific than the generic fallback.

Spend ten minutes on LinkedIn

Search the company name plus the job title's department head. Most candidates who use 'To Whom It May Concern' skipped this step — you can beat them easily.

Automate the name search

DearHiringManager.io extracts the likely hiring contact from a job URL. Use it when manual research fails — it is faster than settling for a century-old salutation.

Example openings for your cover letter

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am applying for the Project Coordinator role listed on your careers page. My PMP certification and three years coordinating cross-functional timelines in construction translate directly to the deliverables described in your posting.
To Whom It May Concern,

I am submitting my application for the referenced position as instructed by your HR department's paper application process. Enclosed please find my resume and references as requested.

FAQ

Is 'To Whom It May Concern' outdated?

In job applications, largely yes. It remains valid for formal letters where the recipient is genuinely unknown, but that is rare in modern hiring.

What is the best replacement?

Best: the person's actual name. Good fallback: 'Dear Hiring Manager.' Avoid: 'Dear Sir/Madam' — it assumes gender and feels equally dated.

Will using it get my application rejected?

Unlikely as an automatic rejection — but it may reduce the human reader's engagement. In competitive pools, small signals compound.

Can I use it for cover letters when relocating?

Relocating does not change the need for personalization. Research the company and name your reader regardless of your current location.

Related cover letter guides

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