Dear Prudence, or whoever you are...

February 23, 2009 2:36 PM

Whose name do I use when writing a cover letter for a job?

I'm sending out a pile of resumes to private secondary schools in an attempt to find a teaching job. I have a directory of private schools with descriptions of hundreds of schools, each of which gives a contact name, but these people are all directors of admissions, as the book is geared towards potential students and their parents. I've checked out a few web sites and most of them don't list a specific person for human resources, job seekers, or employment. To whom should I address my cover letter? Should it just say "Dear [school name]- ? I can't just say "Hello", and really don't want to write "to whom it may concern".
What to do?

posted by crazylegs to Work & Money (15 answers total)

For The Attention Of: Human Resources Director

But if you don't want to use "To whom it may concern" your only real option is "Dear sir or madam" which is an even worse idea.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:44 PM on February 23, 2009

"To Whom It May Concern" is perfectly fine, if a bit formal. But, it's got the neutral, business-like tone you want to preserve.

"Dear Sir or Madam" may be what you're looking for. Definitely don't reference a specific person by name, unless the req calls for it.
posted by mkultra at 2:46 PM on February 23, 2009

For The Attention Of: Human Resources Director

This is, IMO, what you'd put on an envelope (or header) address, not the salutation of a letter.
posted by mkultra at 2:47 PM on February 23, 2009

Find out the headteacher's name and address it directly to him/her.
posted by bullox at 2:48 PM on February 23, 2009

I just got one that said "Dear Hiring Manager" which was fine, and "To Whom It May Concern" is fine too.
It's ok to be general, and it is better than putting the wrong person's name on the letter.
posted by rmless at 2:55 PM on February 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

I use "Dear Hiring Manager:" as the greeting in the letter, in this case.

In the address of a cover letter, if I don't have a particular person's name, I would use

Gotrocks School
Human Resources Department
ATTN: Hiring Manager

But, not till I had done everything I could to try and identify the name of the right person.

Tricks I use to find the right person's name:

- look up the prospective employer on LinkedIn and look for names of HR people
- call the main switchboard after hours when I know the system will roll to voice mail and try to get a name out of an automatic directory
- google the phrase "@gotrocks.edu" to see what if any email addresses pop up

This is a buyer's market. If you can take any extra time at all to identify the right person, or at least an actual real person if not the right one*, I think it takes a candidate farther.

If you can find the headmaster or principal's name, why not send it to him/her? Since it sounds like you are blanket-mailing with a wide net, instead of applying to certain postings, it sure can't hurt. The key is to get someone to open the envelope -- and a generic piece of mail that says "Hiring Manager" on the outside is not as compelling. An assistant will likely be the first gatekeeper on mail to the headmaster anyway... and if you look decent, he/she will pass your CV right to HR.
posted by pineapple at 2:56 PM on February 23, 2009

I would call the school, tell them you're applying for the job, and ask them to whom you should address your cover letter. That's what I do when I am applying for jobs where I don't have any contacts.
posted by camcgee at 3:31 PM on February 23, 2009 [3 favorites]

"To Whom It May Concern" might be perfectly correct but to me it screams "I'm Sending Out One Hundred Of These And I Can't Be Bothered To Find The Name Of The Right Person At Each School To Send This To".

Pineapple has some great suggestions on how to get the names you need. Even if you don't hit the right person, chances are they'll pass it along to whomever should get it. In my last job, I got things (resumes, press releases) pretty regularly that were addressed to "To Whom It May Concern" and I rarely concerned myself with whatever it was, while if it had my name on it, I'd give it a read at least. And I'd walk it down the hall or inter-office mail it to the right person if it seemed worthy enough.
posted by Kangaroo at 3:44 PM on February 23, 2009

Consider "Dear Madam or Sir" as opposed to the reverse.
posted by Morrigan at 3:52 PM on February 23, 2009

The New York Times recently covered this in an article. They advised:

If you are applying to a blind ad, say “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To the Hiring Manager.”
posted by Andy's Gross Wart at 4:27 PM on February 23, 2009

I've forgone attempting to address my cover letters to a specific person and now I use "Re: (Whatever Job) Position." Dear Sir or Madam just sounds so quaint in my opinion, and attempting to find the name of the addressee can be hit-and-miss, esp. since hiring managers or other more important people may not actually be the ones scanning cover letters. In the end, I don't really think it matters that much.
posted by pravit at 5:15 PM on February 23, 2009

I work in a private school (K-8, though), and I've been on hiring committees.

By all means, find the name of a person - what we're typically looking for is a good match between our needs and your skills, and a letter addressed to "To Whom It May Concern" says that you haven't thought about whether you're a good match, but rather just sent out letters indiscriminately in the hopes of getting a nibble. That's not to say it's impossible you'd get an interview that way, but why start out one step back in the pack?

Many smaller schools do not have human resources directors. If there's no listing for a human resources director, address your letter to the Head of School / Principal / Headmaster / School Director. Even in schools with HR people, the Head of School is usually one with the final or largest say in hiring, and I don't think a letter addressed to the Head of School would be out of place even in schools large enough to have a dedicated HR person.

I'm imagining that your book doesn't have the Head of Schools listed, but nearly all of them will have web sites with that information, and it's worth the extra few minutes to try and track down this information. And if you really want a job, write a letter that references something specific about the school's program. The letters that sound generic are quick to go in the "no interview" pile unless the writer has an absolutely outstanding resume or CV.

I'd second the suggestion of calling the school to ask, though - I don't see any way that could hurt.

Good luck in your search.
posted by Chanther at 5:44 PM on February 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

At some point I saw someone use "Greetings" instead of "Dear Sir or Madam," which I've always hated. I've used that ever since.
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:22 PM on February 23, 2009

I used to work in a private school. The answer is what camcgee and Chanther say. Schools are different; they don't have the structure of large firms. It's important that you show you've done your research and know something about the school. Address your letter to the Head. If you can't find it on a website, just call and ask. It'll be one of maybe 150 calls the administrative assistant will answer that day, and it won't be seen as a negative.
posted by Miko at 7:36 PM on February 23, 2009

Should it just say "Dear [school name]- ? I can't just say "Hello", and really don't want to write "to whom it may concern".

Why not?

Hi.

I am writing today to.....

There is no perfect way to do this. If you're really waffling, print up two variations & send them out and see which one gets the most responses. Then you'll know for the future.
posted by Muffy at 2:42 PM on February 24, 2009