The cover letter is an extremely important part of communicating your skills and strengths in job applications. Here’s how to handle greeting employers and signing off! It’s all part of your free Young Professional Training.
Why Is A Cover Letter Important?
The point of a cover letter is to add further context to the information you provided on your CV or application form, to help you sell your skills more effectively, and to give you a space to showcase your personality and the attributes that you alone can bring to the job.
If a potential employer is on the fence about your application, a great cover letter can sway them in your favour. On the other hand, a poor cover letter can harm an otherwise great application. But many people are confused about the best way to write a cover letter that gets results.
Let’s take a closer look at two of the most important and most often overlooked aspects of cover letters: the greeting and the sign-off.
The Greeting
The greeting is how you open your cover letter, and it’s your first opportunity to make a great impression. Since cover letters are formal pieces of business communication, avoid casual greetings such as “hi” or “hello”, and stick with “Dear…”.
Here’s how to open your cover letter, depending on whether you know the name of the recipient or not.
When you know the person’s name
If at all possible, we recommend trying to find out the name of the person who will be reading your cover letter. This might be the hiring manager or a recruiter, if you’re trying to find a job through a recruitment firm. The contact person’s information might be listed on the job ad, application materials, or the company’s website. Failing that, you can always call and ask for the name of the hiring manager for this position.
It’s best to err on the side of being more formal in cover letters, rather than less, so use the person’s title and surname (Dear Mr. Smith as opposed to Dear Bob).
If in doubt about titles, always use Ms. for a woman and Mr. for a man. Some people use the non-gendered title Mx., although this is still relatively unusual. If you don’t know the person’s gender, play it safe and use both their first name and surname (e.g. Dear Sam Jones). In some industries, it is a good idea to check whether there is a professional title you should be using, such as Dr. or Professor.
Oh, and don’t forget to double- and triple-check the spelling. Attention to detail is important in many jobs, and spelling the hiring manager’s name wrong in your cover letter looks sloppy and unprofessional.
When you don’t know the person’s name
Sometimes, you will do your best to find out the person’s name but still have no success. In these instances, there are still right and wrong ways to open your cover letter.
“To Whom It May Concern” used to be popular, but is now quite out of fashion due to its impersonal nature. “Dear Sir or Madam” is still acceptable in industries that trend towards greater formality, though a little old-fashioned (avoid “Dear Sirs” at all costs, though!)
Here are a few strong openers to consider when you don’t know the recipient’s name:
- Dear Hiring Manager
- Dear [company name] Human Resources Manager
- Dear [name of position you’re applying for] Hiring Manager
- Dear [job title of the person you would report to, e.g. Marketing Manager]
- Dear [name of department the position sits in, e.g. Sales] Team
The Sign-Off
So you’ve made a great impression with your fantastic cover letter. Now you need to ensure you leave things on a good note with the right sign-off.
The Final Line
The final line of your cover letter is valuable space that you can use to make a lasting good impression. This is a space where you can take the opportunity to reiterate your interest in the position and encourage them to get in touch with you to learn more.
There’s a fine line between enthusiastic and genuine as opposed to pushy and presumptuous, though. Here are a few examples of great last lines you can use for inspiration and adapt for your own style:
- Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.
- I would love to further discuss the position and the skills I would bring to it.
- I believe that my experience in [X, Y and Z] make me a great fit for this position and would love to speak with you further.
- I am excited about the work [company name] is doing in [X area] and would welcome the opportunity to contribute towards its success.
Be enthusiastic without being over the top, and don’t be afraid to reiterate why you’re an amazing fit for the position. The cover letter is all about selling yourself to the employer, after all.
Sincerely/Faithfully
Just as with the greeting, the sign-off you use might depend on whether you know the person’s name. Remember learning about “Yours Sincerely” and “Yours Faithfully at school? Well, it’s still fine to use them in your cover letters.
“Sincerely” is for a letter addressed to a specific person (so a letter that begins “Dear Mr Smith” would end “Yours Sincerely”) and “Faithfully” is for a letter addressed to a generic person (so a letter that begins “Dear Hiring Manager” would end “Yours Faithfully”).
As long as you use the right one, you cannot go wrong with these classic sign-offs.
Other Options
If you think Sincerely/Faithfully are too formal for the job you’re applying for, there are lots of different and equally acceptable options available to you. Here are a few you might want to consider:
- Kind regards
- With very best wishes
- Thank you
- Respectfully
- Kindest
Avoid less formal closers such as “thanks”, “cheers”, or “bye”.
Whichever closing sentiment you choose, follow it by your name. Most cover letters are now sent electronically but if you are sending a physical copy, don’t forget to sign it.
Task: Draft a Cover Letter for Your Dream Job
Think about your dream job. Even if it doesn’t exist yet or you are not yet qualified for it, that doesn’t matter for the purpose of this exercise. Now draft the cover letter you’d use to impress a hiring manager at that dream job.
As a bonus task, leave your covering letter for a day or two after writing a draft, and then return to it. Chances are, looking at it with fresh eyes will show you one or two places it could be improved.
The Cover Letter Matters
A great cover letter can help you land a great job. And when it comes to writing your cover letter, attention to every detail matters. These tips will help you get two often-overlooked but crucially important aspects right.
Happy job hunting!
