Find a Job With a ‘To Whom it May Concern Letter’

A “to whom it may concern” letter greeting has never really been accepted as cordial in business correspondence, or even informal correspondence.

It’s certainly formal, but definitely not personable. It sounds like you’re about to launch into a customer service complaint or an emphatic demand to speak to the manager.

So what do you do when you want to apply for a job, but you don’t have a contact in the company?

We’ll walk you through how and when to use “to whom it may concern” in a letter or email, as well as how to leverage job boards like ZipRecruiter in your job search. We’ll also discuss alternatives to the “to whom it may concern” letter that’ll make recipients a lot more receptive to unsolicited communications from you.

Why ‘To Whom It May Concern’ Is Off-Putting

Let’s break down the phrase, “to whom it may concern,” for a better understanding of why it creates a negative impression.

It’s a flowery admission that you’re either clueless about where your letter should go or you didn’t care enough to figure that out.

The language in this phrase establishes the rest of your letter as a notice, rather than the start of a conversation with someone you respect.

So why should they respond, especially if you didn’t put in the effort to address and send it to the right person? Is it their job to determine if you’ve sent it to the right or wrong person?

Plus, this problematic letter salutation implies that the contents of your letter may concern them, or it may concern someone else altogether — “You figure it out!”

In business letters, proposal letters, cover letters and even professional networking, you’re relying on the civility of the recipients. There’s no obligation for them to respond to you.

You need their grace to hand off that job application, tell you more about that job posting, share the hiring manager’s name with you or forward your cover letter to the appropriate person.

Use…