I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief whenever I get cover letters with “To Whom it May Concern” as the addressee. I can’t even recall when I last addressed a letter that way. It’s very unprofessional and gives an impression of laziness on the applicant’s part. I don’t feel excited to call a candidate whose cover letter is addressed that way and I’m sure a lot of HR personnel feel the same way.
It is one of the fail proof ways to guide your good cover letter into the garbage bin. What do you do then? I know it’s hard to ascertain who the appropriate person is but if you are truly serious about your desire to work at the company then go the extra mile and get a name no matter what. This will identify you from hundreds of applicants who never bother to address their cover letter correctly.
Just by getting a name you are literally doing away with hundreds of competition. That fact alone should be enough to get you doing some studying. And to make it even enticing, I will give you some tips on how to determine your intended audience.
One thing that you can do
We all get referred to a specific industry at one point and for sure the person who referred you knows who to address a good cover letter to. Much more he can give you precious tips on how to act during the interview because he’s been through the process. He might even know the interviewer personally. If you are in this situation, make the most of your internal ally and ask as many tips as you can.
Another thing that you can do
Contact the company directly. You can visit their website and see if you can obtain a name, you can call and ask for the appropriate person's name, or you can visit their office and have a quick chat with the receptionist.
If you have time, I recommend visiting their office. Why? You can learn a lot of stuff just by sitting in the reception area and having a quick talk with the receptionist. You can learn about the company’s culture, their vision, mission, and a lot of important things. You can then tailor your good cover letter and project the same values as theirs.
This is one technique to increase your chances of getting a call back, but be certain that you can keep up with it. If your values are in contrast with theirs then don’t bother applying this method because it will no doubt show during the interview.
Those are two easy ways for you to determine the right person to direct your good cover letter to. Remember that this step alone gets you ahead of the pack, and most often than not, you will get contacted for an interview. That is the time for you to follow through on what you wrote in your good cover letter and be on your way to getting hired.
It is one of the fail proof ways to guide your good cover letter into the garbage bin. What do you do then? I know it’s hard to ascertain who the appropriate person is but if you are truly serious about your desire to work at the company then go the extra mile and get a name no matter what. This will identify you from hundreds of applicants who never bother to address their cover letter correctly.
Just by getting a name you are literally doing away with hundreds of competition. That fact alone should be enough to get you doing some studying. And to make it even enticing, I will give you some tips on how to determine your intended audience.
One thing that you can do
We all get referred to a specific industry at one point and for sure the person who referred you knows who to address a good cover letter to. Much more he can give you precious tips on how to act during the interview because he’s been through the process. He might even know the interviewer personally. If you are in this situation, make the most of your internal ally and ask as many tips as you can.
Another thing that you can do
Contact the company directly. You can visit their website and see if you can obtain a name, you can call and ask for the appropriate person's name, or you can visit their office and have a quick chat with the receptionist.
If you have time, I recommend visiting their office. Why? You can learn a lot of stuff just by sitting in the reception area and having a quick talk with the receptionist. You can learn about the company’s culture, their vision, mission, and a lot of important things. You can then tailor your good cover letter and project the same values as theirs.
This is one technique to increase your chances of getting a call back, but be certain that you can keep up with it. If your values are in contrast with theirs then don’t bother applying this method because it will no doubt show during the interview.
Those are two easy ways for you to determine the right person to direct your good cover letter to. Remember that this step alone gets you ahead of the pack, and most often than not, you will get contacted for an interview. That is the time for you to follow through on what you wrote in your good cover letter and be on your way to getting hired.
