I.T Cover Letter

Technique #2

To whom it may NOT concern…

by Jimmy Sweeney

Dear Job Seeker:

Which of these greetings should you use to start your IT cover letter?

Group 1:

Dear Sirs: Dear Sir/Madam: Dear Gentlemen: To whom it may concern:

Group 2:

Dear Hiring Manager: Dear HR Director: Dear Human Resources:

Group 3:

Dear Mrs. Smith: Dear Mr. Jones: Dear Lilly Thomas:

Answer: Group 1 is the worst of the bunch. Group 2 is better. Group 3 is exactly what you should strive for.

The typical, “To whom it may concern” concerns no one in particular.

Address your IT cover letter to a specific person whenever possible!

Make the extra effort and find out TO WHOM you should address your IT cover letter. For jobs posted online this can prove to be a difficult task but at the bare minimum make sure to address your letter to the proper company entity. Example: Hiring manager; HR Director; etc.

Cool IT Cover Letter Greeting Tip: If you cannot find the specific name of the person most likely to review your letter, use one of the greetings from Group 2 and add this special sentence (example below) to the top of your letter tailored to your particular situation.

Example:

PLEASE NOTE: I apologize for the impersonal greeting. I wanted to address this cover letter to you by name but it was not provided online and I was unable to obtain it. I am very interested in the position of [insert job opening title here].

Now you can insert your main headline below this sentence as I discussed last in the last chapter.

Main Headline Example: (Should be centered and in bold text).

THREE reasons why I believe I may be the candidate you are searching for regarding the [insert job opening title here].

Do you think this one-two punch would grab a person’s attention?

Absolutely! This is a prime example of turning a negative into a huge positive.

The bottom line: When you target your IT cover letters to a specific person by name, you increase your odds of landing the job interview several times over.

So before you write your next IT cover letter, ask yourself this question:

To whom does this letter concern specifically? Then do your best to answer it!