The most basic piece of advice to consider with your executive resume cover letter is to make the greeting personal. The generic greeting of “To Whom It May Concern” is no longer an acceptable way to begin your cover letter, as it’s too impersonal. With the information we have available to us today, a little effort in finding the right person to address it to will go a long way in making your cover letter stand out in a good way. So how can you find out who to address your cover letter to when the recipient isn’t obvious? Here are some tips to consider.
Search For The Email Address
Most of the time a job listing will include an email address to send your cover letter and resume to. The name in the email address may not include both the first name and last name, but usually will at least include the last name. Do a quick Google search for the name in the email address, along with the company name. You may find the biography of the person on the company’s website, or at least give you a lead on how to conduct further searching. If all else fails, a cover letter writing service may be able to help you identify key information in the job posting to help lead you to the right person.
Utilize LinkedIn Creatively
Many hiring managers today will post job openings on LinkedIn. If you found the posting on LinkedIn, then take a look to see if the post was made by an individual or by the company’s profile. Address your executive resume cover letter to that person if it’s clear who posted it. If it’s not clear, then you can take a look at the company’s LinkedIn profile and see if any employees are listed. Doing this research on LinkedIn will help you write targeted resumes and cover letters to increase your chances of getting recognized.
Give The Company A Call
When you’ve exhausted all of your resources and simply cannot figure out who to address your cover letter to, feel free to give the company’s main phone number a call. Or if the company is nearby, drop by the office and ask the receptionist for a business card of the hiring manager. As long as you’re not pushy or over-aggressive and are truthful with why you’re requesting the information, you may be surprised at how willing they are to give you at least the hiring manager’s name.
Professional Resume Services is more than just a resume and cover letter writing service. We take pride in helping every client we work with, and always take the time to understand their specific needs, concerns and desires. Too many executives make the mistake of brushing off their cover letter, but the truth is resumes and cover letters carry equal importance. To learn more about how we can help you in every aspect of your job search, feel free to reach out to us at any time.