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Sender's Address in a Cover Letter

Salutation in a Cover Letter

If you know the person's name:

When applying for a job, it is very important to know the name of the addressee and address him/her personally.

Dear Ms / Miss / Mrs / Mr / Dr + Nachname

Example: Dear Mr Miller

Dear first name + surname

Example: Dear Chris Miller

If you don't know the person's name:

If despite all efforts you cannot find out the addressee's name, the only possibility is to use one of the following salutations:

salutationwhen to use
Dear Sir or Madamesp. in British English
Ladies and Gentlemenesp. in American English
To whom it may concernesp. in American English

Punctuation after the Salutation

In British English, don't use any punctuation mark or use a comma.

Example: Dear Mr Miller or Dear Mr Miller,

In American English, use a colon:

Example: Dear Mr. Miller:

Ms, Miss or Mrs?

  • Mrs – to address a married woman
  • Miss – to address an unmarried woman (rarely used now)
  • Ms – to address a woman whose marital status you don't know; also used to address an unmarried woman

Note: The abrreviations Mr, Mrs etc. are usually written without full stops (Mr) in British English and with full stops (Mr.) in American English.