How to Address a Cover Letter in the UK (+ Examples)

Addressing a cover letter correctly is easy. However, you need to understand the rules, plus you must know who to address your cover letter to.

I’ll show you how to get each cover letter off to a strong start. You’ll learn how to address a cover letter to UK standards, who to address a cover letter to, how to address a cover letter without a name, and more.

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Quick rules for addressing a cover letter like a pro

• Always try to find a name: “Dear Alex Jones” beats “Dear Hiring Manager”.
• If you can’t find a name, use a role/team name: “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Marketing Team Hiring Manager”.
• If you have a name, sign off with “Yours sincerely”.
• If you don’t have a name, use “Yours faithfully”.
• Avoid: “To Whom It May Concern”, “Dear Sir/Madam”, and informal greetings.
• For email applications, use a clear subject line (e.g., Application: Marketing Officer – Simon Bexley) and include your contact details in your signature.

Why is addressing a cover letter the right way important?

A cover letter is a formal document. As such, it has to follow certain business letter etiquette (including the right cover letter structure). On top of that, addressing your cover letter correctly isn’t just good practice; it’s proof positive of professionalism and communication skills.

How to address a cover letter step-by-step

Follow this simple sequence when preparing your cover letter salutation and header:

Examine the job description for a contact name

To identify who to address your cover letter to, start by re-reading the advert. Job listings often state a point of contact (a name, job title, or recruiter). Look for words such as “contact”, “apply to”, or “for more information, contact”.

If the advert gives a name, that answers the dilemma of whom to address a cover letter to – simply use that person’s name in your salutation.

Research the company to find the correct addressee

If the advert doesn’t list a name, do targeted research before giving up on finding your cover letter’s recipient:

• Check the company website, specifically the About, Team, and Leadership pages, for a team lead or hiring manager.
• Search LinkedIn for the head of the department you’re applying to, e.g. “Head of Marketing” or “Product Manager”.
• Use a site-specific Google search, e.g., site:company.com "head of marketing", or scan recent press and blog posts for named team leads.

If those searches still don’t return a name, it’s fine to phone the company and ask politely: “Hello – I’m applying for the [job title] and I’d like to address my application correctly; could you tell me the name or title of the person responsible for hiring?” Even a confirmed job title, such as Head of Customer Experience, is better than a totally anonymous greeting.

If you can’t find a name, use a professional generic greeting

Here’s how to address a cover letter without a name: opt for a clear, specific, and professional greeting rather than an outdated or overly broad option. Always start with “Dear”, not “Hi” or “Hey”. Good choices include:

• Dear Hiring Manager,
• Dear Marketing Team Hiring Manager,
• Dear Finance Department,
• Dear [Company Name] Recruitment Team,

These are warmer and more specific than “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”. That’s how you address a cover letter to an unknown recipient—simply use a role- or team-based salutation that shows you’ve thought about who should receive the letter.

If you have a name, address it correctly

When you have a person’s name, personalise the opening. Use “Dear” followed by the person’s full name, for example: “Dear John Smith” or “Dear Alicia McDonald”. This avoids assuming gender or preferred title. Here’s some guidance on titles:

• Use professional or academic titles (e.g., Dr., Prof.) only if you are sure they’re correct.
• Don’t guess marital-status titles like "Miss" or "Mrs."; use "Ms" if you must use a female honorific.
• For gender-neutral or ambiguous names (Alex, Taylor, Charlie), opt for the full name without a title: Dear Alex Jones.
• Some professions and cultures employ non-standard conventions. For example, surgeons in the UK are sometimes addressed as "Mr." or "Ms." rather than "Dr." When in doubt, double-check spelling and title; a misspelt name is worse than a neutral greeting.

Here are some examples of correct cover letter salutations you can take inspiration from:

• Dear John Smith,
• Dear Dr. Lingh,
• Dear Prof. Jones,

How to format the cover letter address section

Cover letters are viewed as an essential part of the decision-making process by 83% of recruiters, so every detail matters when writing a cover letter. Take a look at an example of a perfectly set-out cover letter address below.

Now, here’s how to format the cover letter address, step by step:

1. Start your cover letter by writing your own address, making sure it’s right-aligned.
2. Sticking with right-alignment, leave a space and enter the date. Note the correct format: the date is written as a number with the ordinal letters (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th), the month is written out with a capital letter, followed by the year.
3. Switch back to left alignment and write the hiring manager’s address, including their job title.

You can adjust every cover letter created in the builder to meet the job requirements. Choose the name of your profession and the company to which you’re applying, and the LiveCareer cover letter builder will automatically adapt the content for you. Create a cover letter faster than you ever thought possible and apply for the job in record time.

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How to address an email cover letter?

When you send a cover letter as the body of an email (this applies to acceptance letters and appeal letters, too), you need to address your cover letter differently. 

Here’s how to address an email cover letter:

• There’s no need for any mailing address at the top of the letter. Leave out the recipient’s contact details entirely and move your own contact details to the bottom, directly underneath your email signature.
• Address the hiring manager by name, and use the same rules for titles as you would in a separate cover letter.
• Write a clear and well-formatted subject line. Cover letters sent as an email can easily get lost in the hiring manager’s inbox. A blank or poorly written subject line is likely to get overlooked. Make your intentions clear and make the hiring manager’s life easier with a simple, concise format: your name and the job you’re pursuing, e.g. Application for Marketing Officer Position – Simon Bexley.

What to avoid when addressing a cover letter

Some common pitfalls and cover letter addressing mistakes are closely related – both can make a good application look careless. Here is what to avoid in the cover letter’s address:

• Impersonal or outdated greetings: "To Whom It May Concern", "Dear Sir or Madam".
• Gendered assumptions: don’t try to guess someone’s gender; avoid "Miss"/"Mrs". Use "Ms" if you must use a female title, and you are confident she uses it.
• Overly informal openers: "Hey", "Hiya", or "Hello there" in formal applications.
• Getting the company name wrong: double-check any company, team or hiring manager names before you send.
• Incorrect sign-off: Remember that if you address a named person, use “Yours sincerely.” If you use a role/team greeting, close “Yours faithfully” (or “Kind regards” for email).

Writing your first cover letter? Check out our other cover letter guides:

• ChatGPT: How to Use It for Cover Letter Writing
• Cover Letter Examples for 40+ Different Jobs
• Cover Letter Definition & Why Do You Need One
• Best Cover Letter Layout & Expert Examples
• How to Write an Application Letter: Examples & Tips
• How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job
• How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?
• How to End a Cover Letter
• Short Cover Letter Examples
• What to Include in a Cover Letter?

You don’t have to create any content yourself. The LiveCareer cover letter generator will automatically suggest the best content for your cover letter with ready-made examples and expert tips.

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Now you know everything about how to address a cover letter for a job, even when you don’t know the hiring manager’s name. If you’d like to learn more about cover letters or other career-related topics, head over to our blog for more articles.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with LiveCareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.

Sources

• Harvard Business Review (2025), Cover Letters Still Matter—Even If They’re Not Required
• Human Resources Online (2020), Are cover letters important? 83% of recruiters say yes