What’s the beginning of your cover letter?

[#1]

Hello I’m not a native English speaker. I’m wondering how I should write my cover letter. When we submit our proposal, we don't know the name of our client, right? If we can't use "Hello XX " as the beginning, then what should we use?

I've been using "dear hiring manager" , is it way too formal?

I want to hear your opinion on this, thank you 

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Well, a lot of clients don't have hiring managers, so I advise against that. I start mine with "Hello!" If I can locate the name of the Client from either their job description or their reviews, then I add that. Then I jump straight into the sell.

[#3]

Thank you, that helps a lot!

[#4]

You are right that sometimes we don't know the name of the client when we submit our proposal. In that case, we have to use a generic salutation to address them. There are different options you can use, depending on the tone and style of your cover letter.

Some of the common options are:

• Dear Hiring Manager

• Dear Client

• Dear Sir/Madam

• Greetings