You've been there. You are sitting at your desk, staring at a blinking cursor, trying to figure out how to start an email to someone whose name you don’t know. Maybe it's a hiring manager at a massive corporation. Maybe it's a generic "info@" address for a local business. You feel that itch to type out To Whom It May Concern. It feels safe. It feels professional.
It’s also kinda lazy.
Honestly, the phrase is a relic. It’s the linguistic equivalent of a dusty fax machine sitting in the corner of a modern office. People still use it because they were taught to in high school or because they’re terrified of being too informal. But in 2026, business communication has shifted toward personalization. If you send a cover letter or a formal inquiry starting with those five words, you’re basically telling the recipient, "I didn't care enough to find out who you are."
The Grammar of To Whom It May Concern
Let’s get the technical stuff out of the way first. People often trip over "who" versus "whom." In this specific phrase, "whom" is actually correct because it serves as the object of the preposition "to." If you changed it to "To Who It May Concern," you’d be grammatically wrong, and eagle-eyed HR recruiters would notice immediately.
But just because it’s grammatically sound doesn't mean it's effective.
Language evolves. Words that were standard in the 1950s—think "Yours Truly" or "Dear Sirs"—have mostly fallen out of favor. To Whom It May Concern has survived longer than most because it acts as a catch-all. It’s the "U-Haul" of salutations. You can throw anything in there and it technically fits, but it’s heavy and clunky.
Why Recruiters Actually Hate It
I’ve talked to dozens of hiring managers over the years. Do you know what they say when they see a cover letter addressed to "whom it may concern"? They say it feels like a mass mailer.
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Imagine you’re dating. If someone sent you a letter that said "To Potential Partner," you’d probably throw it in the trash. It’s impersonal. Business is the same way. It's built on relationships.
When you use To Whom It May Concern, you are missing an opportunity to build a bridge. In a world of LinkedIn, company "About Us" pages, and Twitter (X) bios, finding a name is usually just a three-minute task. If you can’t spend three minutes to find a name, why should a company spend thirty minutes interviewing you?
There are exceptions, of course. Sometimes you are writing a formal letter of recommendation that the person will carry around to multiple different organizations. In that specific context, the phrase is still somewhat acceptable because the "whom" is literally anyone in the future. Or maybe you're filing a formal legal complaint against a giant utility company where the "concern" is handled by a rotating department of nameless bureaucrats.
But for a job? For a pitch? For a partnership? It’s a death knell.
Better Alternatives That Don't Sound Like a Robot
You don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes-level investigator to find a better greeting. Most of the time, a little bit of common sense goes a long way.
- Dear [Department] Team: This is a solid middle ground. It shows you know which part of the company you’re talking to. If you’re applying for a marketing role, "Dear Marketing Team" sounds a thousand times more modern and collaborative than a formal "whom."
- Dear Hiring Manager: This is the safest "impersonal" bet. It’s specific to the role. It acknowledges that a human is doing the hiring without pretending you know their name if you truly couldn't find it.
- Greetings: Just "Greetings" or "Hello." Seriously. It’s 2026. The world hasn't ended because someone skipped the "Dear."
- To the [Job Title] Search Committee: This is great for academia or non-profits where committees are the norm.
If you really want to stand out, find the actual person. Use LinkedIn. Search for "Head of Talent at [Company Name]" or "Director of [Department]." Even if you get the person slightly wrong—say you address it to the VP instead of the Manager—it shows you did the work. People respect effort.
The Psychological Impact of Personalization
There is a real psychological phenomenon here. It’s called the "cocktail party effect." It’s our brain’s ability to focus on information that is personally relevant to us, like our own name, even in a noisy room.
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When a recruiter sees their name, or even their specific department, their brain "clicks" into engagement mode. When they see To Whom It May Concern, their brain stays in "skimming" mode. You want them to engage.
Think about the sheer volume of digital noise we deal with daily. The average office worker gets over 120 emails a day. Most of those are automated. By using an automated-sounding salutation, you are categorizing yourself with the spam.
When It’s Actually Okay (The Rare Cases)
I’m not saying you should never use it. That would be bad advice. There are moments where the cold, clinical nature of the phrase is actually the point.
If you are writing a letter of resignation that you expect to be placed in a permanent HR file, To Whom It May Concern works. It’s a legal document at that point. If you are providing a character reference for someone’s court case or a visa application, it’s standard.
Basically, if the situation is 100% transactional and 0% about building a relationship, go for it. If there is even a 1% chance that you want the person reading the letter to like you, avoid it like the plague.
Breaking Down the "Research" Barrier
"But I can't find a name!" I hear this all the time.
Try this: Call the company.
I know, I know. Making a phone call feels like a Herculean task for anyone born after 1990. But it works. "Hi, I’m submitting an application for the analyst role and I wanted to make sure I address my cover letter to the right person. Could you tell me the name of the hiring manager for that department?"
The receptionist will usually just tell you. Now you have a name. Now you’re the candidate who took the extra step. You’ve already beaten 90% of the other applicants who just copy-pasted a template they found on a random career blog.
The Formatting Matters Too
If you absolutely must use To Whom It May Concern, at least format it correctly.
- Capitalize every word. It’s a formal salutation.
- Follow it with a colon (:), not a comma.
- Double-space before you start your first paragraph.
It should look like this:
To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to formally lodge a dispute regarding...
Don't try to "warm it up" by saying "Dear To Whom It May Concern." That’s just awkward. It’s like saying "Dear Whoever." Just pick a lane—either be formal or be personal.
Navigating the 2026 Business Landscape
We are living in an era where authenticity is the highest currency. Artificial intelligence can churn out a perfectly formatted, perfectly boring letter in three seconds. If your writing looks like it could have been generated by a legacy AI from three years ago, you're in trouble.
To Whom It May Concern feels like a template. It feels like a "generate" button was pressed.
The most successful professionals I know write like humans. They use "I" and "You." They acknowledge the person on the other side of the screen. They realize that business is just people talking to people.
Even in 2026, with all our tech and our remote-first work cultures, we still crave a personal touch. We want to be seen. If you want a job, or a favor, or a contract, start by seeing the person you're asking.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Letter
Stop overthinking the "rules" and start thinking about the "read."
- Audit your templates. Look at every "saved" response or cover letter draft you have. If it starts with a generic salutation, delete it. Replace it with a bracketed [Insert Name or Department] to force yourself to do the research every single time.
- Use the "About Us" page. Most companies spend thousands of dollars on photography for their team pages. Use them. If there's a "Director of People Ops," address your letter to them.
- Try the "Attention:" line. If you truly can't find a person, you can use "Attn: Marketing Department" at the top of the letter, then start with "Dear Team." It’s cleaner.
- Check the LinkedIn "People" tab. Go to the company’s LinkedIn page, click "People," and search for keywords like "Recruiter," "Manager," or "Lead." It takes seconds.
- Test your tone. Read your opening line out loud. Does it sound like something you’d say to a person standing in front of you? If not, change it. You’d never walk up to someone at a conference and say, "To whom it may concern, I would like a job."
The goal isn't just to avoid a "bad" phrase. The goal is to be the kind of communicator that people actually want to respond to. In a world of automated "concerns," be the person who actually cares enough to find a name. It’s a small change, but in a competitive market, those small things are usually the only thing that separates the "hired" pile from the "shredded" pile.
Ditch the 19th-century phrasing. Start your next email with "Hi [Name]," and watch how much better the results are. It's simple, it's human, and it actually works.