Business Letter Salutation Examples

Business Letter Salutation ExamplesBusiness Letter Salutation ExamplesWhen youare writing a business letter, its important to include an appropriate salutation at the beginning. This is true whether you send your homilie via email or through the mail. Using an appropriate greeting sets the tone for your letter and shows the recipient that you understand basic rules of business etiquette. While a simple Hi, Hello, or even Hey is appropriate in casual correspondence, a mora formal salutation is appropriate when you are emailing about a business-related matter, such as acover letter,letter of recommendation, orinquiry letter. The following is a list of letter salutation examples that are appropriate for business and employment-related correspondence. Later, well explain how to select and format a salutation, as well as how to address a letter to someone whose anthroponym you do not know. Business Letter Salutation Examples Dear Mr. SmithDear Mr. and Mrs. SmithDear Mr. White and Ms. SmithDear Dr. SmithDear Judge SmithDear Ms. JonesDear Jane DoeDear Dr. HavenDear Dr. and Mrs. HavenDear First Name (if you know the person well) All of these salutations begin with the word dear. While you can simply start a letter with the persons name, that can be misinterpreted as abrupt or even rude. Its always safe to begin your salutation with the word dear in a business letter. One exception is when you use the general salutation To Whom It May Concern, but more on that in a moment. When You Dont Have a Contact Person If you dont have a contact person at the organization, you can either leave off the salutation and start with the first paragraph of your letter or use ageneral salutation such as To Whom It May Concern. However, before using a general salutation (or leaving off a salutation), do your best to try to find out the name of the person you are contacting.If you are applying or inquiring about a joband the hiring managers name is not included on the job listing, y ou might look up the title of the employer or hiring manager on the company website. If there is a contact number, you might also call and ask an administrative assistant for the name of the hiring manager. If you are sendinga different type of letter, you can still look up the persons name on the company website, or speak to an administrative assistant or contact at the company for the name of the person you are trying to reach. General Salutations for Business Letters Dear Hiring ManagerTo Whom It May ConcernDear Human Resources ManagerDear Sir or Madam Guidelines for Names and Titles The salutation should typically use the persons last name, along with a Mr. or Ms. In general, avoid using Mrs. or Miss unless you are certain of how a female recipient wants to be addressed. When in doubt, default to using Ms. If you are writing to someone who has a doctorate or medical degree, use the abbreviated form Dr. However, for other titles (such as professor, judge, rabbi, etc.), wr ite out the full title and capitalize it. For example, your salutation in a letter to a judge would be, Dear Judge Barnard. Or, if your correspondence was with a rabbi, you might write, Dear Rabbi Williams. When your letter is to more than one person, write out all of their names separately, separating them with commas. For example, Dear Mr. Hobbes, Ms. Luxe, and Mr. Hopman. For married couples, if one person in the couple has changed his or her name, you only need to use the last name once. For instance, Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Sometimes a persons gender is unclear from a name names like Corey or Blake are both common womens and mens names. If that is the case, do some investigating to determine gender by searching on LinkedIn or a company website. But if it remains ambiguous, simply write out the persons full name, dropping the title. For example, Dear Corey Meyer. How to Format a Letter Greeting Follow the salutation with a colon or comma, a space, and then start the first paragraph of your letter. Using a colon is the more formal option. For example Dear Mr. Smith First paragraph of letter. Spellcheck Names Finally, before sending a business letter, make absolutely sure that you have spelled the persons name correctly. Double-check the spelling on the company website or on LinkedIn. Consider asking a trusted friend to proofread your message before you send it, paying particular attention to the spelling of names. Key Takeaways KEEP THINGS FORMAL When writing business correspondence, always begin your message with a formal rather than a casual salutation Dear Mr. Jones as opposed to Hi. Dear should always proceed the recipients name, except for occasions where you cannot find contact information and need to use To Whom It May Concern.KNOW YOUR RECIPIENT If you have doubts about your recipients name, gender, or professional title, research this information by looking at their LinkedIn account or their companys website. Alternatively, it is also fin e to call their employers HR department or reception desk and ask for this information.SPELLCHECK Confirm that you have used the correct spelling of your correspondents name by double-checking its spelling on social media sites or company webpages.