To whom it may concern meaning in hindi?
It’s largely considered an outdated and lazy way to approach correspondence. The internet gives us almost infinite ability to search for the names and contact information of the people we need to reach — and honing good communication skills is crucial to success.
So, before you slap another "To Whom It May Concern" on your outreach email or cover letter, read through this simple guide to determine when to use it, how to use it, and which alternatives to consider instead.
Before each piece of correspondence you send, ask yourself, "Who is the intended recipient of this message?"
If the answer is, "Anyone," you should be safe to use, "To Whom It May Concern." If, however, your end reader is someone with a specific role or title, keep digging to find their name. It can be difficult to know when it’s appropriate to use "To Whom It May Concern," so here are a few scenarios where it’s usually alright:
If you are reaching out to a large company with a complex organizational structure and aren’t sure who the proper point of contact is, you may need to submit a message through a message form on the company’s website or sending an email to a general address such as "contact@xyzcompany.com." In this case, "To Whom It May Concern" may be appropriate. When taking this approach, we recommend asking for the right point of contact for your request in the body of your message.
Example:
If you’re providing a reference or recommendation for a former colleague or employee, the request might come through an automated system that doesn’t include any information about the hiring manager.
They don’t expect you to research them or their company, they just want your thoughts on the candidate they’re about to hire. This would be an acceptable time to address your audience with, "To Whom It May Concern."
Example:
Lodging a formal complaint with a company? It likely doesn’t matter if that complaint reaches an administrator, customer service associate, or the CEO — you simply want your complaint to be heard and addressed.
Example:
If you are introducing yourself to someone you’ve never met, it could be appropriate to use, "To Whom It May Concern." For example, if you received a request for a quote, or information regarding your business, from a generic company inbox or feedback form, you might address your response, "To Whom It May Concern." Just make sure to ask for their name in your message.
Example:
This is acceptable but not ideal. If you’re a salesperson conducting outreach — it’s your job to put in the time and research to know exactly who you’re contacting.
Ideally, you should build rapport with them over LinkedIn or Twitter — or reaching out via a mutual connection — first. If there seems to be no way to find their personal information, you might reach for "To Whom It May Concern," but don’t expect a high response rate.
Example:
If you’re using a formal greeting like "To Whom It May Concern," it’s important to format it correctly. Here's how to write "To Whom It May Concern:"
As we’ve identified above, if you’re using "To Whom It May Concern" you’re likely approaching a business formal conversation. Don’t let sloppy formatting muddle your first impression. These tips should always set you up for success.
Whenever possible, avoid "To Whom It May Concern." It’s largely outdated, stuffy, and lazy. With our access to the internet today, it’s fairly simple to find the name and even email address of the person with whom we wish to speak.
Because of this, "To Whom It May Concern" can demonstrate a lack of effort in correspondence which doesn’t set a positive tone for the rest of your business relationship.
Here are a few tips for finding almost anyone’s name:
It might take a few extra minutes, but finding the name of the person you’re reaching out to is important. Show your email recipient their name matters to you and find it before resorting to "To Whom It May Concern."
If you happen to find your contact’s name from doing your own research, you’ll want to be honest with them about how you found their information.
Example:
Sometimes it’s just not possible to find a contact’s name. In these cases, here are a few alternatives.
When applying to a new position, it's not always possible to know the name of the hiring manager. If you can, figure it out with some good-old-fashioned LinkedIn sleuthing. If not, this greeting is an appropriate choice.
Similarly, if you're unable to identify the recruiter or gatekeeper for the role you're applying for, "Dear Recruiter" is a widely used greeting.
Save this for colleagues or business associates you already have open and casual correspondence with. It's friendly and familiar, so leave it behind for more formal introductions.
If you're applying for a job with a larger company, your application may be directed to a broad recruiting inbox. In this case, you're not writing to a specific person and might need the approval of several recruiters. This greeting ensures you're casting a broad net.
If you're selling to a specific company department and are unsure who your target buyer is, addressing your email to the department alias is best. It's not ideal but if you can't identify the right contact person, don't be afraid to send this greeting.
Know the title of the person you're writing to? Great! Hopefully you can use that information to find their actual name — if not, addressing them by their title (i.e., "Dear Marketing Director") is an acceptable, if not slightly distant, way to reach out.
Whether you're addressing a message to a business contact or reaching out to customer support for a personal matter, it's smart to put your best foot forward. A more formal, respectful greeting is sure to be appreciated.
Already mid-conversation with the person on the other end of your email? Open with a casual "Hello" and continue your message thread.
Perhaps you find yourself addressing an email to a final panel of buyers, or maybe you've made it to the final round of interviews for a new job. Regardless, if you need to send an email to a group of people in one of these scenarios, this greeting works well.
An oldie but a goodie. This greeting is almost always appropriate. When in doubt, pull this one out.
Reserve this familiar greeting for non-professional email correspondence — think happy hour plans and weekend BBQs.
Looking for a way to give your emails some inclusive, work-appropriate holiday cheer? Dust off "Season's Greetings" — just don't forget that apostrophe 's.'
This is another less formal way to open your correspondence. Save it for peers, colleagues, and business associates with whom you already enjoy open rapport.
Sending an email you know will be read right away? Alluding to the time of day with a "Good Morning" or "Good Evening" is suitable for all audiences.
Feeling international? "Good Day" isn't a common greeting in the United States, but it might just enliven your next Monday morning email.
The internet removes many excuses for using "To Whom It May Concern." Before you slap it in an email, consider the recommendations in this post. And wipe a few other outdated or lazy phrases from your vocabulary, including "Looking Forward to Hearing From You," "Best Regards vs. Kind Regards," and "Dear Sir or Madam."
- Letters of recommendation/reference.
- Formal complaints lodged with a company.
- Letters of introduction.
- Letters of interest / prospecting.
Whenever you write a professional letter or email, it’s important to start with the right salutation.
One common professional greeting is the phrase “To Whom It May Concern.” So what exactly does this phrase mean, and when is it appropriate to use it?
This article explains the meaning of “To Whom It May Concern,” offers some alternatives to consider, and gives you examples of this phrase in action.
“To Whom It May Concern” is a greeting used at the beginning of a letter or email when the identity of the reader is unknown. It functions as a generic salutation that can be addressed to anybody reading the letter.
You can use “To Whom It May Concern” whenever you’re writing a letter and you don’t know who the recipient will be.
For example, you might use this greeting when you’re writing a cover letter for a job application and you don’t know the name of the person who will be reviewing your letter. It’s safer to write “To Whom It May Concern” than to address your letter to the wrong person.
Before the advent of the digital age, “To Whom It May Concern” was a common greeting in professional correspondence. It was a lot harder to look up the names of specific people at companies and organizations without access to the internet.
These days, however, it’s a lot easier to look up the name of the person you’re writing to, whether it’s a hiring manager, a prospective client, or the head of a department or committee. As a result, “To Whom It May Concern” has started to feel like a stuffy and old-fashioned phrase.
As a good rule of thumb, you should avoid writing “To Whom It May Concern” whenever you can use a more modern alternative.
It’s standard practice to capitalize the first letter of each word in the phrase “To Whom It May Concern.”
You should follow the phrase with a colon, rather than a comma.
The salutation of a letter should always have an entire line to itself. Then skip the next line and start the first paragraph of your letter on the line after that.
The correct phrase should always be “To Whom It May Concern,” not “To Who It May Concern” or “To Whomever It May Concern,” which are both grammatically incorrect.
Who and whom are both pronouns, but they’re used in different ways. Who refers to the subject of a sentence, while whom refers to the object of a sentence.
In this case, consider the question: “Whom might this letter concern?” The subject of this question is the letter, while the object of this sentence is the person the letter concerns.
Because “To Whom It May Concern” refers to the object of the sentence (the reader), not the subject of the sentence (the letter), it is grammatically incorrect to use who instead of whom.
Whomever and whom are both object pronouns, so they could both be acceptable in the sentence “Whom might this letter concern?”
However, “To Whom It May Concern” is a standard phrase that people are used to seeing, so using a new variation will look strange and unprofessional. As a result, it’s considered incorrect to use “To Whomever It May Concern.”
If you don’t like the idea of using “To Whom It May Concern” at the beginning of your letters, you’re not alone. In many contexts, this phrase can feel overly formal or even outdated, so it’s becoming increasingly common to use synonyms instead.
Here are four common alternatives you can use instead.
It’s always better to address a letter to a specific person than to leave the greeting generic. Avoid the mistake of using “To Whom It May Concern” when you should already know whom your letter will concern.
Personalizing your letter for a single contact person proves you did your research and looked up who you’re writing to. It also shows that you respect the recipient of your letter enough to acknowledge them.
If you’re writing a cover letter, for example, you can comb through the job description to see who the role reports to. Many job descriptions include the name of either the hiring manager or the person who will be your future boss.
You can also check the company’s website to find the right name to use. Professional networking websites like LinkedIn can also provide you with the right name.
When all else fails, you can contact one of the company’s customer service representatives to ask if they’ll disclose the name of the hiring manager. Going the extra mile to personalize your letter will help you make a positive first impression right off the bat.
If you’re writing informally, it might be fine to address someone simply by their first name. If it’s a more formal letter, however, it might be safer to use that person’s title, followed by their last name.
However, this option can be risky. It’s important to be careful not to use the wrong title for the person you’re writing to.
You want to avoid calling someone “Mr.” or “Mrs.” if they prefer to go by “Dr.” You should also be careful to avoid misgendering the person you’re addressing, so try to avoid using gendered language without double-checking their preferences.
If you can’t find a name to address your letter to, you can use a job title or role instead.
For example, many job applicants start their cover letters with the phrase “Dear Recruiter,” “Dear Search Committee,“ “Dear Recruiting Department,“ “Dear Recruiting Manager,“ “Dear Hiring Manager,” or “Dear Hiring Team.”
If you’re writing to a customer service team, you can use “Dear Customer Service Manager“ or another equivalent.
If you’re writing to a team or a large group of people, you can use a simple “Hi team,” “Dear [name of the team],” “Hi all,” or “Hi everyone.”
If you’re writing to your network of contacts, you can even use “Dear Friends” or “Dear Friends and Family.“
In the twenty-first century, it’s becoming increasingly common to go with a simple salutation like “Hello,” “Hi there,” or “Greetings.” These are all friendlier, more casual ways to begin a letter or email.
This informal greeting will make your letter feel more personalized and modern than using “To Whom It May Concern.”
Here are four common situations where it’s appropriate to use “To Whom It May Concern.”
Many job applications require you to write a cover letter explaining why you’re a good fit for the role.
Often, there are many people who read a cover letter: a recruiter, a hiring manager, the person the role reports to, and more. If you don’t know who exactly will be reviewing your cover letter, it’s standard to open your letter with “To Whom It May Concern” as a greeting to all potential readers.
As we mentioned earlier, you should always try to research the name of the person who will be reading your cover letter and address them by name if possible. “To Whom It May Concern” should be your last resort.
If you work in an academic environment, a student might ask you to write them a recommendation letter for a job or school application.
In corporate settings, a colleague might ask you for a recommendation or referral to a different job opportunity.
Both of these situations might require you to address a letter to someone you don’t know, and it’s often hard to find the name or title of the person who will be reading your letter. In this scenario, it’s perfectly acceptable to use “To Whom It May Concern” instead of a more personal greeting.
If you’re in a client-facing role, you might have to contact potential clients to see if they are interested in your products or services.
When you’re reaching someone who makes decisions for an entire company, team, or organization, you might not know the name of the individual in charge until after they reply to your letter.
It’s reasonable to use “To Whom It May Concern” when writing to prospective clients whose names you don’t know. However, you should also consider using a more modern greeting, such as a simple “Hello.”
Let’s look at some examples of how to use “To Whom It May Concern” in action.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express my interest in the summer internship program at [Company Name].
I learned about your company through the student career center at my school and through speaking to other students who have interned with your company. I am passionate about the work you do, and I believe that I could be a great fit for your team.
To Whom It May Concern:
It is with much enthusiasm that I recommend [Student’s Name] for admission at your institution.
I have been [Student’s Name]’s English instructor for the past two years. She has been a wonderful participant in my classes, and she has demonstrated exceptional writing skills.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to recommend [Colleague’s Name] to your company. I have worked with him for the past seven years at [Current Company], where I was his manager. He is a dependable and hardworking colleague who would be an asset to any team.
To Whom It May Concern:
I’m a big fan of your organization’s work, and I was wondering if you might be in the need of [Professional Services]. I’m a freelance [Job Title], and I’m writing to introduce myself and to tell you about the services my company offers. I would love the opportunity to work with you.
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