You’ve probably seen it a thousand times. It sits there at the top of a cover letter or a formal complaint, looking stiff and a bit dusty. To whom it may concern is the ultimate safety net of the business world. It’s the linguistic equivalent of a plain white t-shirt—it technically works everywhere, but it rarely makes a statement. Honestly, most people use it because they’re stuck. They don't know who is reading their email, and they're terrified of being too casual.
But here’s the thing. In 2026, the way we communicate has shifted toward radical personalization. When you drop a "to whom it may concern" into an inbox, you’re essentially telling the recipient, "I have no idea who you are, and I didn't care enough to find out." It’s cold. It’s impersonal. Yet, surprisingly, there are still a few moments where it’s actually the right move.
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The Weird History of the Universal Salutation
We didn't just invent this phrase to be annoying. It has roots in old-school bureaucracy. Back when businesses were giant, faceless monoliths and you had to send physical mail to a "Department of Whatever," you couldn't just check LinkedIn to find the hiring manager's name. You sent a letter into the void. The phrase acted as a signal that the contents were for anyone with the authority to handle them.
It’s a functional relic. Think of it like a "Property of" tag. It establishes a formal boundary. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the use of "whom" as an object pronoun has been declining for decades, but in this specific phrase, it clings to life. Why? Because "To Who It May Concern" sounds fundamentally wrong to our ears, even if we aren't grammar nerds. It's one of the last bastions of the formal dative case in English.
When You Actually Should Use To Whom It May Concern
Stop. Don't delete it from your vocabulary entirely. There are specific, high-stakes scenarios where being overly personal is actually a mistake.
If you’re writing a Letter of Recommendation for a former employee who might show it to ten different companies, you can't address it to "Dear Mr. Henderson." You don't know who Henderson is. In this case, the phrase is a professional standard. It tells the reader that the document is an open testimonial.
Similarly, in legal disputes or formal complaints against a large corporation, you might use it. If you’re emailing a general "support@" or "legal@" alias, you aren't talking to a person; you’re talking to a function. The phrase works there. It keeps things clinical. Business experts like Liz Ryan, founder of Human Resource Consultants, often argue that while the phrase is "deathly boring," it serves a purpose in formal documentation that needs to be filed away for years.
Better Alternatives for Your Cover Letter
If you're applying for a job, please, for the love of your career, try something else. Using to whom it may concern in a job application is a signal of laziness. recruiters spend about six seconds looking at a resume. If the first thing they see is a generic 19th-century greeting, they’ve already pegged you as someone who doesn't do their homework.
Try these instead:
- Dear [Department Name] Team: It’s warmer. It shows you know which group you’re targeting.
- Dear Hiring Manager: A bit cliché, sure, but still better than the alternative.
- Greetings: Simple. Modern. Less "I'm wearing a monocle."
- To the [Job Title] Search Committee: This shows you understand the internal structure of the company.
The "Whom" Problem and Modern Grammar
Let's talk about the grammar for a second. It’s the "m" that scares people.
"Whom" is an object. "Who" is a subject. In the phrase to whom it may concern, "whom" is the object of the preposition "to." If you change it to "who," you're technically breaking a rule that has existed since Old English. Does the average HR person care? Probably not. But the ones who do care really care.
There’s a psychological weight to the word. It feels heavy. In a study by Harvard linguist Steven Pinker, he notes that "archaic flourishes" in writing can sometimes be used to signal status. By using the formal "whom," you’re signaling that you understand the "old ways" of professional conduct. But be careful. If the rest of your email is full of "gonna" and "lol," the formal intro will look like a typo.
Finding the Name: The 5-Minute Investigation
You can almost always find a name. We live in the age of digital footprints. If you're about to type those four words, try this 2026-style reconnaissance first:
- Check the LinkedIn Company Page: Look under the "People" tab. Filter by "Recruiter" or "Manager."
- Search "Head of [Department] at [Company]": Twitter (X) or Threads often lists these titles in bios.
- The Website's "About Us" or "Team" Page: Smaller startups love showing off their team photos. Use that.
- Call the Front Desk: It sounds terrifying to Gen Z, but calling a company and asking, "Hi, I'm sending a formal inquiry to the marketing department, could you tell me who heads that team?" works 90% of the time.
The Impact on SEO and Digital Discovery
You might wonder why we're even talking about this in an SEO context. It’s because "To Whom It May Concern" is a high-volume search term. People are constantly looking for the "correct" way to capitalize it.
For the record: Capitalize every word. It’s a title.
To Whom It May Concern: (followed by a colon, not a comma).
If you’re a business owner or a content creator, understanding the search intent behind this phrase is key. People searching for this are usually in a state of professional anxiety. They want to be correct. They want to avoid embarrassment. By providing a clear, nuanced answer, you build E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). You aren't just giving a grammar tip; you're providing career coaching.
A Quick Note on Punctuation
Colons are your friends here. In formal American English, a salutation is followed by a colon.
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- To Whom It May Concern: (Professional/Formal)
- Dear John, (Personal/Casual)
Using a comma after "To Whom It May Concern" is a common "mid-tier" mistake. It’s not a tragedy, but if you’re going to be formal, go all the way. Don't half-step it.
Is It Ever Offensive?
Offensive? No. Boring? Yes.
The only time it truly grates on people is when the information was easily available. If you're emailing a small business with three employees and you use a generic greeting, it feels dismissive. It says you didn't even bother to look at their homepage. In that context, it’s not just a greeting; it’s a micro-insult.
On the flip side, some older professionals in fields like law or academia still prefer the traditional distance. They find "Hi [Name]" to be presumptuous. This is where your "expert intuition" comes in. Look at the company culture. Is their website full of puns and bright colors? Skip the formality. Is it all marble pillars and serif fonts? Keep the "whom."
The Final Verdict on the Universal Salutation
We aren't going to see this phrase disappear anytime soon. It’s too useful for those "I literally don't know who this is for" moments. But it should be your last resort, not your default setting. It's the "break glass in case of emergency" tool of business writing.
If you’re writing a cover letter, you’ve got about one paragraph to prove you’re a human and not a bot. Starting with a canned phrase makes you look like a bot. Even if you're a real person. Especially if you're a real person.
The goal of modern communication is connection. Connection requires a name. Or at least a specific group.
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Actionable Steps for Your Next Email
- Audit your templates: If your "standard" outreach starts with "To Whom It May Concern," delete it today. Replace it with a bracketed [Name/Department] so you’re forced to fill it in.
- Use the "2-Minute Rule": Spend exactly 120 seconds trying to find a name. If you can’t find one after two minutes of searching LinkedIn and the company site, then—and only then—can you use the generic version.
- Match the tone: If you must use it, ensure the rest of your document maintains that same level of high-formal polish. No contractions. No slang.
- Check your capitalization: Double-check that you've capitalized all five words and ended with a colon. It’s the small details that signal true professionalism.
- Consider a "Subject" line instead: Sometimes, you can skip the salutation entirely in a formal memo. Just start with "RE: [Subject Matter]" and go straight into the body of the text. It’s a bold move, but it’s often cleaner than a dusty greeting.
Think of your greeting as the front door of your message. You want it to be open and inviting, not a locked gate with a "Keep Out" sign written in 18th-century script. Use the phrase when the situation demands a wall, but use a name when you want to build a bridge.