How to Start a Cover Letter (Opening Examples)
The opening line of a cover letter decides whether the rest gets read. Skip the tired "To whom it may concern" and "I am writing to apply for…", they waste your strongest sentence. Instead, lead with something specific: a genuine reason you want this role, or a quick proof point that maps to what they need.
Here is how to open well, plus examples you can adapt.
Address it to a person
Whenever you can, find the hiring manager’s name from the posting, the company site, or LinkedIn and open with "Dear [Name]". If you genuinely cannot find it, "Dear Hiring Manager" is a safe fallback, never "To whom it may concern".
Four ways to open the first paragraph
- The fit hook: name the role and one concrete reason you are a strong match.
- The achievement hook: lead with a quantified result relevant to the job.
- The mission hook: connect to something specific about the company you genuinely admire.
- The referral hook: mention a mutual connection who suggested you apply.
Opening line examples
- Achievement: "Last year I cut our support response time by 40%, exactly the kind of impact your Customer Success role is built around."
- Fit: "Five years of building React design systems makes your Senior Frontend Engineer opening feel like a natural next step."
- Mission: "Your work making financial tools accessible to first-time savers is why I want to bring my product design experience to your team."
- Referral: "Maria Chen on your data team suggested I reach out about the Analytics Manager role, and after reading the posting I can see why."
What to avoid in your opening
- "To whom it may concern" and other generic salutations.
- "I am writing to apply for the position of…", they already know.
- Restating your whole resume in the first paragraph.
- Empty enthusiasm ("I would love this job") with no reason behind it.
Put it into practice: browse resume examples by role, start from a free ATS-friendly template, and generate a tailored letter with our AI cover letter generator.
Frequently asked questions
How do you start a cover letter?
Address it to a named person where you can ("Dear [Name]"), then open the first paragraph with a specific hook: a quantified achievement, a concrete reason you fit the role, something specific you admire about the company, or a mutual referral. Skip generic openers like "To whom it may concern."
What is a good opening line for a cover letter?
One that leads with proof or fit, not boilerplate. For example: "Last year I cut our support response time 40%, exactly the kind of impact your Customer Success role is built around." Tie your strongest, most relevant point to the specific job.
Should I use "To whom it may concern"?
No. Find the hiring manager’s name on the posting, company site, or LinkedIn and use it. If you genuinely cannot, "Dear Hiring Manager" is a safe fallback. "To whom it may concern" reads as dated and impersonal.
How do I address a cover letter if I don’t know the hiring manager’s name?
Use "Dear Hiring Manager". It is neutral and professional. Avoid "To whom it may concern" and "Dear Sir or Madam", which feel generic and suggest you did not look.
Applygrid builds the ATS-friendly resume builder and AI cover letter generator behind these guides. We write from hands-on experience with how applicant tracking systems parse resumes, what recruiters actually screen for, and what gets job seekers to the interview.
Put this into practice
Build an ATS-friendly resume and generate a tailored cover letter with Applygrid, free to start.