Tips to find out the right HR contact person?

Cover letter
New answer on Mar 10, 2021
7 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Mar 09, 2021

hey there, when sending a cover letter i really want to avoid using Dear Sir or Madam. Some firms mention the corresponding HR contact person on their homepage. However, most of them don't. Do you have any tips on how to find out about the HR contact person i can mention in the first line of the cover letter?

Thanks in advance!

(edited)

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Francesco
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replied on Mar 10, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

  1. Ideally you are applying via referral and can ask your contact who to address the cover to. You can find more on referrals here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176
  2. If not, you should be able to find the contact via LinkedIn
  3. If you can’t find it there, you can always use “Dear recruiting team” which I would personally find nicer than “Dear Sir or Madam”

Best,
Francesco

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Gaurav
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replied on Mar 09, 2021
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hi there!

If the company’s website doesn’t provide the name or any contacts of the HR department and your current or previous colleagues also can’t provide you with the necessary contacts and names, the social networking truly comes in handy.

  • You can go to LinkedIn and try to find out contacts of the employees there. There is also information about their position at the company and background on their profiles. You may also happen to have mutual connections with the person you are going to apply to.
  • I would also recommend not to limit yourself with just LinkedIn. You can use all the other social media platforms to find HR specialists and talk to them directly. Especially, if it is going to be a ‘’cold’’ e-mail/message/any of form of outreaching, it’s better to do some research on other social media platforms to find more common points and common interests before sending the letter.

Hope it was useful!

Cheers,
GB

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Clara
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replied on Mar 10, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I wouldn´t loose time on this honestly, it does not matter.

Go with sir/madam, HR dept, to whom it may concern... and you should be fine.

You have bigger fish to fry :)

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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Ian
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replied on Mar 09, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Honestly, this is hard to find. Unless you're given a name I wouldn't try and guess. I would simply put "To Whom It May Concern"

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Ken
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replied on Mar 10, 2021
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

I agree with Ian. It's not necessary to specify an individual since it will typically be a group of people reading your cover letter; namely the recruiting team as well as some consultants. At the same time, "To whom it may concern" ensures gender neutrality which is something that is top of many of the consultancies.

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Denis
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updated an answer on Mar 09, 2021
Goldman Sachs Investment Banker NYC | Ex-Bain 5 yrs| MBA Chicago Booth | Passed > 13 MBB > 20 IB interviews

Keep it simple - 1) call the general office number and ask your way around, 2) look for one HR number on their website and ask them, 3) linkedin search for HR ppl in that specific office

(edited)

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Florian
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replied on Mar 10, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

Getting the HR person's name right should not be the priority. The priority should be to network with HR before you apply (so the name comes naturally available for your application documents).

The easiest way at your stage is to send an email to the generic HR email address, scheduling a call, and asking for some more information about the application process, deadlines, format, etc.

HR is here to guide you throughout the process, even before your application starts. That is their job to answer such questions and most candidates always freak out about contacting HR for some reason...

Cheers,

Florian

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Francesco gave the best answer

Francesco

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