Dear HR Manager Cover Letter: 6 Samples and When to Use It
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
10 min read
A Dear HR Manager cover letter is a normal cover letter that opens with "Dear HR Manager," because the job posting names no person and the application goes to the human resources team. It is a safe, professional greeting, far better than "To Whom It May Concern". The one constraint is that a real name still beats it, so spend five minutes looking first. CareerOneStop, the US Department of Labor's career site, puts the rule in one line: "Address the letter to a specific person whenever possible." Below are when to use the greeting, what changes in the letter when HR reads it first, and six complete samples to copy. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.
You have stared at the blank line after "Dear" for longer than you spent on the rest of the letter. That is normal, and this page ends the staring.
When Dear HR Manager is the right greeting
Use Dear HR Manager when the posting says to apply to HR, when applications go to a general careers inbox, or when you write to HR without a posting. HR really is the first reader, so the greeting is accurate.
Before you settle for it, check three places for a name. The posting itself is the first, and the Indeed career guide notes: "Sometimes employers include the name of the recruiter or hiring manager responsible for reviewing applications within their posting." Then try the company's team page and a professional networking site. If you find a name and are sure that person reads applications, write "Dear Ms. Patel," instead.
CareerOneStop is direct about the alternatives too: "Do not address your letter to a business, a department, or "To Whom It May Concern."" A job title such as HR Manager or Hiring Manager is the accepted middle ground. For the full list of greetings and when each fits, see our guide to the To Whom It May Concern letter.
Sample 1: answering a posting with no contact name
The most common case: an online posting, a form or an email address, and no person named anywhere.
Entry level: administrative assistant, advert with no contact name (174 words)
Dear HR Manager,
I am applying for the administrative assistant position advertised on your careers page. I graduated in May with an associate degree in business administration, and for the past two years I have worked part time on the front desk of a busy veterinary clinic while studying.
At the clinic I managed the appointment calendar for three vets, answered about sixty calls on a typical Saturday and kept the client records up to date in the practice software. When we moved to online booking, I wrote the one page guide the reception team still uses.
Your posting asks for someone organized, calm on the phone and comfortable with spreadsheets. I use Excel daily for our supply orders, and I am the person colleagues ask when the shared calendar does something strange.
I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can support your office team. I am available to start immediately and can be reached at the number below.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely, Alyssa Moreno (555) 014 2283
Notice what the letter does not do. It does not apologize for the generic greeting or explain that no name was given. HR managers read hundreds of letters that start this way, and the greeting is never the reason one is rejected.
What changes when HR reads your letter first
When HR reads first, your letter is being screened rather than judged. An HR manager or recruiter usually checks three things before passing it on: that you are applying for a real, open role, that you meet the must have requirements in the posting, and that nothing in the letter is a red flag. The hiring manager judges the detail later.
So a Dear HR Manager cover letter should:
- Name the exact job title and, if there is one, the reference number in the first sentence.
- Mirror the posting's must have requirements in its own words, so the screener can tick them off.
- Keep it short. CareerOneStop's guidance is that "A good letter can be about 200-400 words, with just 3-4 short paragraphs."
- Give practical facts HR needs: availability, work authorization if the posting asks, and the best way to reach you.
The structure of the letter itself is the same as any other, which our guide on how to write a cover letter covers step by step.
Sample 2: application sent to an HR email inbox
When the posting gives an address like jobs@ or careers@, the email body is your cover letter. Keep it shorter than a printed letter and attach your resume as a PDF.
Mid level: logistics coordinator, email to an HR inbox (141 words)
Subject: Logistics Coordinator application, ref. LC-2214, Jordan Ellis
Dear HR Manager,
I am applying for the Logistics Coordinator role, reference LC-2214, and have attached my resume.
I have five years of experience coordinating inbound freight for a regional grocery distributor, scheduling about forty carrier deliveries a day across two warehouses. Last year I moved our dock scheduling from a shared spreadsheet to the warehouse management system, which ended the double bookings that used to back trucks up onto the street.
Your posting asks for experience with carrier management, a WMS and on time reporting. I have all three, and I report weekly on-time delivery figures to our operations manager.
I can start two weeks after an offer and I am happy to work the early shift your posting mentions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards, Jordan Ellis jordan.ellis@email.com
If you are unsure what to put in the subject line or whether to paste the letter into the body, our guide to the job application email has the full format.
Sample 3: a speculative letter to HR with no posting
When there is no open job, HR is often the right place to write, because they know which managers are about to hire. Say what you want, what you offer, and make it easy to keep your details on file.
Mid level: dental hygienist, speculative letter to a practice group (147 words)
Dear HR Manager,
I am writing to ask whether your practice group expects to hire dental hygienists in the coming months. I am a licensed dental hygienist with four years of experience at a family practice, and I am relocating to the Phoenix area at the end of the year.
In my current role I see eight to ten patients a day, including children and patients with anxiety about treatment, and I run the practice's recall system, which brings patients back for their six month cleanings. I also trained our two newest hygienists on the intraoral scanner.
Your group's focus on family dentistry is exactly the work I want to keep doing. I have attached my resume and would be grateful if you would keep it on file or pass it to any practice manager who is hiring.
Thank you for considering my application.
Sincerely, Marisol Treviño
Sample 4: internal application through HR
When you apply for another role in your own company, HR often runs the process even though everyone knows you. Address HR by name if you know the HR business partner, and use Dear HR Manager only if the internal posting tells you to apply to the HR team.
Mid level: customer service lead, internal transfer through HR (147 words)
Dear HR Manager,
I am applying for the Customer Success Specialist position posted on the intranet this week. I have worked at Corwin Home Supplies for three years, currently as a customer service lead in the contact center, and my manager, Tom Becker, knows I am applying.
As a lead I handle the escalated accounts, about fifteen a week, and I already work with the customer success team on the trade customers who order every month. Last quarter I set up a call back list for trade accounts with late deliveries, and complaints from that group dropped noticeably according to our quarterly survey.
I know our products, our systems and our trade customers, so I could take on a full account list quickly. I am happy to stay in my current role until a replacement lead is trained.
Thank you for considering me.
Kind regards, Daniel Okoye
Sample 5: a senior letter once you have found the name
The point of the search is this letter. Once you know who reads applications, the greeting changes and so does the tone: you are writing to a person, so the opening can be warmer and more direct.
Senior level: operations manager, letter to a named HR director (165 words)
Dear Ms. Whitfield,
I am applying for the Plant Operations Manager role. I saw your post about the opening on a professional networking site, and I am writing to you directly because the advert names you as the contact for applications.
I have managed operations at a 220 person food packaging plant for six years, reporting to the general manager. In that time I led the plant through a full food safety certification audit with no major findings, introduced a shift handover routine that reduced unplanned line stops, and promoted three of my supervisors into management roles.
Your posting mentions a new production line due next year. I commissioned a new packaging line in my current role, from layout to the first full shift, and I would welcome the chance to talk about what that taught me.
I am available from Monday, November 2, 2026, after my notice period, and I can visit the plant at a time that suits you.
Yours sincerely, Graham Ashford
If you only have a surname and are unsure of the title, write the full name: "Dear Jordan Whitfield,". It is never wrong, and it avoids guessing.
Sample 6: a short Dear HR Manager letter for a UK employer
If you apply to a British employer, the same greeting works, but the sign off changes. The UK's National Careers Service explains the fallback greeting: "If you still cannot find a name, you can start your letter with ‘Dear Sir or Madam’." Dear HR Manager is a more modern choice for the same situation. With either, British convention is to close with "Yours faithfully" because you have not used a name.
Entry level: retail assistant, short letter to a UK store group (115 words)
Dear HR Manager,
I am applying for the Weekend Sales Assistant role at your Leeds store, advertised on your careers site.
I am in my final year of A levels and have worked Saturdays at a garden centre for the past year, where I run the till, restock the outdoor displays and help customers carry heavy items to their cars. My manager trusts me to open the shop with one other colleague.
I am available every Saturday and Sunday, and full time during school holidays. I live a ten minute walk from the store.
Thank you for reading my application. I would welcome the chance to come in for an interview.
Yours faithfully, Ella Fairbanks
Mistakes that make HR stop reading
- Writing "Dear Sir," on its own. It assumes the reader's gender and reads as decades out of date.
- Guessing a name from an old directory. A letter to someone who left last year is worse than a job title.
- Using "Dear HR Manager" for a company that names the contact in the posting. It tells the screener you skimmed.
- Forgetting the job title or reference number, so HR has to work out which of their open roles you mean.
- Sending one letter to every employer with only the company name changed. HR reads enough letters to spot the template in one line.
When you close, match the formality of your greeting; our guide to ending a cover letter has sign offs for each case. And if you are applying for a job in HR rather than writing to HR, the letters you want are in our human resources cover letter guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is it OK to start a cover letter with Dear HR Manager?
Yes. Dear HR Manager is a professional, accepted greeting when the posting names no contact and applications go to human resources. It is better than To Whom It May Concern or Dear Sir. Look for a real name first in the posting, on the company site and on networking sites, and use the name when you are sure that person reads applications.
Should I write Dear HR Manager or Dear Hiring Manager?
Use Dear HR Manager when HR clearly handles applications, for example when the posting says to send your resume to the HR team or a careers inbox. Use Dear Hiring Manager when you are writing to the person who will manage the role. When you cannot tell, Dear Hiring Manager is the more common choice in US postings.
How do I end a cover letter that starts with Dear HR Manager?
In the US, end with Sincerely, Best regards or Kind regards, followed by your full name and contact details. In the UK, convention is Yours faithfully when you have not used the reader's name and Yours sincerely when you have. Whichever you pick, keep it consistent with the formality of your greeting.
Do I need a colon or a comma after Dear HR Manager?
In US business letters, a colon after the greeting is the most formal choice and a comma is perfectly acceptable. In emails a comma is standard. In the UK a comma is usual, and some writers use no punctuation at all. Pick one and use the same style throughout the letter.
Should HR Manager be capitalized in a cover letter greeting?
Yes. In a greeting, HR Manager stands in for a name, so capitalize it as you would a name: Dear HR Manager, Dear Hiring Manager, Dear Recruitment Team. In the body of the letter, job titles that are not used as a name are usually lowercase, as in "the HR manager will receive my references".
Related articles
- Application Letter for Student: 5 Full Samples to Copy
- Application Letter Format in Word: UK Layout and 5 Letters
- Cover Letter for Artist Jobs: 6 Samples by Art Career
- Cabin Crew Cover Letter: 6 Examples for Airline Jobs
More articles
- Delivering at Pace: 4 Civil Service Examples, EO to G7
- Developing Self and Others: 4 Civil Service Examples
- Double Major on Resume: How to List It, With 6 Examples
Looking for a worked example for your job title? Browse the resume examples by job title.