To Whom It May Concern: Know The Use Of This Phrase

By
Peter
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To Whom It May Concern

This phrase is normally used as a letter greeting or salutation when you don’t know who you are writing the letter to or who you are addressing. To whom it may concern can also be used when you don’t know the name of the person you are writing the letter to.

People use other ways of greeting salutations also because ‘to whom it may concern’ is getting outdated.

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Other Greeting Salutations include

  • Dear Customer Service Manager
  • Dear (Department) Name
  • Dear (Department) Manager
  • Dear HR Manager
  • Dear Hiring Committee
  • Dear Hiring Manager
  • Dear Recruiter
  • Dear Human Resources Representative
  • Dear Personal Manager
  • Dear Recruiting Manager
  • Dear Search Committee
  • Greetings
  • Hello

However, Hello Sir/ Madam, which is most often used by people, is also getting old-fashioned. And it is not always necessary to start the letter by saluting the reader as the best way to start a letter is to use ‘Re: Topic you are writing about and then continue the rest of the letter.

As you read through this article I will explain when you can use the phrase ‘to whom it may concern, how to use it, and the disadvantages of using it.

When do we use ‘To whom it may concern?

This phrase can be used when writing a letter or email or other forms of communication when you don’t know who you are writing to. It could also be used when enquiring. It could also be used when writing a prospective letter or a letter of recommendation or a letter of recommendation.

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How to use it?

It is written at the start of the letter to address ‘To whom it may concern. It starts with a capital letter and ends with a colon and then the letter will be continued from the next paragraph.

Disadvantages of using the phrase

The disadvantage of using this phrase is that it is outdated and not common in use and it may show laziness on the sender’s part.

Still, if you want to use this phrase, you can go ahead as the disadvantages are noticeable in all situations.

The Final Words

Many people didn’t know how to use this phrase in letters, emails, or other communication ways. But I hope from this article you have got the use of this phrase. Besides having disadvantages, you can use it as it is not seen in every situation.

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