Basic English Language Skills LET’S HAVE A LOOK AT:  THE FORMAT OF YOUR COVER LETTER: Salutation If you know the name of the person to whom you are writing: If you don’t know the name of the person to whom you are writing  (and only if you have no way of establishing the recipient’s name): In an e-mail, you can also leave out the salutation entirely (and replace  it with a subject line) if you don’t know the name of the intended recip- ient, and you feel uncomfortable using an impersonal salutation such as  “Dear Sir/Madam”. •  If you are responding to a job advertisement via e-mail, use the sub- ject line provided in the advertisement. If no subject line was provid- ed, use a relevant subject line that refers to the position being ad- vertised. E.g. “Application for Project Management Assistant position  (ref. no. 4231)”. •  If you are sending your cover letter via e-mail: write the letter in the  body of the e-mail, and start with the salutation (instead of your ad- dress). •  If you are sending a hard copy of your cover letter: use the standard  letter format, with your address at the top right, and the recipient’s  address below that, on the left. •  Use a standard font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, to type your  e-mail. •  ideally, your letter should fit onto one side of an A4 page. •  Your cover letter should be clear and concise. Keep it short – •  Start your letter by addressing the recipient by name: e.g. “Dear Mr John Smith/Dear Ms Joanne Smith” •  Start your letter by addressing the recipient in one of the following  ways: “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Sir/Madam” Developed for Oxbridge Academy