Is It Ok to Begin an Email by Saying, “My Name Is”?

When I teach cover letters, I’m always surprised by the number of students who launch this critical document on the strength of a weak opening line:

“My name is C.J. Cregg.”

Put simply, this is a rookie mistake.

First, it’s redundant: Your name is the first thing every email program shows.

Second, it’s a wasted opportunity: It forfeits your one chance to make a great first impression. Is your name really the most captivating way to sell yourself or to elicit attention?

It’s the Online Equivalent of What We Do Offline

What’s that you say? “Isn’t stating your name the way people introduce themselves on the phone and in person?”

It is. Yet a letter is different from a call or a handshake. When writing, you have less time to convey your message; people will indulge you in person longer than they will on paper. Thus, every word you write must resonate — none more so than your first few.

It’s Common Even Online

Ok, ok, you say. “Those are all fair points. But the fact remains that ‘My name is’ is pretty standard fare even in writing.”

Well, you just answered your own objection. The last thing you want is to come across as standard — i.e., forgettable. You want to stand out, to be memorable. As venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki says, “Unless you’re saying something different from the competition, you’re basically saying nothing.”

It’s Risky

“Really? Isn’t being unconventional a big risk?”

Yes. And to be sure, you can’t go wrong per se with a traditional letter.

The problem is that it’s much harder to distinguish yourself this way; the stiltedness saps your writing of any window into your personality.

Think about it this way: If you write with brio, then you have two credentials to show off: Your writing and your résumé. But if your writing is unremarkable, then you have only your résumé.

Is “Dear Recruiter” an Appropriate Way to Begin a Cover Letter?

Cover letters inspire strong opinions. Yet here’s something most people in the “career” field agree upon: If you don’t know a recruiter’s name — and you can’t ascertain it with a little research — then it’s ok to use a generic greeting such as “Good Morning.”

Yet what if you prefer to use something more personal, like “Dear Recruiter”?

From my vantage point, “Dear Recruiter” feels robotic — as if you’re a factory cranking out boilerplate. It harks back to the quintessence of antiquation: “To Whom It May Concern.” By contrast, “Good Morning” is friendly and puts your reader in a pleasant mood.

And yet, as much as it pains me to say this, the preceding paragraph isn’t a fact. It’s my opinion. There’s simply no consensus as to whether “Dear Recruiter” (or “Dear Hiring Manager”) is appropriate. Indeed, a quick Google search reveals that “Dear Recruiter” is encouraged in some scenarios.

To be sure, it’s still bad form to begin with something overly general, like “Dear HR” or “Dear Facebook Recruiting Department.” But “Dear Recruiter,” dear friend, is ok.

3 Reasons You Should Include Your Cover Letter in the Body of Your Email, Rather Than As an Attachment

1. Convenience
It’s quicker to read an email than it is to open an attachment. Those who specialize in what’s known as “user experience” (or UX) call this “friction”: Every step someone needs to take to do what she wants to do (in case this, read the letter) bogs things down.

(This especially true when it comes donation webpages: As a process gets longer, the number of people who complete it decreases. And it’s doubly so with smartphones, which is where people increasingly read the first draft of everything.)

The bottom line: Don’t create hurdles for your recruiter. Make it as easy as possible for her to skim your materials.

2. Technology
Some email clients (for example, the latest version of Outlook) automatically show you a preview of any attachments. But most do not. So, if you send an attachment, your recipient needs to open it in order to read it, rather than viewing it from and in the email itself.

3. Security
It’s a terrible security practice to open attachments from people you don’t know. This is one of the easiest ways to get a virus or to get hacked.