Quick question about how formally to address an email asking for a job...

[Flamingoose]

I'm sending an email to a local business asking them to consider me for a job should anything come up. Writing a brief polite email and attaching my CV.

I've never met the manager. Found his name on the website. Do I write my email..

Dear John,

or

Dear Mr Smith,

??

Dear Mr. Smith. Or Dear John Smith and then sign yours Anna Jones...full names.

Mr Smith. Faux casualism is incredibly rude (although alas sadly very common).

I use full names to avoid assuming anyone's title.

I don't want to assume a woman is Mrs or Ms or Miss. So I always write "Dear Mary Smith" and I award that courtesy to men too.

What Ajas said is good, but I start with full titles, wait for them to sign off with first name before I assume first name is ok.

Different if you know them already to say hello to, already on 1st names basis.

Me too Trout. But if you're starting with full titles, what do you do if you don't know the person and their name gives no indication of sex?

Sam Jones could be anyone.

I also take exception to women's titles revealing their marital status whilst men's don't. So I won't use them.

You can usually find out from LinkedIn if they present as male or female :). I use Ms for title. They can correct me if that's not preferred.

Thank you all for your advice. Unfortunately I utterly fucked it up by actually thinking his name was John Smith as per this thread, instead of his actual name. Yes. I really did.

So is John Smith the name of the company?

Wait, you sent the email to John Smith because of this thread, rather than his real name? Oh OP!

Chuck. Yes I did. Am a fucking idiot.

Oh well. Win some; irretrievably fuck some up, as they say.

Oh OP!!!

Just write back and apologise! It's not irretrievably. I wouldn't hold that against someone.

Do you think so Kew? I got back a "nothing available right now, will keep your CV on file" email and I've tried to compose a "thank you, and sorry for getting your name wrong" but I can't get the wording right and I can't decide if it might be better to just leave it...