Did you make any of my (embarrassing) mistakes? 😅 TIMESTAMPS 00:00 How NOT to Write a Cover Letter 00:19 Not Addressing to an Actual Person 01:29 Grammar Mistakes and Typos 02:36 Not Spending Enough Time on the Hook 04:25 Not Including Tangible Results 05:47 Being Unaware of Cover Letter Hygiene 06:28 Bonus Mistake 06:45 Why Networking is Important for Cover Letters

@pinalpatel9374

8 ай бұрын

You are AWESOME 🤩@JeffSu

@JeffSu

8 ай бұрын

@@pinalpatel9374 THANK YOU!!

@pinalpatel9374

8 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu ❤

@starlight4130

4 ай бұрын

I’m going to have an amazing cover letter!!

@JeffSu

4 ай бұрын

I believe so too!!!@@starlight4130

My cover letter has always been an mp3 of me singing why I'm perfect for the job.

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

You must be DROWNING in offers 😏

@savagebro2023

5 ай бұрын

​@@JeffSu😂🏊

@dp8806

Ай бұрын

Then y r u under this video?? U do not belong here!

The advice you give is always on point and the effort you put into these videos is something else! I find them so captivating and pleasing to the eye.

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for the kind words my friend 😁

Pure value! Driving to work, had to pull over and watch this the second I got the notification. Good start to the day, thanks Jeff!

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Glad to hear you're driving safe!!!

this must be the best KZread video I have seen. Made 6 mins feel like 6 seconds and very informative while doing so. Thank you mate.

@JeffSu

4 ай бұрын

Woohooo glad to hear it!!

Eye-opening tips! The tips on quantifying impact and crafting an engaging hook were pure gold. Thanks for simplifying the cover letter process :D

@JeffSu

9 ай бұрын

No problem 😁

One of the most impactful videos I’ve ever seen to this topic thank you very much!

@JeffSu

9 ай бұрын

No problem my friend 😁

3:06 I know how obvious this is in hindsight but once I think of my life as a captivating KZread video, everything becomes more fun, convincing and more. It's all about the presentation. Thanks for this golden pro-tip!

@JeffSu

9 ай бұрын

Oh that's an awesome tip!!! Thanks for sharing!!

Jeff you rock - and you know your subject. I love to write and I'm not looking for a job. But I still audit your "classes" and every time I feel smarter afterwards. Big Fan, thank you!

@JeffSu

9 ай бұрын

Wow that's so kind of you! Thank you my friend 😁

This video hits the nail on the head! I wish I had watched this when I was transitioning from teaching. It's easy to make these mistakes, but being aware of them can save a lot of time and frustration. Well done!

@JeffSu

3 ай бұрын

Thank you 😁

Really useful and practical examples, Jeff. I have definitely made a lot of these mistakes myself, so this is a game-changer for sure!😅

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

I wish I knew these sooner for sure my friend 😁

Awesome! Really helpful tips! Thank you, Jeff! 😊

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

No problem 😁

This video is so helpful! Thank you Jeff Su.

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

No problem!

*This is one of most excellent KZread channel I have ever seen. I mean he answers every comments. Just wow* !¡

@savagebro2023

5 ай бұрын

How can I review my resume and cover letter to you?!!!

@JeffSu

5 ай бұрын

Because I like to engage with my viewers! Unfortunately I don't provide consultation services though

@savagebro2023

5 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu no problem

Wild! The KZread algorithm is on fire today 😅I was rewriting my cover letter when this video popped up. Great tips as always - thanks Jeff!

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Woohoooo! Props to KZread! I hope you found this helpful!

This is the second video of yours I have watched, and I had to subscribe. This is such high-quality and succinct content!

@JeffSu

Ай бұрын

Haha thanks! What was the first video?

@JeffSu

Ай бұрын

Unfortunately not :(

This is so amazing and to the point , definitely using them.

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

Glad to hear it! 😁

God, the more I watch this kind of videos, the more anxiety I have.

@JeffSu

6 ай бұрын

wait why 😂

@wd1793

6 ай бұрын

I am kinda old school. I don't have a LinkedIn account and I am not a fan of networking with strangers. But I note that so many tips are about Linkedin networking as if I will never find a decent job without a Linkedin account. That is a bit frustrating. @@JeffSu

@fnfal89

Ай бұрын

Are you still anxious? If so, why?

Thank you for the video, I was struggling and this one just saved me++

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

Glad this helped!

Cool Jeff! Thank you for the pro tips. Wish me luck!

@JeffSu

6 ай бұрын

Best of luck!!

Jeff, please make a video on ATS-friendly resumes. Your videos always help us untangle all the confusions.

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

I never recommend optimizing resumes for ATS. You should network first to get someone to vouch for you 😁

Jeff replied every comment on this video. Impressive!

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

Of course I did 😁

Your videos are leagues above the other "Job search support". Thank you!

@JeffSu

3 ай бұрын

And that's what I love to hear!! 😁

When I get a notification from Jeff, I click immediately!!!

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Woohooo thanks 😁

Really helpful,was about to make same mistakes when applying for your job podt on upwork.Thanks

@JeffSu

9 ай бұрын

No problem! Good luck! 😁

Jeff I am following you for a long time your videos are always to the point precise. In your videos your efforts are 110% I would like to request you if you could please make a video on cover letter for a masters student recently graduated wants to rejoin the work force.

@JeffSu

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the kind words! The same concept applies! The point is to focus on the company and role you're applying for, not so much on yourself (i.e. doesn't matter if you're a masters student, undergrad, or working professional)

Thank you jeff

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

You're very welcome!! 😁

Tipp #1 is AWESOME! Just finished watching the video: it’s really good input. The prompts for chatgpt are also really helpful. Most of the time I know WHAT I want to say but don’t know HOW to say it 😂😂😂

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Tips 2-5 feel sad now 😂 Glad you enjoyed the prompts as well!

@Sannaland

10 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu 😂😂😂 2-5 are good too

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

@@Sannaland 😂😂

Hi @Jeff, your content are always amazing. However, is it possible to guide on 1 resume and 1 cover letter to apply for a job rather than tailoring all the resume and cover letter? Is that even recommended ?

@JeffSu

8 ай бұрын

You should always tailor your resume and cover letter for each position 😁

Hey Jeff, really love your work and have been following and keeping my update with all your videos since your resumé video. Even though I corporated all these tips point to point I have found myself in situations where I was not selected for the job because a guy with 5-10 years of experience than me has applied to the fresher job and the company takes them in because its a “High Value” candidate for a freshers package. Even though I strongly believe a plain resume and cover letter format limited to one page must be a standard, However here in the Middle east, the candidates purely get selected based on their experience years. I have seen horrible resumes of people who get recruited. Most lack even the basic communication skills. Their resumes have 1. All their personal data in the end of resume, they even include father names, wife name, dob, and a picture which takes about 25% of the page. 2. Their resume is always more than 2 pages not because they include too much information it’s because poor formatting and lots of blank spaces. 3. Its always the same summary or objective. Lots of jargon, buzz words and repetitive words. 4. Poor punctuation and layout. When I see these resumes get recruited vs my resume in which I made sure to follow every right procedure just because I am a “fresher” applying for a “fresher” job vs a 5-10 year experienced guy. It is really disheartening and not much confidence inspiring. What would your opinion be on these issues?

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

I'm super sorry to hear this, and thanks for articulating your situation so clearly. I think it's a cultural difference (I'm more familiar with Western application methods), so I'm not sure I can be of help to you :(

@l_Darkwulf_l

9 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu hey Jeff quick update. I just wanted to see if I made my resume again as per your advice and see if it works for applying jobs in Cannada, United States etc and to my surprise I have been getting positive replies from recruiters asking for an interview haha. Even though I do not get selected later since I don’t live there, it was refreshing for me to get such a response since it had been months just sending cold emails with no response at all. Thank you again for your precious content and knowledge.

@JeffSu

9 ай бұрын

@@l_Darkwulf_l nice!!!!

Wow thanks for the chat gpt promts! Love it

@JeffSu

Ай бұрын

No problem 😁

Hi Jeff, thank you for your amazing video, my cover letter looks more professional than it was before. I wonder if you could help me with the "hook” for a billing clerk position in a construction company? Thank you a million!

Great advice! Thank you, Jeff! I have a comment, please. You mentioned to address it to the manager of the role we are applying. From what I know, the recruiters are first screening through the cover letters and the CVs and then shortlisting them for further interviews/assessments. What do you think about addressing the cover letter to the recruiter?

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

You can if you find their name! But hiring manager will always be the best bet!

@MariaCristina901

10 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu Thank you, Jeff!

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

@@MariaCristina901 Anytime!

To be honest, I've always avoided including cover letters in my applications 😂 I was always scared of ruining my chances with a poorly written one Lol 3:07 was clever 😂 but point taken about not being too self centered

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Haha no worries Andrea, definitely not a hard requirement! And re:the joke, 😉 it was hard to insert something witty into this serious video, but glad I managed something

Hi there! Your video was extremely helpful. Could you make a video sharing tips that you can specialize more in high school (for internships, club leadership opportunities, etc? Thanks!

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

Check out my videos aimed at people with 0 experience

Thanks for the tips, though I spent the last 20 mins trying to find which people are in charge of a graduate scheme with no luck. A couple senior people appeared on LinkedIn, but I'm not sure if they have anything to do with the graduate scheme so I am hesitant to include them in the cover letter.

@JeffSu

9 ай бұрын

What's the worst that can happen?

Thanks!

@JeffSu

8 ай бұрын

Thank YOU so much for your support 😁

Awwww, but I don't WANNA do a cover letter and connect with human beings! It's not fair... Fine. I guess... Great stuff as always! Looking forward to seeing what results come from the video out there in the cold world

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

😂 hate the game not the player Matthew

@MatthewEaton

10 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu my friend, I am merely a brain and a heart floating in a vat somewhere in another reality at this point. I am too old to be human haha

Awesome ! Love it ❤ Hope can be help in getting interview !

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Best of luck! Let me know how it goes!

If we’re already including our best accomplishment stats in our resume, should we be repeating any in the cover letter? Or should we try to “save” one or two for the cover letter? Thanks for the vid :)

@JeffSu

9 ай бұрын

No need to "Save" any for the cover letter, rather you should expand on your best one in the cover letter 😁

@rootraven

9 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu gotcha, thank you! 😊

Very very interesting advice. I do have a question about quantifying impact though. I have no real experience and have only been able to carry out “virtual simulations” which is sort of like a virtual work experience course. There are no real people to give feedback on these courses so I can’t seem to find a way to quantify any of my impact. I also dont really know if I made much of an impact since most of what I did was learn new information. Is this type of work quantifiable at all?

@JeffSu

3 ай бұрын

What did ChatGPT give you?

Excellent ! Can we get get a video on how to write recommendation letter to secure a seat in university for bachelors or masters or to get a job etc? Looking foward for your reply and video😁

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Ah I don't have experience in that area, sorry about that!

@aimanzahid1

10 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu Thays alright .Thank you for the reply 🙂

Hi Jeff, thanks for the video. I am developing a few tools for a recruitment bureau and I use these methods to automate CV/resume writing target towards specific job postings. Prompt engineering is definitely not my strong side. Just curious - would you do consulting in helping me automating this process? Thank you

@JeffSu

7 ай бұрын

What kind of automation are you talking about?

@jakobkristensen2390

7 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu rewriting cv towards s specific job posting. Automated using tools like langchain etc

@jeffsu do we mention the quantified metric we already write in resume or should we mention different achievement?

@JeffSu

Ай бұрын

Depends on the role you're applying for

Thank gou! ❤️

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

You're very welcome 😁

Do this but the person is transitioning from completely different field / just graduated from college :)

@JeffSu

8 ай бұрын

I might do a video on that in the future 😁

@JeffSu, Hey mate. why do you have "Do not hallucinate." in your prompt at 2:16? For my curiosity, thanks!

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Because ChatGPT sometimes hallucinates 😂

That last mistake wasnt a mistake, that was a clever ploy ;)

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

Hahaha thanks 😁

"probably not a reliable friend" jeez that's a hardline negative thing to say.

@JeffSu

Ай бұрын

It would be if it weren't a joke

That's great

@JeffSu

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Valuable.

@JeffSu

6 ай бұрын

Glad to hear it!!

If you're applying for a civil service/government role where the staff hierarchy can be really wide, would it make sense to address your cover letter to the Director of Human Resources for the department I'm applying for? - which can be easily found online. Or, better to look on LinkedIn? I found a person who looks like they work for HR in that particular govt dept, but it's possible their name might not be known by the rest of the company? thanks for the very interesting videos! It's a bit of a struggle to find a unique hook for a pretty bureaucratic type of work but I'm trying to be creative 😂

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

Director of HR works, and yes look for their profile on the website AND on linkedin

Hi, new subbie here! Had a few questions and I would appreciate your thoughts on them if possible. Some companies don't disclose the hiring managers on purpose because they want to avoid potential bias during the application process. Is it still right to go through all those tricks to find the potential hiring manager? Wouldn't that reduce your chances of getting hired if that is the case? thx

@JeffSu

Күн бұрын

In my opinion it shows you're proactive 😁

@uwimanarachel9290

Күн бұрын

@@JeffSu Okay well, I'm going to give it a shot🤞🏽

how do you quantify if you have no previous work experience, as someone just out of college. I will use GPT but wanted your advice

@JeffSu

10 күн бұрын

Schoolwork + extracurriculars 😁

Hi Jeff, my name is Fuad from Indonesia. I'm curious. As a community Manager, how the best way to create a portfolio for my position? I mean like the graphic designer, editor or any creative position could show their work such as their design, movie, article, etc. But how should I create a portfolio of my position? I'd appreciate it if you could help me. Thanks Jeff

@JeffSu

9 ай бұрын

Why do you think you need a portfolio?

can I use the same first paragraph that you show us ? , or what other things do you recommend to change ? , my main problem is to catch the attention of the recruiter, which is the main goal of this part of the cover letter 😂

@JeffSu

19 күн бұрын

You can, but you want to customize it for your own use cases 😁

Thanks for the video! Unfortunately, in Portugal (from my experience) it is not very common to use cover letters. Btw, wouldn't it be better to talk about Bard instead of ChatGPT? Just so your managers don't fire you or something... 😏🤣

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Interesting! Is that a Portugal-specific or European thing? We're all about fair competition 😁

@LuisjmGil

10 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu Just a Portugal thing. From my experience here, the most important things are: work experiences, age and the conversations we have in the interviews. And that's why it's important to watch your videos.

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

@@LuisjmGil Gotcha

@JoseRap

5 ай бұрын

Given that the normal practice is not to use Cover Letters, and interviewees are picked from the metrics you mentioned. I wonder if it would be advantageous to include a cover letter? because no one else is doing it, and maybe the hiring manager gets curious and opens it you could have an awesome advantage over the competition. If it were me in portugal I would definitely try it.

So brilliant. It's been disappointingly ugly out here. Okay. The question. You had a letter series that I cannot find. Can you post that link again. Thank you

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Sorry which letter series?

@curtisgilbert5301

10 ай бұрын

Did you not put together a sequence of emails one would send in succession for a job search campaign or am I mistaken

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

@@curtisgilbert5301 cold email outreach? That’s my LinkedIn playlist 😁

@curtisgilbert5301

10 ай бұрын

Okay.... Cool...So I need to go to LinkedIn or ??

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

@@curtisgilbert5301 no, my KZread playlist called LinkedIn tips and tricks!

Quick question so every cover letter you make most of the time needs to be unique to that application/company?

@JeffSu

4 ай бұрын

Yes of course 😁

I am looking at internships how can I be sure I am address the right person?

@JeffSu

7 ай бұрын

Did you watch the video? 😅

@emberleethomas8200

7 ай бұрын

Yes; however, I don't feel confident. I decided to do as you say and address it to someone who seems to be in the chain of command. This way they can tell I did do research.

Noce video ❤

@JeffSu

5 ай бұрын

Thank you 😁

So this is the Amanda HR has been going crazy about

@JeffSu

Ай бұрын

Yup you found her

That hook is great and all, but I didn't attend 5 career fairs and speak with 20 professionals about a role at XYZ small/mid-size company.

@JeffSu

3 ай бұрын

But you can find their employees on LinkedIn and engage with them 😁

I subscribed.

@JeffSu

5 ай бұрын

Woohooo welcome!!

What if I´m applying for a position in a hotel of a huge chain where it is not clear who will read my letter?

@JeffSu

5 ай бұрын

See if you can find the closest person on LinkedIn!

Can anybody please please please clearify to me how to properly adress the letter to the correct person. I mean in his example there were 52 potential Managers.....!!! What if you adress it to the wrong one????

@JeffSu

4 ай бұрын

The wrong one is still better than "To Whom It May Concern" and the 52 managers will roll up to 1 partner anyways

@864ffiore

4 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu❤

I hope that the cover letter template is free

@JeffSu

Ай бұрын

You don't have to hope, you can just check by clicking the link in the description to the PDF version

how to write a postdoc cover letter

Tbh if you really don't know who to address it to I personally don't see a problem saying "To Whom It May Concern". I think saying this is not as bad as the example given in the first part of the video.

@JeffSu

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your perspective! It's not "a problem" per se but you would be losing out to candidates who find the name of the recruiter or hiring manager! 😁

@lfung2213

8 ай бұрын

True very true when you put it like that your right. I never thought of it like. Thank you for making me see this aspect in a new light. 😀

@JeffSu

8 ай бұрын

@@lfung2213 No problem!!!

@lfung2213

8 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu Just one quick question to ask, if its not too much trouble, its not to do with the cover letter but rather the CV or LinkedIn profile. If you have done like a CPD/training course that, lets say, is relevant to highlight for the job application, which section of the CV would you say you should put that in? Education? Experience? I am unsure.

Can you assist me with my cover letter please? I am struggling with my resume

@JeffSu

7 ай бұрын

They're different things though

You say, if you can replace the company name with a competitor's name, and the first paragraph still makes sense, it's not a good paragraph. Yet, that's actually the case for the first paragraph in the cover letter of Amanda. So, this is not a good example?

@JeffSu

4 ай бұрын

How? In the Amanda example she wouldn't have talked to 20 professionals in the other companies

@marloelefant7500

4 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu Ok, I see.

I love your channel but there is no way I would ask 5 people to read every cover letter I write. I would have no more friends. : )

@JeffSu

6 ай бұрын

😂

Hello Jeff

@JeffSu

8 ай бұрын

Hello 😁

BRUH. We can't all access detailed statistics about how the business performed during our time there. Like "Oh yeah sure, you need to know the increase in customer retention % ? NO PROBLEM let me just call my old boss." 🙄WTF

@JeffSu

4 ай бұрын

An estimate is better than no number at all 😁

@james-wx6jh

3 ай бұрын

So just bullshit the numbers

@JeffSu

3 ай бұрын

You gotta back it up in the interview though 😂@@james-wx6jh

your vids contradict each other. this one you say dont add your address on the how to create cover letter you say to add the address. so which one is it?

@JeffSu

4 ай бұрын

Follow instructions for this updated video 😁

Does anyone actually read cover letters? I have talked to recruiters who have said they dont read any of them unless it comes down to a very very close comparison

@JeffSu

3 ай бұрын

I would say most hiring and recruiters don't read cover letters but if I can get a 1% edge on another strong candidate...why not :)

you said it was free...why is it $9?

@JeffSu

7 ай бұрын

The PDF version is free 😁

Then u better keep machines in your job. where is the appreciation of being one's self. Appreciate real talent not words and gimmicks. Any companies needs talented and honest employee for long run.. what he says is just to grab a job.

@JeffSu

6 ай бұрын

I don't think the advice in this video is in conflict with showcasing our individual talents 😁

The hook prompt from chatgpt just doesn't work, and chatgpt spills out either a garbage intro or an entire Cover Letter within 100 words .........

@JeffSu

6 ай бұрын

Ah I'm sorry to hear that. What input are you giving it?

So I'm not God's gift to humanity? I was lied to?😢

@JeffSu

Ай бұрын

Yes unfortunately

Using chat gpt shows you are not willing to engage in the depth of thought and research needed to make connections between the employer, the position, and your "hook". As an employer it tells me you are lazy and not interested in my company.

@JeffSu

3 ай бұрын

You should never rely on ChatGPT outputs alone 😁

As a non English speaker please speak slowly to can understand more I 🙏 hope you can translate your videos into several languages

@JeffSu

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the feedback!

LOL5 people to proof every cover letter!?! Good luck in continuously finding people to review your letters.

@JeffSu

Ай бұрын

Just a suggestion! One extra pair of eyes is better than none 😁

can you talk a bit slow?

@JeffSu

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the feedback!

How many words the cover letter should have 300?

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

As short as possible to convey your key messages across 😁

@Edg5mx

10 ай бұрын

@@JeffSu

Saw your spoiler in the AMA 😀 What if I already made mistake #1 and about to make that again? 🥲Context: the deadline is approaching and I got almost no time to find out who's the hiring manager. In certain job postings, they have a vague department name. For some industries, people don't seem to even have a LinkedIn profile (let say government sector), would "Dear Hiring Manager" is still acceptable? Thank you!

@JeffSu

10 ай бұрын

Still not recommended 😂. At this point the CEO's name is better than a generic opening

@JoseRap

5 ай бұрын

Just call them and ask the receptionist who is in charge of hiring for that position.

@meebabeebadeembadeemdam6787

5 ай бұрын

This is precisely why the advice for "mistake #1" is just completely overblown and unnecessary. You're scrambling to find a name with the deadline approaching when you can just give a generic salutation and move on with your job hunt. Just use "Dear Hiring Manager" and move on. No you do not need to go desperately hunting for the hiring managers name or the name of your potential direct report. If that hiring manager or employer has gone through the trouble of hiding their name for privacy reasons, then they don't expect to see their name in the cover letter. If the hiring manager wants to be addressed in the letter, then they won't make it impossible to find their name, and if they did expect you to hunt for their name You. Don't. Want. To. Work. For. That. Narcissistic. Person. And your cover letter is more often going to be read by an applicant tracking system before it's read by a human, so that should be your focus. Give the ATS some meat to chew on with all the keywords necessary according to the job description. The logic behind the advice of adding their name is it will increase the visibility of your cover letter to the hiring manager. So like of the 500 applications, 100 cover letters, and the 10 or so with a name, the ones with their name stand out as "odd" so they look at them more often. So it's a probability thing, not a hard formal rule. It increases the odds of it being viewed and considered more thoroughly. It's the same story with education and school names even though the curriculum is precisely the same. But not having the managers name doesn't make you a bad candidate nor does it mean you will immediately be ignored. And if you have an impossible time finding the name, then it's super likely that everyone else is having the same hard time UNLESS they know the hiring manager or someone at the company personally, ala Nepotism. Now sure in some circumstances it shows that you made some effort, but if you can't find anything and the company you are applying to has thousands of employees and you aren't sure of the 300 sales managers you could be applying to which is the right one, then just use a generic salutation. It's not a hard rule that you absolutely have to follow otherwise you are a terrible applicant and don't deserve any job where you can't find the name of the hiring manager. Like are you kidding me? You're absolutely worth it, but you have to balance the time spent trying to find the name for one job when you could be applying to more jobs in that same amount of time. In other words, you have to balance the odds of getting a job at one place with a perfect golden cover letter vs the odds of getting a job from 1 of 10 places where you wrote "Dear Hiring Manager". So sure spend a couple minutes searching, if you can't find anything move on. You do not have to grovel at the feet of these hiring managers just to survive, you're time is worth more than that. Call them? How many companies actually have an open line for hundreds of candidates to contact the HR department? They have OTHER things they need to do. Use the CEO's name? How is that any different from using a generic name, especially when that CEO has no idea who the company is hiring for. At the end of the day remember that the hiring process is super subjective and opinionated. You will constantly hear conflicting opinions DIRECTLY FROM HIRING EXPERTS. One recruiter expects a cover letter, the next despises them. One expects Times new roman, the next expects a fancy format. You just need a job to pay the bills and put food on the table, so your best bet is to cast as many lines as possible, not spend time making the absolute perfect lure. If it's your dream job at your dream company, that's a different story but that's also so rare. And you're better off networking at events than applying to a posting anyways.