What to include in your cover letter header

Your cover letter header should contain all the information a hiring manager needs to identify you and reach you. Here is the complete list:

Required elements:

  1. Your full name — Use the same name format as your resume. If your resume says "James R. Patterson," your cover letter should too.
  2. Phone number — One number where you can be reached. Make sure your voicemail is professional.
  3. Email address — Use a professional format: firstname.lastname@domain.com. Avoid outdated providers or unprofessional handles.
  4. City and state — Full street address is no longer necessary. "San Francisco, CA" or "Remote — based in Austin, TX" is sufficient.

Recommended elements:

  1. LinkedIn URL — According to LinkedIn Talent Solutions (2025), 87% of recruiters check candidates' LinkedIn profiles. Use a customized URL (linkedin.com/in/yourname).
  2. Portfolio or personal website — For creative, design, or engineering roles where work samples matter.

What to leave out:

  • Full street address (privacy concern; city and state is enough)
  • Photo or headshot (can trigger bias; many ATS systems cannot parse images)
  • Social media links that are not professional
  • Date of birth or age

For complete formatting guidelines, see our guide on professional cover letter format.

How to format the header for ATS compatibility

ATS compatibility starts at the top of your document. Many candidates lose points before the first paragraph because their header is formatted in a way the parser cannot read.

Do:

  • Place all header content in the main body of the document
  • Use simple line breaks to separate contact details
  • Use a pipe (|) or bullet (•) to separate items on the same line
  • Use standard fonts at 10-12pt (up to 14pt for your name)

Do not:

  • Put contact info in the document header/footer area — Greenhouse (2024) reports that some ATS systems skip header and footer zones entirely
  • Use text boxes to position elements — ATS parsers cannot read floating text
  • Use tables for layout — parsing order becomes unpredictable
  • Embed your name or contact info in an image

Example of a clean, ATS-compatible header:

Jane Martinez
San Francisco, CA | (415) 555-0142 | jane.martinez@email.com | linkedin.com/in/janemartinez

March 10, 2026

Sarah Chen
Director of Engineering
Acme Corp
San Francisco, CA

This format is parsed correctly by 95% of ATS platforms according to iCIMS (2024). It contains all essential information in a clean, readable layout that works for both machines and humans.

Recipient information and salutation

Below your header and the date, include the recipient's information:

When you know the hiring manager:

  1. Full name
  2. Title
  3. Company name
  4. Company city and state (optional)

Salutation: "Dear [First Name] [Last Name]," or "Dear Ms./Mr. [Last Name],"

When you do not know the hiring manager:
Try to find the name first — check:

  • The job posting itself
  • The company's team or leadership page
  • LinkedIn (search "[Company] + [Department] + Manager/Director")
  • The recruiter who posted the job

If you truly cannot find a name, use:

  • "Dear Hiring Team,"
  • "Dear [Department] Hiring Manager,"
  • "Dear [Company Name] Recruiting Team,"

Avoid:

  • "To Whom It May Concern" — outdated and impersonal
  • "Dear Sir or Madam" — equally dated and assumes gender
  • "Hey" or "Hi there" — too casual for most applications

For a detailed guide on this topic, see how to address a cover letter when you don't know the hiring manager.

Match your cover letter header to your resume

Your cover letter and resume should look like they belong together. Consistent visual branding signals attention to detail and professionalism.

Elements to match:

  • Name format — Use the exact same name on both documents
  • Font choice — Same font family on both
  • Contact information — Same phone, email, and LinkedIn URL
  • Header layout — Similar positioning and spacing
  • Color scheme — If your resume uses a subtle accent color, use the same one

Why consistency matters:
Robert Half (2025) found that hiring managers associate visual consistency between application materials with organizational skills and professionalism. When your documents look mismatched, it creates a subtle impression of carelessness.

The simplest approach: create your cover letter header first, then use the same design for your resume header (or vice versa). If you are using LetterShot to generate your cover letter, the output uses a clean header format that pairs well with any standard resume template.

When I see a cover letter and resume that clearly belong together

— same font, same header style, same contact info — it tells me this candidate pays attention to details. That matters." — Virginia Franco, Executive Resume Writer