How can I decide if I should use a title (Mr./Ms.) when e-mailing a prospective employer?

Question

I have been corresponding with several potential employers, but I'm not sure about the appropriate way to address the representative. How should I determine how to address them ("John", "Mr. Smith", "Mr. John Smith", "John Smith", etc.) I've never met these people and do not know what is typical in the company they work for.

I have received several e-mails addressing me by my first name and often with a greeting (e.g. "Hi [Firstname]") rather than by referring to me by my last name (e.g. "Mr. [Lastname]"). Should I follow their lead, or should I err on the conservative side the first time I address them to test the waters? What are some ways to evaluate the proper title to use?

Answer 1

Should I follow their lead, or should I err on the conservative side the first time I address them to test the waters?

In the U.S. it almost never hurts to err on the conservative side when dealing with written conversation and a prospective employer.

I am sometimes taken aback when someone who I don't know and have never spoken with addresses me as "Joe". (Perhaps I'd rather be called "Joseph", perhaps in my company everyone uses full names in emails, etc)

Thus, until you are comfortably on a first-name basis with someone, address them as "Mr. [Lastname]" or "Ms. [Lastname]" in your emails.

After you have talked with them on the phone, or met them in person, you'll get a better idea as to how casual their culture is. At that time, you may feel more free to address them by their first name.

Answer 2

I have found that this works best in communication with prospective future employers : In the beginning of your communications, always address the 'To' person as Mr/Ms(Mz) Last name. Even though the other party may address you with your first name.
Once you have made some progress with your aplithe prospective firm and you know the other person for a while (as opposed to talking to a team of HRs) and the other other person is addressing you by your first name, then you can address the other person with his first name Ex. Hi John.

Due to the conditions Mr.Fox talks about, over the years I have found that opening a mail just saying a simple 'Hello' to be the best way.

Answer 3

When you answer - follow their lead. Hi John, Hi Jane, Hello Mr. Smith, Hello Ms. Doe. When you write first - I'd say Mr./Ms. FirstName LastName would be safest. Especially when you write to foreigners and have no idea which part is their last name and which is a family-country-specific name. A friend of mine is responsible of creating email addresses for new employees with the standard jsmith routine. The ways of politely asking "Which word is your last name?"... I once referred to an Indian coworker as "Currently not in the office", because I heard he had a strange [for us] name and this is what I found in his status. So yeah, better go safe.

Answer 4

Yes, start emails on the first-name basis.

If you work with people from all around the world it is very hard to adhere to the proper etiquette because you might not know where exactly the person is located or what the proper form may be. So in my humble experience, it seems that the standard that is emerging is to call people by first names. This is what I have experienced working within MNCs and in companies that use outsourcing. As per Mr. Strazzere's answer - if there are multiple name variants, use the one listed in outlook/corporate directory.

Why not use Mr/Ms/Mrs?

Some believe that women being addressed differently (Ms vs Mrs) is sexist read here (example of it turning to law here).

Even if the lady you're dealing with doesn't hold that viewpoint, do you really want to guess whether she is a Ms or a Mrs? Some people will get offended when you guess wrong.

What if you're dealing with a trans-gendered individual? Do you really want to go there?

Finally, at least with some people, it may be hard to guess the gender of the person from their name alone. Their names may be from different countries/cultures that are unfamiliar to you, and making that mistake will not look good.

In today's brave new world, the safest and simplest thing to do is use the first name.