In my position, I review many resumes a week and the main argument that "one should personalize correspondence when possible is very sound". However, rejecting based on salutation is literally judging a book by its cover and if I did so, I would never know if there was the kind of personalization actually being advocated for.

"To Whom It May Concern", (note that it is always used with initcaps) IS the formal, traditional way to open business correspondence when the writer does not know the name and/or title of the recipient. As you recommend, an applicant should take some effort to try to identify who is the appropriate recipient and what their title is but that is likely not as easy as imagined.

For example, here is a job posting for a position at Gearbox (chosen only because I happen to like their games):

https://gearboxsoftware.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=219

There is an online form to fill out, but even if you do, you are never given the name or title of a person who might be interested in getting your resume outside of their electronic system. How would you recommend that someone interested in submitting their hardcopy resume to Gearbox proceed with their cover letter?

You might ask why would someone send a paper application when there is an online form? The answer is that the online system is for HR only and designed to weed out crap based on simple filters. Non-standard candidates with interesting backgrounds and high motivation will almost certainly be rejected at the HR level.

Two of the best people I have ever hired and had the pleasure to work with were a high school kid from Eastern Europe who spoke almost no English and a lumberjack (well technically a US Forest Ranger). If I had not been directly handed their hardcopy cover letters, neither would have made it past the HR system.

Just a heads up. "Dear" anything when you don't have a personal relationship with me makes my skin crawl. I'll still read your cover letter, but ugg. I guess we each have a "pet peeve" with respect to salutations :-)

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