How to Write a Winning Job Offer Letter [6 Job Offer Templates]
You’ve gone through a rigorous hiring process and found a great candidate, but your work’s not over yet—employers only have about 44 days to influence a new hire’s long-term retention. That means you need to hit onboarding out of the park, including the job offer letter.
The job offer letter is an important milestone in getting the new employees to stay. New hires will expect to receive a clear, professional offer outlining everything from confirmation of job title to when you’ll need to hear back from them.
Communication is key at this point in the hiring stage, so follow our tips to effectively share a winning job offer with your new hires. We’ve also included 6 offer letter templates for you to use:
- Standard offer letter
- Casual offer letter
- Internal offer letter
- Internship offer letter
- Freelance offer letter
- Part-time offer letter
What Is a Job Offer Letter?
A job offer letter is a private and confidential document that outlines in writing the job opportunity you’re offering to the candidate. It should provide them with all the essential information they need to consider and hopefully accept the offer.
If you have offered the job verbally, it’s still essential to send a job offer letter as well, so everything is in writing and there’s a paper trail of communication.
If your offer is conditional on references and a background check, it’s important you highlight this to avoid any misunderstanding on the candidate’s part.
What Should You Include in a Job Offer Letter?
A prospective hire will expect certain information to be outlined and detailed in a job offer letter, so it’s crucial you get this right and communicate everything clearly.
Here are some of the key elements to include:
- Congratulations: You’ll want to congratulate the candidate on being successful in securing a role in the business. It’s an exciting opportunity for both them and the company!
- Job Title: Confirm the agreed job title or role your hire will be taking on, should they accept the job offer.
- Job Description: You can either provide a summary of their new job description or attach a full breakdown.
- Pay: Note the salary you intend to offer the candidate and any benefits that may also come with the role that have monetary value (bonuses, commissions, etc.).
- Start Date: You should ideally include a start date for when you’d prefer them to begin working for you. However, there may be some negotiation here from the candidate as they navigate notice periods and leaving a current role.
- Working Schedule: You’ll need to outline their agreed working hours per week plus the required start and finish times each day.
- Workplace: If the role is hybrid, outline the requirements clearly. If you expect the candidate to work solely from the office, note the location and how many days per week. If the role is fully remote, make sure to confirm this, too. Consider noting whether there is any support available for new hires when it comes to equipment and setup.
- At-Will Employment: If your company is an at-will employer, it’s a good idea to clearly state this in your offer letter, so candidates understand the implications of accepting a role.
- Manager and Reporting Structure: Share the name of the candidate’s potential manager and if they will have any line reports under them.
- Paid Time Off: Confirm how many paid time-off days are offered as part of the role.
- Benefits: Share details of any benefits, such as health care, dental, discounts for local businesses, perks, or products within the business.
Is an Offer Letter Legally Binding?
A job offer letter isn’t typically legally binding unless explicitly stipulated. Specifically in the US, employment isn’t legally binding until the employee accepts the offer and signs an employment contract with the business.
This is because many employers require references or background checks before employment can start. It also means your organization can retract the job offer if something changes without negative repercussions for the business.
Of course, you should avoid doing this, as playing fast and loose with candidate offers will damage your reputation as an employer.
On the other hand, that also means the candidate can reject the job offer for any reason, like if they don’t like your terms or they get a better offer. If you’ve lost candidates due to a slow hiring process, take a look at our guide on how to speed things up.
As always, you should check local laws since other countries, like the UK and France, put more weight on offer letters in certain situations.
For example, extending an unconditional job offer in the UK has the same legal standing as an employment contract. In France, it all comes down to the time limit set by the employer—if either the employer or candidate waits too long to change their mind, they can be held liable for damages.
Is an Offer Letter a Contract?
No, an offer letter is typically not the same as a contract. It’s a step towards it and allows time for candidates and the business offering the role to negotiate any terms outlined in the letter.
However, you can send contracts out at the same time as the offer letter if there’s no room for negotiation on salary or working hours. New hires can then sign there and then and send this back to accept the role. This can speed things up and get that candidate through the door faster.
What Does a Signed Offer Letter Mean?
You can require a new hire to sign an offer letter to acknowledge that they’ve accepted the role. You should make it clear, though, that it’s just an invitation to enter a contract rather than being the final, legally binding document.
Your company should send a contract separately to the job offer letter, with any agreed formalities of the role and confirmation of expectations from the business and what you’re offering the new hire. Once the new hire signs, the employee has entered a binding contract with the company.
What Does an Offer Letter Look Like? 6 Job Offer Letter Templates
Many offer letters typically feature similar information but will need to be made relevant to the role being offered.
Here, we’ve featured some job offer templates to consider and adapt as needed, whether you’re sending out a formal acknowledgment or sharing the good news with an internal hire.
Standard Job Offer Letter Template
Dear [insert name],
Thank you for your time on [insert interview date]. We enjoyed speaking to you and getting to know you a little better during the interview process.
We were very impressed with [insert example] and your experience in your previous role and would like to offer you the title of [insert job title].
This is a [specify full-time or part-time] position, based in our [insert office or adapt for remote/hybrid role].
You’ll be reporting to [insert name and job title]. We [specify if you are/are not] an at-will employer.
Your gross salary will be [insert here], and you’ll also be entitled to [list out key benefits] starting [insert requirements to qualify for benefits—probation passed, first day etc.]
You’re also entitled to [insert number of PTO days] paid time-off days per year.
You’ll need to sign a contract upon agreeing to employment [insert when this will be sent/if it’s attached].
Please respond to this offer by [insert date] and send your response to [confirm who].
We look forward to hearing from you.
Please contact [insert name] for any further questions or support.
Kind regards,
[Name and signature]
Casual Job Offer Letter Template
Hi [insert name],
We were very impressed by your experience and interview, and we’d like to offer you the role of [insert job title].
This is an exciting position, and we’d love to have you as part of the team! Here are more details on the role:
- [Insert job title]
- [Insert salary]
- [Insert benefits and eligibility for these]
- [Insert location]
Let us know if you’d like to accept this offer and when you’d be able to start.
We look forward to hearing from you soon! Please get in touch with [insert name] if you have any questions.
Best,
[Name and job title]
Internal Job Offer Letter Template
Dear [insert name],
Thank you for your time and for applying for the position of [insert title]. We’re writing to confirm that you’ve been successful, and we’d like to offer you the role.
Accepting this role will trigger your [insert notice period length] before moving into this new position.
Your new salary will be [insert salary] with the following benefits [list out any new benefits or confirm if they stay the same].
If you have any questions, please speak to [insert name]. We look forward to working with you more closely soon and supporting you in your new role.
Best wishes,
[Name and title]
Internship Job Offer Letter Template
Dear [insert name],
We’re delighted to offer you the position of [insert internship title here] as part of our [insert name of internship program, if applicable].
Your start date will be [insert date], and you’ll be working [insert details of workplace, noting if hybrid is available, office location, etc.]
Your pay will be [insert details of pay, or if this isn’t a paid position, highlight this here].
You’ll be working with the [insert team name], reporting to [insert manager name].
Please review the details of this letter and respond by the [insert date] to confirm acceptance. If you have any questions, please get in touch with [insert name].
Congratulations and welcome to the team!
Sincerely,
[Name and job title]
Freelance Job Offer Letter Template
Dear [insert name],
We’d like to offer you a freelance position as [insert freelance job title].
We agree to your [hourly rate or per-piece rate] and notice period of [insert here] for accepting work.
Please confirm how you’d prefer to be notified of new work opportunities for our records and the date you issue invoices each month.
We look forward to working with you. Please respond to this letter confirming acceptance to move to the next stage.
Best wishes,
[Name and title]
Part-Time Job Offer Letter Template
Dear [insert name],
Thank you for applying for [insert position]. We’re pleased to inform you that you’ve been selected for the role.
Please find the details below for your consideration:
- Working hours: [insert working hours here]
- Pay: [insert part-time salary or hourly wages, and what this equates to in full-time hours]
- [Insert working location]
Please respond to this letter as confirmation of acceptance of this offer to proceed to the next stages.
Sincerely,
[Name and job title]
What Happens After Sending a Job Offer Letter?
Congratulations, you’ve sent the offer letter! Now what?
Your letter should have confirmed when you expect to receive a response from the candidate, but here are the next steps if you get a positive answer.
Get the Contracts Signed
Once the new hire has agreed to the job offer in writing, it’s time to send out a contract for them to sign. This is when everything is set in stone, from salary to PTO to working hours, all agreed with a signature.
The contract is a legally binding document that protects both the business and its employees. It’s essential to have one in place when bringing someone new on board.
Start the Onboarding Process
Contracts signed? Start date confirmed? It’s time to begin the onboarding process. You can follow our onboarding checklist or consider implementing purpose-built onboarding software for a more efficient process that truly engages new hires.
Set Up the New Employee in Your Payroll
It’s important that your team organizes all financial requirements by the time your new hire joins the business. Get this out of the way early and make sure your new employee is on your payroll well before it’s needed.
Do I Need to Send Rejection Letters to Unsuccessful Candidates?
Sending a rejection letter to every candidate you interview might not be essential, but taking to time to recognize their efforts in writing could have several positive effects:
- Employer Branding: You’ll demonstrate that your organization values people, both inside and outside the business. Candidates you interviewed but rejected in a thoughtful way might speak positively about your business to others. Some of these people might go on to apply for your vacancies in the future, increasing your potential candidate pool.
- Morale Boost: You could provide a much-needed morale boost to candidates who are going through the arduous process of job hunting. Applying for jobs can be an energy-sapping process, so highlighting a person’s strengths, skills, and areas for improvement can keep them motivated during a tricky time.