What do I put in a job offer letter?

You’ve hit the jackpot.

Now it’s time to send that all important job offer letter. 

After scouring the world (or what seems like it) for the perfect candidate, you’ve found someone who ticks all the boxes and would be a great addition to your team.

The next step is sealing the deal with an official job offer.

And no, that’s not just shaking their hand at the end of the interview and declaring they’ve got the job.

Recruitment is only that simple in movies.

Read on to find out what you need to include in a job offer email or letter.

We’ve also included a handy job offer letter template to make your job even easier.

Contents of This Blog

• How to write a job offer letter
  • Can I send a job offer email instead?
• What do I include in a job offer letter?
  • Confirming candidate success.
  • If the job role is conditional.
• Outline the terms of employment.
  • If the role is temporary
• What do I put the start date as?
  • If there is a probationary period...
• Finally...
• Providing a Point of Contact
• Free Job Offer Template Download

How to Write a Job Offer Letter

To enter into a contract of employment, you must provide the successful candidate with a formal job offer.

This needs to include a few vital details about the role to ensure there is no ambiguity for the candidate. If there is… well, it might lead to some issues further down the line.

If you’ve never offered a job before, job offer letter templates are a great place to start. They provide the basic structure, so all you need to do is fill out the job-specific details.

Can I send a job offer email instead?

While sending a job offer via email is technically fine, letters appear more professional and avoids things getting lost in inboxes or junk folders.

That said, you may prefer to send an email for the purposes of ease and speed.

The guidance we provide in this blog post can also be applied to a job offer email template too.

Just remind your chosen candidate to check their spam folder!

What do I include in a job offer letter?

We’ve listed the key things you need to include in a job offer letter. We’ve also included some optional extras you may want to throw in depending on the circumstances of the role.

Job offers are legally binding once the candidate has accepted, so it’s vital to be as accurate and comprehensive as possible. You’ll thank yourself later for getting this right!

Confirm their success

Step one of how to write a job offer - confirm that they’ve bagged the role.

Keep this professional.

You may be delighted to have found this great new person to join your team, but don’t go over the top with it.

A simple ‘I’m pleased to let you know…’ will do the trick. 

When you do this, clearly state which job role they’ve been successful in getting. It sounds obvious, but it’s a necessity of an official job offer letter.

Is it a conditional job role?

If the role is conditional, i.e. the candidate will only be given the role if they meet conditions such as satisfactory references, a DBS check or other requirements for the business, state this in the opening paragraph of the job offer.

Some jobs might even require candidates to complete a trial shift before they even receive an offer letter at all!

Make sure there is no doubt or ambiguity when it comes to this.

Outline the terms of employment

All job offer letter templates will include a section for the nitty-gritty details. You must state the terms of employment so that the candidate knows exactly what to expect. These details include:

• Salary
• Work hours (if you work by a flexi system, include that here.)
• The candidate’s manager and department
• Benefits
• Pension arrangements
• Annual leave entitlement
• Location (if the role is remote or hybrid, include that here too.)

This list is not exhaustive.

If there is any other information that you think the individual would need to know before starting the job, write it down.

Is the role temporary?

You may be employing someone on a temporary or contractual basis.

If this is the case, be sure to include the length of time they will be employed with the company and the job end date.

Include the job start date

Following on from the main details of the role, you must include the job start date in your job offer letter.

Again, make sure there is no doubt with this.

Clearly state that the candidate is expected to start their new role on X date (instead of this just being the commencement date of the employment of contract).

You may also wish to include some guidance on what the candidate should do if they are unable to begin work on the specified date.

Is there a probationary period?

If the job role has a probation period, highlight it here.

Include the length and conditions of the probation and, if applicable, inform the recipient that they may be exempt from some parts of the contract during this time.

Finally...

Nearly there! 

Tell the candidate what they need to do next to either accept or reject the job offer.

Ask them to confirm their decision in writing!

You can also let them know what they can expect if they do accept the job offer, such as when to look out for the employment contract and other documents they will need to sign.

Providing a point of contact

Finally, supply the recipient with a point of contact and their contact details should they have any questions or concerns about the role.

This is usually the hiring manager or a member of HR.

It goes a long way in helping the candidate feel more at ease before starting their new job!

Free Job Offer Letter Template

Job offer letter templates save you the hassle of writing a job offer from scratch, especially if it’s something you’ve never done before.

Once you’ve written one, it should be easier to brand and tailor the job offer letter to reflect your company and the specificities of each role going forward.

We’ve consolidated all of the above points into a handy job offer template to help make your life as easy as possible.

Also, if you haven't already, check out our handy interview follow up templates you can use to engage candidates before they even reach the offer stage of your hiring process.