Just like the way a candidate speaks and carries himself leaves an impression on you; the way you treat the candidate and communicate (in writing or orally) with him, leaves an impression on him. An offer letter is one of the first formal communications that you have in writing with your potential hire. Not only is it an important step towards getting the candidate on board, but it is also a letter that plays a significant role in the decision of the candidate to work with you or not.
Try putting yourself at the position of a candidate and you will realize that no candidate would want to join a company that sends the offer letter very casually- half of the information missing, improper offer letter format and language.
So, now that you don’t want to go wrong with it, read this blog as we share with you the information that can make your job offer letter the best one out there.
What should the offer letter format include?
The offer letter should ideally include the position that the candidate is offered, your company name, relevant job details, benefits, compensation, work hours (rigid or flexible). These things help the candidate make up their mind, so make sure you include every great thing you will be providing to the candidate. For instance, if you provide free lunch, cabs or work from home, mention them without fail as they add weight to the offer you make.
What are the best practices to write a job offer letter?
Other than the aforementioned things, it is also necessary to take good care of the offer letter format and language that you use in it. So, make sure you keep the below-mentioned points in mind while writing an offer letter.
- Company Logo- The letter should be on official letter head with the company logo at the top to increase its authenticity.
- Date and Contact- Mention the date, full name and address of the candidate.
- Opening lines- While you can use a little lighter tone in the letter at some places, make sure you write the first line formally. The line could be something like “We are pleased to offer you a position at XYZ company.”
- Relevant job- related information- Job title, start date, the status of employment, office address, responsibilities, reporting manager name should be included.
- Salary structure- Some companies may not want to send a detailed salary structure in the beginning but it is always a great deed to clear the candidate his in-hand salary and CTC.
- Benefits- Insurance, flexible work hours, free lunch, paid time off, work from home option and other key company benefits should be mentioned.
- Terms and conditions- You should include at-will employment, non-solicit, non-disclosure agreement, etc if your company has it.
- Last date for acceptance- An offer letter is incomplete if it doesn’t have a mention of last day to accept the offer letter.
- Closing line- Besides details given, there might be something that the candidate would want to know, so contact details or the name of the person they can reach out to should be mentioned.
To get this and more letter templates, go to HROne> Resources> Letter templates.