13 Writing an Offer Letter
Arley’s comments:
You’ve done a great job of giving an example of an offer letter and offering a few do’s and don’ts . However, I would have liked to see some more detail and research. What are some legal issues with offer letters? What are the parts of the offer letter? What tone should you use? By the end of your section, your reader should be able to write an offer letter successfully. Also, make sure to include references.
Judy’s comments:
You have some good information here which now needs to be taken further by adding more information and application materials. In doing so, I would continue to research and include best practices pertaining to writing offer letters as well as leverage the information from the Week 7 synchronous session – the outcomes of the exercises completed are uploaded there. With regards to the “Dos and Don’ts” some of this information contradicts what is included in the sample letter (e.g. compensation is provided in the letter). As a result, these more research is needed here to ensure the information is accurate and is according to HR best practices. Lastly, there is a link on the title of this page which should be removed as it leads back to this page.
Learning Objectives
- Offer Letter
- Writing an offer letter: What to include
- How to write an offer letter
- Choosing a format
- Drafting your letter
- Onboarding your new employee
- Legal considerations when making a job offer
- Importance of an offer letter
- Writing an Offer Letter
- Do’s and Don’ts of writing an Offer Letter
OFFER LETTER
“Have an offer letter secures both representative and manager by making expectations clear. Archiving precisely what the job’s title, compensation, assignments, and benefits are from the begin can dodge contentions — or indeed losing that represents who you went through so much vitality and time enlisting — afterward on.”— From the Inc. magazine series, “How to Hire the Best,” February 2010
Writing the offer letter: What do you include?
The job offer letter may be in the form of a letter on the company or employer official letterhead, which is signed and sealed by the company stamp.
- A welcoming email to introduce your offer.
- A formal offer letter document to attach to your welcoming email.
- Official letterhead or logo. This is a formal document so you should consider it as formal correspondence.
- Formal letter guidelines. This letter should follow standard business correspondence with the date the letter is written after your logo and/or company name, followed by the full name and contact information of the recipient.
- Opener. After the greeting (“Dear X”), get right to the point by stating something like “We are pleased to offer you the position of Y at Company Z.”
- About the position. This paragraph describes the job, including the title, whether it’s full or part-time, work location, name of the direct supervisor, and expected start date.
- Salary and benefits. Include the base salary or hourly wage and payment schedule, a summary of company benefits, any bonus structure, and applicable work options (such as telecommuting or flex time).
- At-will status. Make it clear that the company may terminate its employment for any lawful reason and at any time.
- Closer. Give the new hire details on how they can reach you (or your HR department) with any questions or concerns and close by reiterating how pleased you are to have them joining the company.
HOW TO WRITE AN OFFER LETTER
- Choosing a Format
- Drafting Your Letter
- Onboarding Your New Employee
Legal Considerations When Making a Job Offer:
When preparing a letter of an employment offer, the most important thing to remember is to avoid using wording that might lead to contractual obligations you didn’t want to establish. In other words, you don’t want the letter to imply that you’re offering the receiver a job for an extended amount of time. This is accomplished by saying that the job relationship is “at-will.”
The term “at-will” means you can end the relationship for any legal reason at any time, which also applies to the employee, who may quit the job at any time for any reason. This and other legal considerations are crucial when first learning how to write an offer letter.
While employment offers can be revoked at any moment for any reason, it’s a good idea to add an expiration date. This might assist you to avoid instances when your potential new recruit is considering alternative job offers and prolonging the process. If you retract an offer after it has been accepted, you may face legal action, and the consequences might be severe. For example, if the applicant has already quit their previous employment in preparation for the new one.
IMPORTANCE OF AN OFFER LETTER
- It describes the job’s responsibilities, salary and benefits, and other working circumstances.
- It signifies the start of a fruitful working partnership.
- It establishes the appropriate expectations.
- It has the status of a legal document. https://inspiroblog.xyz/author/inspiro/page/3/
Writing an offer letter
Company Name: Amazon
Email: primary@amazon.com
Date: 20-06-2021
Name: Amandeep Kaur
Address: Village – Cheema Khurd, P.O- Cheema Kalan, Distt. Tarntarn
Mobile no: 6283371970, Email- Amandeep.kaur@email.com
Title: Job offer letter
Dear Amandeep Kaur
We have been influenced by your framework and we are delighted to offer you the placement of Product Manager at Amazon. We think that your skills and knowledge will be valuable assets for our team and you will be the perfect fit for the company.
Your job is a full-time job from 9:00 A.M to 6:00 P.M. and your annual salary will be $50,000. At the end of the month, your salary will be paid. Your joining date will be on 1st of August. Apart from the salary, some extra benefits will be provided by our company like health insurance, bonus, etc. And your first salary will be given through check and the rest of the month’s salary will be put in your account.
Your appointment will be contract-based for 2 years from August 1st, 2021 to August 1st, 2023. You will understand the needs of the customers and the life cycle of the product through analysis and statistical data with your full loyalty.
If the letter is accepted by you then you will do the signature on it and return it to us. Your response will not be late from the 1st of July. By signing and returning this letter, we will confirm your acceptance of the letter.
Please do not feel hesitation when you have need of any query or any further details. You can contact the senior director of the company by email or phone.
Best regards,
Amit Agarwal
DO’S :
- PUT IT IN WRITING: A formal written offer should incorporate the working title, supervisor, location, work hours, beginning pay, and a shortened outline of benefits. Also, clearly state the conditional nature of the offer and recognize any possibilities that seem to lead to withdrawal, such as comes about of a foundation check, medicate testing, references, and/or the individual’s failure to illustrate work qualification.
- GIVE CANDIDATES TIME TO CONSIDER THE OFFER LETTER: When making an offer, give a sensible timeline for candidates to reply. Numerous managers provide candidates 48 hours to either acknowledge or dismiss the offer orally, but there may be cases when a longer time period is justified, such as for assignments that require the candidate to migrate.
- ASK CANDIDATE TO SIGN AND RETURN THE OFFER LETTER: In case the candidate chooses to acknowledge the offer, educated him or her to sign and return it to you, indeed in case they have as of now orally acknowledged. Keep the marked offer letter within the employee’s workforce record.
- BE PREPARED FOR QUESTIONS: Be prepared to reply to critical details about the company. When considering an offer, or upon tolerating an offer, candidates may inquire about the dress code, parking, benefits, and work environment.
- KEEP COMMUNICATION OPEN: After the candidate has acknowledged the offer, keep the lines of communication open. Reply to any exceptional questions they may have and ease them into the onboarding handle. Earlier to their beginning date, let the worker know where to report on there, to begin with, day and what records they ought to bring, such as supporting archives recorded on the final page of the I-9 form.
DON’T:
- DON’T SURPRISE CANDIDATES: Make sure to be open with candidates during the pre-employment process so that there are no surprises in the case and once you select to extend an offer. For illustration, in case the role is entry-level, be clear about the working title and work depiction. Straightforwardness can offer assistance to set legitimate desires and guarantee the candidate goes into the decision-making prepare educated.
- DON’T MAKE PROMISES: Avoid making any guarantees or explanations that can be interpreted as guarantees related to the length or permanency of the working relationship. Clearly show within the offer that the individual—if they accept—will be an at-will employee and the letter does not constitute a business contract.
- DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY IF CANDIDATES TRY TO NEGOTIATE: It’s reasonably common for candidates to arrange a work offer. The candidate may inquire about higher pay, extra benefits, an adaptable plan, or other advantages. In case you’re willing and able to meet their demands otherwise you make a counteroffer that they acknowledge, allow them an updated offer letter to sign.
Glossary
- Counteroffer: Rejection of original offer letter and replacement with another one
- At-will: At the time that pleases to anyone
REFERENCES
https://hiring.monster.com/employer-resources/small-business-hiring/how-to-write-an-offer-letter/
om/blog/job-offers-dos-and-donts
https://www.indeed.com/hire/c/info/how-to-write-a-job-offer-letter-email?hl=en&co=US
https://www.wikihow.com/Write-an-Offer-Letter#Choosing-a-Format