Five Things to Include in a Job Offer Email

A job offer email or offer letter is a formal proposal made and sent by an employer, which is used to officially make an offer of employment to the candidate which the company believes to be the best fit for the role, and has therefore been successful after going through the hiring process of application and interviews.

The email template which you choose to use for a job offer is tremendously important. If the successful candidate goes ahead with accepting the job offer it will likely be used as a point of reference for all the major details of their new role, including the details which they might decided they wish to negotiate on with you, such as start date or their salary.

Before moving ahead with making your job offer over email, it is worth considering if this will be the method which suits you and the candidate best. You may prefer to make the offer of employment on a phone call with the successful applicant first, before sending through an email. Some may even prefer to use a job offer letter instead of an email. The content of your template will likely not differ by much on a letter compared to an email, so almost all of the tips below will still be highly relevant if you plan to mock up a job offer letter template instead of an email for yourself or a colleague.

The most important details of the job offer

Specifying the job title, the annual salary, working hours, who they’ll be reporting into, and the start date should not be missed out of your template. It’s worth noting however, that these may be subject to change. Sometimes individuals will want to adjust the start date you propose in your offer letter if it’s possible or will try to negotiate a higher salary with their new employer, so if you do decide to offer a higher salary, then that will mean you have to send a new, formal confirmation of any new salary offers, start dates, and so on, for the applicant to confirm their agreement with. If they’re a hybrid or full-time office worker, then it’s a no-brainer to provide them with directions to the workplace location in your template so they can easily save it away to have to hand if they do choose to accept the job offer.

Benefits of employment at your company

Include a list in your job offer letter template of what would be included in the benefits program the successful candidate would be entitled to if they were to move forward with accepting the job offer, whether that’s medical insurance, gym discounts, or a cake on their birthday! Making sure to give an outline of their entitlement to any kind of commission or end of year bonus is also an essential, to start off your employment relationship with transparency.

Particularly in light of the Great Resignation, many job applicants a on the hunt for jobs where they feel they are not only getting a better work-life balance and culture, but also high quality benefits. This looks different for every individual, with some aiming for a certain salary, while others will be looking more at the fine print, so make sure all of this is covered in your template!

Clarify the responsibilities that come with the job offer

A brief overview of the job description and expectations is crucial to your template. Although this will likely have been discussed in interviews leading up to the job offer, make sure you’ve given them a final chance to review what their responsibilities will be as well as having a copy in black and white will be helpful for future reference on both ends.

Make sure to offer to answer any questions about the details of their new employment over email or call. Even though you may feel as if you’ve covered all bases in your job offer as an employer, the successful candidate may still have a few queries or want to clarify some details before sending their acceptance of the offer.

An informative, easy to read subject line

It is key that you include a subject line in your email template which conveys that the content of the email is important and of high priority, for both the job seeker and the employer. Something along the lines of ‘Offer of Employment at [insert your company name here]’ should do the trick. By catching the job seeker’s eye with a subject line which clearly states that you are making an offer of an employment, you are likely to get a quicker response from them.

If you have chosen to create a job offer letter template which does not need a subject line in the way an email does, it still might be worth considering adding this title to the top of your letter.

Why did you decide to make the job offer to them specifically?

In your offer letter, let them know what about them stood out and sealed the deal. Nobody likes a generic, impersonalised email template or letter, especially when it’s for something as personal and important as an offer of employment. During the hiring process it’s likely you took note of every candidate’s pros and cons, especially those who made it into the final interview stages. Refer to those to provide genuine, meaningful compliments and feedback in your offer letter.

According to Forbes, on average 118 people apply for a single open position, so whoever comes out on top after your interviewing process and receives the job offer, should be considered very deserving of your compliments! Did they prepare a particularly brilliant presentation or campaign idea? Did they have especially relevant experience which you think would be a great asset to the company? Whatever it is, make sure to mention it in your template.

How an ATS can help you

An applicant tracking system (ATS) can allow you to automate all the emails you may need throughout your hiring process, including your offer of employment, so that they can all go out at the right time for you. It’s incredibly important to make a job offer in good time. The longer you leave it after the candidate’s final interview, the higher the risk of losing them to a different employer. Chances are that if you liked them, so did others! So be sure not to wait around for any more than a few days before sending off your offer email.

Use an ATS to manage your pool of candidates from the get-go. Building out a talent pipeline is beneficial in that allows you to make sure that you’re only including the best in the interview stages. It also gives you the tools to build talent pools tailored to specific aspects such as skill, location, and experience, so that you can make a fully informed decision when moving ahead with your job offer. This can also help you easily identify your runner up candidate who you may end up making an offer to, should your initial offer be entirely turned down by your first-choice candidate.

It can also help you keep an easy to access record of runner up applicants who could be strong (and familiar!) contenders for another position in the future.

To understand more about how Hireserve ATS can improve your hiring processes, request a demo today.