Standard or Modern? These Formal Offer Letter Templates Will Make Your Candidates Say 'Yes!'

We all know a good recruitment process takes time and money. Companies on average spend nearly $4,000 per candidate deciding if someone is the right fit.

So when the right candidate comes along—it's job done, right?

Well, not quite.

As you know, the hiring journey is a two-way street. Your candidate has to want to work with you as much as you want to work with them. And with a tight talent market and increasing scrutiny on your employer brand, you need to make a good impression at all stages of the hiring process.

The last thing you want to do after wading through hundreds of applications, reviewing dozens of test projects and sitting through so many rounds of interviews it makes online dating look easy, is fire off a crappy offer letter and risk losing your top candidate.

Here are some simple (and modern) formal offer email and letter templates to help make this part of the process as fun as it should be. 😉

Why you need a formal offer letter (that doesn't suck)

Research shows that job seekers who've had an awesome candidate experience are 38% more likely to accept your offer.

And the way you present that offer definitely counts.

After asking your candidate to jump through all your recruitment hoops, you need to follow-up by sending an offer letter that really celebrates the fact that they finally made it through. Especially, if you want to ensure a ‘yes’ (or better yet 'Hell, yes!') at the end of it.

Nikki Larchar, Co-Founder at simplyHR LLC says “the offer letter is a legal document, it can be difficult to make changes after it has been signed.”

But at the same, the offer letter doesn't have to lack the kind of fun, human touch that brought you this rockstar to begin with. Think of it as an opportunity to reiterate your compelling one-of-a-kind vision and double down on your commitment to your amazing new hire.

(And as usual, please do NOT consider this legal advice. Always check with your legal team to make sure your letter has everything it needs to, and nothing it shouldn't.)

What should every formal job offer email include

Job offer emails can be a little awkward to write. You have lots of information you need to convey but you don’t want to be a total robot about it.

Here’s a quick guide about what you should include in the email:

• A clear statement confirming the job offer
• Position name, title and department and name of the person they will be reporting to
• Position status (full time, part time, temporary).
• Start date
• Pay rate (usually listed as an hourly rate, plus any overtime)
• Benefits (vacation policy, health insurance, etc.)
• Total weekly work hours, working schedule and overtime policy
• A disclaimer indicating that the offer is contingent on the applicant’s ability to meet any final selection requirements (e.g., background checks)
  

All of the above (and a few other details as outlined later in this article) can go into both the email and the letter attached to your email. More on that in a minute. First, here are a couple of email templates to get you going.

The standard job offer email template

Here's a look at a standard email offer template. If your legal and/or compliance team is a stickler to get past and you just need to send a simple yet formal offer email, this one will get the job done.

Email subject line: [Company_name] Job Offer

Dear [Candidate_name],

We're pleased to offer you a [full/part] time position of [Job_title], directly reporting to the head of the [Department_name] department.

Your annual gross salary will be [$X].

You will also have the following [benefits as per company policy] and [X] days of paid vacation per year.

All this information is detailed in the attached offer letter.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Best,

[Your Name]

The modern job offer email template

Alright, now that we've introduced the basic email offer, let's talk about jazzing it up a little. It's a celebration, after all. 🎉

Hello [Candidate_name] ~

It was so great to meet you on [Day or date]!

We loved getting to know you better. You blew us away with your amazing background and [something fun and specific about their skills, personality or attitude].

[Name of hiring team member] even commented that [fun quip that shows you and your team were paying attention to who the candidate is as a person].

As you might've guessed, we're writing to formally offer you the position of [Job_title].

That is, if you'll have us. As discussed in the interview, this is a [full/part] time position working [X] hours a week. The annual gross salary is [$X].

You'll be working directly with the head of the [Department_name] team on the [Work/projects/passion-driven goal].

You can read all about it in the attached offer letter.

Please take your time to read through everything and let us know if you have any questions.

We can’t wait to welcome you onboard!

Best,

[Your Name]

What to include in the official job offer letter template  

OK. Your job offer email's ready to go.

Now you're ready to nail the official letter you attach to it.

Your job offer letter will need to repeat the key info related to position, pay and benefits as outlined in your email and include a few other standard items, such as:

• Company logo
• Greeting line
• Job title
• Working schedule
• Employment relationship
• Salary
• Bonus potential
• Employee benefits
• Privacy and confidentiality agreements
• Termination conditions
  

This feels like a good time to remind you to always check with your legal team to find out what other jargon (er...we mean statements) need to be included.

The standard offer letter template  

Dear [Candidate_name],

We are pleased to offer you a [full-time/part-time] position of [Job_title]. In this role, you will be reporting to the head of the [Department_name], [Name and Job_title].

You will be expected to work [X] hours per week from [Monday to Friday 08:00-18:00 or shift work].

Your starting salary will be [$X] and will be payable in accordance with the company’s standard payroll schedule, beginning [start day] and you will receive your first paycheck on [date].

Your proposed start date is [date.]

At the beginning of your employment, you will be asked to sign the following (if relevant):

• Contract duration
• Confidentiality agreement
• Nondisclosure agreement
• Non-compete agreement
  

In addition, as an employee at [Company], you are eligible for the following:

• Stock options [provide details]
• Bonuses [provide details]
• Commission structures [provide details]
• A comprehensive employee benefits program [e.g., private healthcare insurance, holiday time]
• Other benefits [provide details]
  

For more information, please refer to our [e.g. policy, employee handbook, or other guidelines].

This job offer is contingent upon the following background checks [provide details] and reference checks.

Could you please send your response to this offer to us by [date]?

If you have any questions, please contact [Manager_name] via email or phone on [provide contact details].

Yours sincerely,

[Your Signature]

The modern offer letter template  

Dear [Candidate_name],

We're thrilled to offer you a [full-time/part-time] position as [Job_title] at [Company_name].

Your experience, skills and killer character will definitely be an asset to our growing company.

In this role, you'll be working as part of the [name the team] reporting to [First name and Job_title].

In this role, you'll work [X] hours over [X] number of days. Your schedule will be [e.g. Monday-Friday 08.00-18.00, flex scheduling details or shift work].

Your responsibilities will include:

[Provide details]

Your starting salary will be [$X]. This will be paid according to our standard payroll schedule which begins on [e.g., first day of the month] and you will receive your first paycheck on [e.g., the last day of the month].

We're so excited to welcome you aboard and we'd love it if you could start on [date]. But if you need to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out and let us know before [date].

Now, the paperwork. We ask all employees to sign the following contracts and agreements at the beginning of their employment with us. If you have any questions about any of these, feel free to let us know.

• Contract duration
• Confidentiality agreement
• Nondisclosure agreement
• Noncompete agreement
  

We're also excited to offer you the following benefits as part of your contract with us:

1. Incentive bonus [outline criteria]
2. Company-sponsored benefits
3. Comprehensive employee benefits program, including: [list all relevant policies, e.g. holiday, health, dental, pension]
   

Of course, this offer is contingent on the background checks and reference checks we discussed [provide details].

We'd love it if you could confirm your acceptance of this offer by signing and returning this letter by [date].

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact me directly via email [address] or phone on [telephone number].

We look forward to working with you!

[Signed]

Once you have your offer letter ready to go, why not make life easier for both you and your candidate by adding an eSignature option? (Does anyone really use scanners anymore?)

If you need help with that, Breezy's integrated document signing makes it super simple to attach and send legally binding, signed documents to and from your candidates in a matter of seconds.

What else can you do to make the process awesome?

Based on your needs and the advice from your legal department, you might not have free rein to make your formal job offer letter sing.

Never fear. There are plenty of other ways to make the experience unforgettable for your new hire.

Here are nine creative ideas to help woo your perfect candidate:

1. Mention added benefits such as office perks like free snacks and great coffee.
2. Offer free use of products or services during the period between sending a job offer and the candidate accepting and starting the job.
3. Send a written welcome note from signed from the CEO or VP via snail mail.
4. Ask them to be a part of your team building day.
5. Invite them to a social event with other colleagues.
6. Add them to the company social media pages or team chats so they can get an early peek into how things tick at your org.
7. Take them out for lunch.
8. Ask them to share something about themselves via an onboarding questionnaire to give people something to chat with them about on their first day in office. (You can also score some major bonus points by stocking the kitchen with their favorite snacks.)
9. Send them a small gift like a Starbucks card or dinner out for them and their partner or friend.
   

One more thing before you hit send

If you’re dealing with high recruitment volumes, putting your (hopefully heartfelt) emails on autopilot can help you save a ton of time.

A rockin' Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can also help get the messy hiring paperwork off your physical and virtual desktops and into a simple, central platform where everyone on your team can easily find the candidate info they need.

Which, by the way, provides a way better experience for candidates.

And remember. Before you send your offer letter, always check with your legal and HR teams to make sure all your information is legit.