All You Need to Know About Getting an Offer Letter

Someone looking for a job can spend a lot of time on polishing their resume and cover letter in hopes of getting a shot in an interview. During a job opening, all interested job seekers will hand in their resumes and recruiters will go through hundreds of them and interview every potential candidate to decide who to hire.

Those selected candidates will receive a job offer letter from the company as an official document of their employment, which can be sent by e-mail or paper. An offer letter is a document that contains an agreement between an employer and an employee. This article will introduce useful information about a job offer letter, both for job applicants and recruiters.

Before we move on, this guide will cover these aspects:

- What should be included in an offer letter

- Offer letter template

- Things you need to pay attention to in an offer letter

What should be included in an offer letter?

Before you sign the job offer letter, make sure it includes the following key parts:

1. Company basis information
2. Greetings and congratulation
3. Position
4. Starting date
5. Duty (responsibility)
6. Salary
7. Bonus and benefits
8. Policies
9. Termination conditions
10. Confirmation of acceptance (Signature)

If your offer letter is missing any of these components which are important to your final decision, it is totally fine to ask questions and seek for amendments if needed.

An Offer Letter Template

As a recruiter, if you are looking for a good job offer letter sample, this template is for you. As a job seeker, you may also want to look at how an offer letter looks so you can understand it better when you are offered a job. Feel free to use this template when authoring an offer letter for any position.

Mr./Ms,(Recruiter's last name)
Company Address
State Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms.(Job Applicant's Last Name):

I'm pleased to announce that (Company Name) has decided to offer you the job of (Job Title). Your starting date will be (Detailed Date and Time) and please find Mr./Ms, (Supervisor's Name). Your duty is to (Job Details about this Position). I'm sure you will be a good fit for our company.

As we agreed, your basis salary will be $XXXX per year and it will be paid weekly/monthly. We provide you with free parking, full family medical coverage, and life insurance (All Kinds of Benefits of Company). By the end of every year, we will evaluate your behaviour and performance, which will impact your bonus directly.

The lowest bonus you can get is $XXX and the maximum is $XXX. Our paid time-off plan is flexible and includes vacation, disease and personal. Our policy for it is (More Details Information about the Time-off Plan). We'll send you some other documents after we receive your acknowledgement, including enrolment forms and employee handbook that has detailed explanation of our company's policies.

Please sign below as well as on a copy of this offer letter and send them to us as soon as possible to accept this offer. If you accept this offer, your hire date will be [date]. Your immediate supervisor will be [name]. If you have any questions about this, feel free to contact us.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Sincerely,
(Sender's first and last name)
Human Resources Department
(Company Name)

I hereby accept this offer letter and agree with all the terms above.
Signature
Date

Things You Need to Pay Attention in An Offer Letter

After creating your perfect resume, submitting your job application, preparing for and acing the interview, you made it in fierce competition from other candidates and you finally got the job offer letter. Congratulations!

But is it all done? NO. There are important sections in the document that you should read carefully instead of simply accepting the offer letter. You still have the chance to revise or offer a counter of the offer letter before the company receives your acceptance. Remember, it's not finished until you are an official employee in a company.

1. Starting Date and Address

You want to make a good impression on your first day of work, so double check the date and address on your offer letter. Arriving at a wrong place or not paying attention to your starting date are embarrassing and uncomfortable situations people may encounter on their first day. Arriving late or frazzled can give your supervisor a bad first impression as it suggests you are treating work with minimal importance.

2. Position and Duty

Check the job offer letter they've provided you for the position that you applied for. What's the duty for you when you start work? If it is different from what you've discussed and agreed to in the interview, feel free to contact the HR department.

3. Salary

Are you given the pervious salary you agreed to in this job offer letter? If you see a different amount, find out why and negotiate if you need to. We've got you some useful skills about salary negotiation if you would like to find out more on this: 5 Unconventional Tips for Negotiating Your Salary, How Do You Answer Questions about Salary Expectations in an Interview.

4. Bonuses and Benefits

This talks about the benefits that you and your employer have agreed to, so read the offer letter carefully. You can tell the HR manager if you have some reasonable requests or questions before signing the document.

5. Precautions

Pay attention to termination conditions in the job offer letter such as privacy and confidentiality agreements, or any other information like these. Each company has its own guidelines they require their employees to follow. Knowing the rules and regulations will help you understand what is expected of you and what will happen if you violate the rules.

Above all, if after serious consideration you don't want to work for this company, you have the right to reject the offer letter. Don't feel shy or guilty, but proceed politely and respectfully and continue your hunt to start the job of your dreams.