Making a job offer to your selected candidate is exciting, promising, and sometimes anxiety-inducing. The quality of your offer and how you deliver it are the final factors a candidate will consider when deciding whether to join your company.
We’ll explain how to craft and extend an enticing job offer to help you build a strong and talented workforce.
The Importance of the Job Offer
Candidate experience
If a candidate makes it all the way through your hiring funnel, the offer is the final step in what’s typically a lengthy and involved process. Making a compelling offer tailored to the candidate’s needs and desires closes out their candidate experience on a high note, so whether they accept it or not, they’ll walk away with a lasting positive impression of your company and hiring process.
Employer brand
We’ve all heard about companies that offer notoriously low salaries and lackluster offers. When candidates share such information amongst themselves, it’s with distaste and disapproval. Making subpar offers reflects poorly on your company and can result in a negative reputation in the marketplace, hurting your future hiring efforts.
Related: How to Elevate Your Employer Brand to Recruit Top Candidates
Offer acceptance rate
The primary reason to put thought and effort into your offers is straightforward: to make sure they get accepted! Extending job offers that are appealing to candidates improves your offer acceptance rate, which indicates an efficient hiring process.
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6 Steps to Extend a Job Offer
1. Gauge the candidate’s interest
Alongside assessing a candidate’s skills and experience, you should also note their interest level. How much do they seem to want the job? Are there other employers in the mix competing for them?
Assessing the candidate’s interest and competitiveness will provide important clues about the kind of offer you need to make–for example, one that’s at the top of the position’s salary range versus somewhere in the middle.
Gauging the candidate’s sentiment will help you emphasize the aspects of your offer that are most important to them, such as things they’ve said are missing from their current job. You can also use this opportunity to put any lingering hesitations to rest based on the questions or concerns they raised during the interview process.
2. Create your offer
Gather all the required information and write it in an offer letter. Your employee offer letter should formally state all of the pertinent details of the position and compensation package, as well as any perks you want to highlight to entice the candidate.
We’ll discuss everything that should be included in a strong offer letter below.
3. Offer the position verbally
Let the candidate know you’re extending an offer over the phone or via video call (or in person if that’s feasible). If possible, schedule this conversation beforehand so the candidate isn’t caught off guard. You can do this by texting or emailing, asking for a convenient time to chat, and using a note like “I have some exciting information to share. It should only take a few minutes.”
Having a live conversation when you first make a job offer is more personal and conveys the hiring manager’s excitement about bringing the candidate on board. It also allows you to answer any immediate questions they might have.
4. Explain your decision
In your verbal conversation with the candidate, share specific details about why they were selected for the position. Tell them what impressed you about them and what you think they’ll add to the team. Sharing these details is another way to make the process feel more personal and build enthusiasm on the candidate’s end to accept the offer.
5. Sell the position
Your live conversation is also a chance to do some positive marketing on your company’s behalf. Tell the candidate why you think the position is a great fit and call attention to what’s in it for them; live your ample benefits or development opportunities. As we discussed earlier, this is a part of the conversation you’ll want to tailor based on what you know about the candidate and their desires.
6. Follow up with an offer letter
The candidate may accept your offer on the spot, or they may ask for some time to consider it. Both options are completely normal, and in either case, you’ll want to send a formal offer letter in addition to your verbal offer.
Send it via email, either in the body of the email or as an attachment. Include a date by which you would like a response from the candidate.
What Should Be Included in a Job Offer Letter
- Congratulations and thanks. Express your excitement about making the offer and thank the candidate for their participation in your interview process.
- Position title.
- A summary of your decision. Cite one or two things that stood out to you and made you choose this candidate.
- Overview of duties. List the core responsibilities of the role and any expectations you’ve discussed.
- Salary. Offer either an hourly rate or an annual salary and specify how the candidate will be paid (i.e., monthly, bi-weekly, etc.)
- Benefits highlights. Cite the aspects that make your offer compelling and competitive, like high-quality insurance or an attractive PTO policy.
- Start date.
- Contingencies. Identify any steps that must be completed before your offer is considered binding, like a successful background check or drug screening.
- Other pertinent details. For example, if there are specific perks a candidate has expressed interest in or if the position is eligible for overtime pay, these are good details to include in your letter.
- Contact person/method. State who the candidate should contact to discuss the details of the offer.
- Next steps. Let the candidate know how they should respond and the deadline for getting back to you. Outline what will happen following their acceptance of the offer.
- Warm closing. Reiterate your positive feelings about having the candidate on the team and use a professional sign-off.
Job Offer Letter Template
Dear [CANDIDATE NAME],
Thank you for your patience and dedication during our interview process. We appreciate the effort you put into each step.
After thoughtful consideration, we’re excited to offer you the [POSITION TITLE] position. Our hiring committee was impressed with [LIST NOTEWORTHY SKILLS / EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS], and we do not doubt that you would be an asset to our team.
As [POSITION TITLE], you would be responsible for [LIST KEY JOB DUTIES / EXPECTATIONS]. The compensation for this position is [ANNUAL SALARY OR HOURLY RATE]. We are also proud to offer [LIST HIGHLIGHTED BENEFITS]. The start date for the role is [START DATE].
This offer is contingent upon [LIST CONTINGENCIES]. Please email us by [RESPONSE DEADLINE] to let us know of your decision. If you have any questions, please contact [CONTACT PERSON] at [CONTACT METHOD].
Congratulations on behalf of all of us at [COMPANY NAME]. We are eager to have you on the team!
Sincerely,
[HIRING MANAGER’S NAME]
Example Job Offer Letter
Dear Eric,
Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm in the occupational therapist position with Sunview Health. We appreciate your participation in the interview process and recognize the time and effort required.
We are delighted to offer you the job. Your skills as a therapist would be a welcome addition to our team, and your experience in the home health field makes you uniquely qualified for this particular role.
This is a full-time position with a starting annual salary of $54,000, paid bi-weekly. You will be eligible for additional overtime and holiday pay. In addition, you will have access to our exceptional selection of health insurance packages and a 401(k) plan with a 50% employer match of up to 5% of your annual salary. The proposed start date is April 16.
This offer is contingent upon a successful background check and clean drug screening completed at least seven days before your start date. To accept, please sign and date a printed copy of this letter and return it via email. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the details of this offer further, you can reach me directly at (555) 602-1234.
We look forward to welcoming you aboard!
Best,
Alice Anderson
Occupational Therapy Manager
Additional Tips for Making Job Offers
Use the right subject line
Make sure your offer doesn’t get lost among a sea of promotional emails by using a straightforward, attention-grabbing subject line. ‘[Candidate name] – offer’ or ‘Job offer – [position title]’ are two good options that are sure to be noticed. A direct subject line makes your email and the information inside it easy to refer back to as the candidate considers your offer.
Leverage your knowledge of the candidate
Using an offer template like the one above is a great idea to craft a professional offer letter. It’s not a great idea to copy and paste the exact same offer letter for every candidate. Customize each offer letter you send based on the candidate, drawing upon what you’ve learned of them throughout the interview process to make your offer as personally appealing as possible.
Automate the process
Technology can help you simplify and speed up the process of making and formalizing job offers. You can use automated tools to send emails, collect virtual sign-offs, remind you to follow up, and more.
Keep track of offers
Whether you use your ATS, your HR software, or a simple spreadsheet, systematize the process of tracking accepted and rejected job offers. This will help you avoid making offers to multiple candidates at once and enable you to move on to other finalists quickly if your top candidate does not accept the job.
Making high-quality job offers–both in content and format–is crucial in attracting and retaining top talent. Extending thoughtful, personalized offers reflects your company’s value proposition, shows appreciation for candidates, and sets the tone for positive and long-lasting employee relationships.
