Project Description

For those seeking employment life can be rosy but, when it comes down to recruitment for employers, things can be somewhat difficult. Candidates have more job vacancies to choose from, more attractive offers, and recruiters are unable to use the same fear of loss of a decade ago.

Hiring is a lengthy and costly process and the cost of an unfilled vacancy is not cheap. Considering that in 2019, it took around 27 working days to fill a vacancy, it quickly becomes clear why employers must speed up their hiring process.

Before we go into the importance of the job offer letter, let’s just take a quick look at two other key factors in the hiring process.

Candidate experience

From the job vacancy advert, through the assessment and interviews, all the way to the job offer letter, it is absolutely crucial that the candidate has the best possible experience with your company. Your reputation hangs in the balance (35% of people will post negative comments about bad experiences).

Regardless of whether a candidate is offered the position, if they have a positive experience with you, they are more likely to come back for future interviews, recommend others to your interviews, and speak well of your business. Nearly all candidates feel that their experience with a business reflects how a company values people.

Employment image

On a similar note, the employment brand is how markets view your organisation as an employer. It defines what others believe it is like to work for you. In today’s market, candidates are placing less focus on salary and more on other aspects (e.g. company culture). A particular firm may offer the best salary on the Island, but if they have a bad reputation for the way they treat their employees, candidates will be greatly put off.

Why a job offer letter is important

A job offer letter is a formal document that outlines the agreement between the employer and the employee.

It should contain the specifics that have already been discussed – such as the salary, any benefits, relevant dates and times – and any necessary ancillary documentation (for example: work permit application, non-disclosure agreement).

Most job offer letters will include a deadline if the candidate hasn’t already accepted the job verbally. This is probably one of the most critical stages in the hiring process. As the recruiter, you have done everything possible to ensure your position is filled. Now you have to wait for the candidate to officially accept. What appears in the job offer letter could be enough to make or break the candidate’s decision.

At this final stage of the hiring process, your offer letter should reflect the same amount of professionalism as the candidate has experienced – and can expect in future – with your business.

Tips to improve your job offer letter

There are numerous ready-made downloadable templates that you can use, however, you will still have to add your own content. To do so, here’s a list of some of the key things you need to remember.

  • It should be streamlined, ensuring it is both effective and efficient
  • It should be automated, and preferably integrated into your recruitment platform
  • Keep the language and tone direct, positive, and honest
  • Recognise the candidate’s skills and the value that they can bring to the company
  • Make sure you include all of the key details and double check they are correct
  • State that the offer is subject to satisfactory references and work permit

Once your job offer letter is complete, you must ensure that all the information is accurate, that there are absolutely no spelling errors, and that it is formatted correctly. Check that your brand is clearly noticeable and that the layout is professional.

Make it easy for candidates to accept

E-signatures are an excellent way to make your job offer letter easy to accept. If a candidate can open your offer on their mobile or desktop, within a couple of clicks they have signed it and it is sent straight back to you. It saves the candidate from having to bother with printers or scanners and reduces the time they have to reconsider.

In conclusion

Before you send a job letter offer, look at your document and see if it makes you feel proud. You should be happy with the content and the format. It must be a document that reflects your business and shows the candidate the type of operation that you run.

More importantly, it should show them that you are a company they want to join.

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