Job Offer Email Template

Getting an attractive candidate to say yes to your job vacancy will always be vital, regardless of the job market or the many other competing demands on your time. 

To help you succeed with this, we have created a simple job offer letter template and writing guide.

We also have other resources on our blog that can help you with hiring your first (or next!) employee and other similar admin tasks. Check out our:

• Free employment contract template (UK)
• Free zero hour contract template (UK)
• Job advertisement template  
• Formal letter template

Who are we?

Zervant are an international company who like to help entrepreneurs succeed and get things done more efficiently. Our primary goal is to make running a small business as simple as possible. We offer an invoicing software solution to our customers as well as free invoice templates. But never mind that, back to the task at hand!

What goes in a job offer letter

Everything that your candidate needs to make a decision and accept the job! Let’s take a look at the standard requirements.

Job details 

Include the job title of the role and give information about:

• the type of role (fixed-term, permanent, temporary, parental leave cover)
• the location (fully remote, hybrid, office/ site based)
• the work schedule (including the no. of hours and/ or days worked, any core availability requirements)
• a brief summary of the candidate’s responsibilities 
• details of who the candidate will report to 
• the number of people/ roles that they will manage (if any).

Compensation and Benefits

Everyone wants to know the perks of the role! This part of your offer will likely be the part that sways your candidate. Make it good! Give the headline salary for the position and if there is a potential for a bonus, explain the metric that is used to calculate it. For example, whether the bonus is performance-based or not. 

Mention all extra employee benefits such as pensions, private healthcare insurance, parental leave, holidays etc. Remember that company culture is becoming more and more important to employees, so if your company puts on regular social events or gives employees training budgets/ annual charity days don’t miss them out! 

Conditions of the offer 

Detail any conditions or things that must be checked before your candidate can start in the role. This might include you obtaining satisfactory references and security clearances, or your candidate completing certain qualifications or non-disclosure agreements. Further examples are given in our conditional job offer letter template (uk).

(Anticipated) start date and hiring process overview

Giving your candidate a brief overview of what is to come next, along with an anticipated start date will help you manage their expectations and avoid any miscommunication. Hopefully it will even help them feel like they are a valued member of the team before they join! 

Point of contact 

Giving your successful candidate a named contact (whether that be yourself or someone else for certain types of queries) will also help your candidate feel welcome and at ease. It will also make it easier for them to say yes!

How and when to respond  

Finally, make sure that your candidate knows exactly how to accept the offer and when they need to do this by. 

We suggest giving a short response time, as if your candidate does refuse it will be less likely that your second candidate has accepted another role in the meantime!

The fine print Ts & Cs

There are many other things that should be included in an employment contract, for example terms dealing with probationary periods, notice periods, confidentiality clauses and sick pay/ grievance procedures. 

The job offer letter is not the place for these; save them for the employment contract itself. To find out the difference between job offer letter and contract see our FAQs. For an employment contract template click here. 

How to write a job offer

Step 1: Review and collate 

Think about the requirements above, look at our template for inspiration, and list all of the information that is relevant to your role that you need to include in your job offer. 

Step 2: Personalise 

Think about how you can personalise the offer. Think about everything you know about the candidate from their application and interview(s). Judge whether a formal or more informal approach will suit or impress your candidate. 

If appropriate, add something to your job offer letter which shows that you were listening to them to help them feel like they are a valued employee. For example:

• a section at the start of your job offer highlighting what the candidate has done to impress you 
• if the candidate mentioned personal information during the interview (e.g., an upcoming trip or event) sign off with some well wishes about it  

Step 3: Get writing!

Using our job offer letter template

Download our free job offer letter template in Microsoft Word. Copy and paste the text onto your own headed paper or insert your logo into the template to get started.

You’ll also find a key and lots of explanatory text in the job offer template to keep you on the right track.

Extra tips for writing an email for a job offer (with examples)

Sometimes a letter can seem a bit too formal. Sending an email instead can be more relaxed, and will get your job offer and terms into your candidate’s inbox much quicker. 

So, how to write a job offer email? You have two options – one is to prepare a letter and attach it to an email. The other is to make the email the job offer. We’ve prepared a template for the latter example:

Job offer email template

Simply copy and paste the following into your email composer and replace the information within the square brackets.

Subject line: Job offer: [insert name of role] at [insert company/ employer name]

Dear [insert candidate name]

Further to our call this afternoon I am delighted to offer you, on behalf of [insert name of company / employer], the role of [insert job title]. Congratulations!

Description of role 

The role will be a [full-time / part-time] position with [number of hours] hours per week required across [insert days of work, e.g., Monday-Friday inclusive]. 

It is a [remote-working / flexible, hybrid / office-based / on-site] role with the [option or requirement] to work [remotely / at our office in [location]] up to [number] of days per week. [You must be available during the core hours of [10]am to [12]pm (GMT and GMT+1 during BST) on [all working days].]

I attach a further copy of the job description for information/ convenience. 

Compensation and benefits

The role comes with a comprehensive benefits package including:

• [list all benefits in bullet points including 
• salary
• bonuses
• additional benefits e.g., holidays, pension contributions, healthcare, etc.]

Conditions

This offer is made subject to the completion of the following to the satisfaction of [the company / name of employer]:

• [list all conditions, including reference and background security checks
• completion of a medical questionnaire
• any other conditions that you may wish to include, for example obtaining or the verification of certain qualifications]

Acceptance 

If you decide to accept this role, your anticipated start date will be [DD] [Month] [YYYY]. Should this date not be suitable please let me know. 

To accept this offer, please respond to this email by [DD] [Month] [YYYY] and I will get you started with the rest of the onboarding process. If you are unable to respond in the timescale indicated, please let me know the reason for the delay. 

Congratulations again and I look forward to welcoming you to the team!

Kind regards

[insert name and email sign off]

FAQs 

What is the difference between a job offer letter or email and an employment contract?

A job offer sets out the main headline terms of employment. It will typically be sent to a candidate after they have been verbally offered a job. 

It can sometimes be a starting point for negotiations with a successful candidate (e.g., in relation to salary etc.). 

An employment contract is more detailed, and will typically be provided to an employee to sign, along with copies of any employee policies, handbooks or procedures, following a candidate’s initial acceptance of a job.

Is a job offer legally binding?

Yes, if the offer is unconditional and the candidate accepts it. It is good practice to include conditions in your job offer. Our template is a conditional job offer template. 

Where can I find an example employment contract?

We have prepared a free employment contract template and a zero hours contract template already.  

If you are an employer looking for more resources, check out:

• ACAS hiring someone 
• GOV.UK employing people
• KYC Verification

The content and template contained on this website are for marketing and general information purposes only and should not be used by any party as a substitute for specific advice of any nature relevant to particular circumstances.