Congratulations—your team is growing! Your hiring team has endured the interview process and now you’re ready to send out an offer letter to the right candidate. Yay! But wait, what should you include in an offer letter?

In today’s world, a verbal offering should also be supplemented with a formally written document. By offering a job in this way, you can be sure that both the employer and new hire are clear on the conditions of the job.

Although offer letters contain very important information, they typically only range from about one to two pages. Here’s how to write an effective offer letter.

What is Included in an Effective Offer Letter?

According to The Balance Careers, an offer letter confirms employment details including:

• Job title
• Job description and responsibilities
• Schedule (i.e. full-time/part-time)
• Reporting structure
• Starting date of employment
• Salary
• Benefits information and eligibility
• Acknowledgment of offer and confirmation of acceptance

Additional Elements to Include in an Offer Letter

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, depending on the state and/or employer, an effective offer letter might also include:

• Policies: For example, “employment will be subject to the company’s policies, procedures and handbook (if applicable) as adopted, revised or deleted from time to time.”
• At-will employment: Explains that “either the employee or the company can terminate the relationship at any time, with or without cause or advance notice.”
• Contingencies: “State that the offer is contingent upon a background check clearance, reference check and satisfactory proof of the employee’s right to work in the U.S., as required by law.”
• Confidentiality and invention assignment agreements
• Prior employer confidential information and restrictions

How to Write an Effective Offer Letter: An Example

Below, we’ve included an example of an effective offer letter (minus the additional elements listed above). We’ve written this letter as if we were adding another member to our team—woohoo!

Interested in joining our team at Culture Works? Check out our open positions.

A Final Word

See? Writing your next offer letter will be a piece of cake using our guide. Interested in learning more about hiring? Read on for 2022 hiring trends in the new year!