How to Write an Offer Letter: What to Include
• Basic information: In the opening of your letter, include the title of the position, the start date, exempt or non-exempt status, and full- or part-time status.
• Salary: Include how the salary will be paid and how often. How many details about benefits that you include in the letter is up to you.
• Job details: List supervisor name, expected start date, and primary tasks. Note that these tasks may expand or evolve over time.
• Contingencies: State that offer is contingent upon completion of an I-9 form as well as any other background checks, drug screens, physicals, or confidentiality agreements that you require employees to complete.
• At-will employment: Depending on the rules in your state, include a phrase that notes the employment will be on an at-will basis.
• Closing: Include a contact that can be reached for any questions about the agreement as well as the date by which you would like the letter to be signed and returned. Typically employers give their employees five to seven days to accept an offer. Hatke suggests that this period include a weekend. 'Sometimes it's not just the candidate making the decision, it's other people in the family,' she says. 'Do we want to move? Do we want to make this change? Is the money enough? Are the benefits going to be adequate? I like to give them some time to discuss it.'
Dig Deeper: Legal Hiring Practices FAQ
How to Write an Offer Letter: A Personal Touch
Hatke once hand-delivered an offer letter with a bouquet of flowers. 'Small companies have the ability to be a little bit more hands-on than a Morgan Stanley, so they should use that to their advantage,' she says. 'You're not processing thousands of employees, you're processing maybe two or three, so use that hands-on touch and really make the employees feel like you want them there."
Keels typically includes a packet with extra information about benefits and an employee handbook with her offer letters, but she says that it can be nice to also personalize the offer with a mug or something with the company name on it. 'You can include something to make that person feel like they're part of the company, so that it's more of a welcome packet than just an offer letter,' she says. 'And that's pretty low cost.'
If you're not excited about giving away flowers or mugs, it's easy to include a phrase in the offer letter about how you are excited about the candidate joining your staff. Many small companies don't hire often, and the candidate will be an important addition to the staff. It never hurts to let them know it.
Dig Deeper: Hiring and Retaining Good Employees…It's Tough!
Resources
Inc.com's sample offer letter: http://www.inc.com/tools/2000/12/21408.html
How to Hire Your First Employee: http://www.inc.com/guides/hr/20710.html
The Society for Human Resource Management: http://www.shrm.org/Pages/default.aspx
Find a local branch of the SHRM here: http://www.shrm.org/Communities/SHRMRegions-StateCouncils-MAC/Pages/default.aspx
The department of labor's guide to hiring employees and contractors: http://www.business.gov/business-law/employment/hiring/
