Marketing Specialist and Freelance Writer
Accepting a job offer can be really exciting and a huge sigh of relief! Although formally accepting an offer may seem like a simple task, it requires a little more thought and effort than you may have originally believed. Here is everything you need to know about how to accept a job offer in the correct and professional way.
Before You Accept, Review the Details One More Time
There are many factors to consider before accepting a job offer, such as the day-to-day tasks of the job, salary, working hours, as well as the perks and benefits of the job. It is also critical to review any proposed contracts or employment agreements before signing on the dotted line. Contracts can vary in many ways including procedures and processes involving probationary periods, leave, termination, and so on. So, it is important that you take the time to ensure you agree with what is in the contract. It is never too late to request extra time and/or negotiate.
Ask for Time if You Need it
Job interviews are a little like relationships. You meet someone, chat about your expectations, and find out if there’s a good fit. If everything goes well, you move forward together. Professional relationships, like romantic relationships, require compatibility and a shared vision of the future. Just like you wouldn’t jump into a relationship without considering your options, you shouldn’t dive into a new job without some heavy consideration.
Before accepting a job offer, make sure the job is the right fit for you. You are perfectly within your rights to take some time to contemplate whether you are happy with the position you are being offered and how it aligns with your career plan.
If you need to ask for a little time to consider the position, the best way to do it is to be upfront. Tell the interviewer, recruiter, or hiring manager that you appreciate the offer and confirm that you are very interested. However, you would like a bit of time to consider. Set a reasonable timeframe for yourself to reach the decision (generally one or two days), and communicate that with the hiring team as well.
You Can Still Negotiate
Negotiations are an expected part of receiving a job offer and job seekers often have more power than they expect. Job offers are often not set in stone, but rather they often have some flexibility. Looking for a different schedule? Want more vacation days? Expecting a different job title? These details are almost always up for negotiation.
The best time to negotiate a job offer is right away after receiving it. Most job offers are made verbally which is the best time to haggle the details before getting it into writing. Start your negotiations with an idea of what the most important “must-have” items are and work backward from there.
Plan, Draft, Proofread Your Email/Phone Call Response
Once you have taken the time to consider the job and you have decided that it is the perfect fit for you, now you can start to go about examining how to accept the job offer.
Job offers may be delivered via phone call, email, or in-person. Remember, the way you accept a job can leave a lasting impression. Planning a response ahead of time can help you to put your best foot forward while saving you stress and hassle at the moment.
Writing an Acceptance Email
Nowadays sending letters via a postal service is very uncommon. So with this in mind, your job acceptance letter will most likely be sent via email. Here are our top tips and tricks to consider when saying “yes” to your dream job.
What is an acceptance email?
Many employers will request that you put your job acceptance into writing to officially accept a position. This can help to create a paper trail and provide the necessary documentation about your negotiated salary, benefits, and other employment offer information. Some employers may simply send a job offer and it’s up to you to craft an acceptance email, while others may have a form or line on the offer for you to sign to mark your acceptance. Make sure that the acceptance you sign and/or send spells out any terms you have negotiated.
Remember the importance of the subject line
The purpose of the subject line is to grab the reader’s attention, and to outline what your email is going to be about. It’s important to remember that the hiring manager you are contacting is probably bombarded by emails every day, so ensure that yours gets to the point. Some examples of appropriate email subject lines may include:
- Accepting Company X’s Marketing Manager Job Offer
- Job Offer Acceptance – John Smith
- Job Offer Acceptance for Junior Accountant
It’s essential to keep the subject line of your job acceptance letter professional and brief. A well written subject line is a great way to tie your whole email together.
Show your appreciation
Expressing your appreciation and how thankful you are for this job opportunity is a great way to open your job acceptance letter. This shows that you appreciate the time and effort the hiring team has put into the process, and how excited you are to begin the job. This can be brief, but ensure it iterates why you were the best candidate for the role.
Keep it to the point
The fact of the matter is that the hard work for you is over when it comes to communicating your acceptance for your job offer. The company and hiring manager know everything they need to know in order for you to be offered the role being advertised. This last part of the process is just letting the company know that you are completely happy with the terms and conditions, such as the salary and the starting date of the job, and you are happy to get started.
Format the letter/email properly
Knowing how to format a business letter correctly is a skill that every job seeker should have. Having a well formatted acceptance letter looks good to an employer as it shows you know how to professionally write a letter, and you know how to follow common protocol. Follow simple rules such as including the sender’s address, the date, the recipient’s address, having correct salutations, body, and closing etc.
Write it to the correct person
When thinking about how to accept a job offer, this is something that many don’t think about because it shouldn’t be too difficult if you are just replying to the person who contacted you with the job offer. If this isn’t the case, you should send your letter to the appropriate person. Throughout the hiring process there is usually one or two hiring managers that lead the hiring proceedings, it may be advisable to contact these managers with your job acceptance letter.
End the email professionally
Your job acceptance letter should end professionally with an appropriate salutation and signature. This is another way of tying your letter together, it will make it read well and maintain professionalism. Some appropriate closings include:
- Yours Sincerely
- Best Wishes
- Kind Regards
- Thanks, and Regards
Following these simple tips and tricks will really help you create a well written and professional job acceptance letter. To help you get a better image of what this letter might look like, we have created an example for you to guide you along the way.
Job acceptance email example
Subject: Accepting Company X's Marketing Manager Job Offer Dear Mr. Brown, It is with great pleasure that I accept the Marketing Manager position with Company X. I am super excited to be joining the team, and am so grateful to have been given this opportunity. As discussed in our last meeting, my starting salary will be $45,000 with annual bonuses. I will be beginning my employment at Company X on September 1st, 2021. Thank you for your help throughout this process and I look forward to working with you and the rest of the Company X team. Yours Sincerely, John Smith
Accepting a Job Offer Over the Phone
Some companies opt for calling job candidates on the phone to offer them a position. Of course, it would be great if the company made you aware that this is how they will contact you. If it is the case that you receive a call unexpectedly, you can always express that you want time to think the details over before accepting a job offer. You will then want to call the hiring manager back with a definite answer.
For example, let’s say that you are aware that the company will call you to offer you the job. This means you have had some time to consider the job offer, along with its terms and conditions. Here are some aspects to keep in mind when accepting your job offer over the phone.
Ask for the offer in writing
Before accepting a job offer, be sure the hiring manager agrees to send you everything you have discussed in writing. Having the offer sent officially in writing is really important because it is proof of communication. Things could get complicated if the conversation just happens over the phone. It may turn into a “he said, she said” situation if an issue were to arise. Asking to have the offer sent over in writing shouldn’t be any problem from the employer’s side, and makes things a lot easier for both parties going forward.
It also cuts out any confusion as the terms and conditions are on the screen in black in white. For example, if the phone line went down slightly during the phone call, you may have misheard something. This may result in agreeing or accepting a job offer with incorrect information. Just to be safe, always ask for the offer with all of the terms and conditions to be sent over via email in writing so you can review it before you accept anything.
Ask questions
If your new employer has contacted you over the phone to offer you a job, now is a great time to ask final questions before accepting the job offer. Even though emailing is a common way of communicating with business professionals, we are all familiar with the struggle of feeling anxious when waiting for a reply to an important question. While you have the hiring manager on the phone, make sure to ask whatever questions you may have.
Conclusion
Whether you have received communication that you have been offered a job over the phone or by email, always remember to take some time to review the job offer, don’t rush into anything without being sure this is the job for you. If you are reading this guide because you have recently been offered a job… congratulations! Hopefully our top tips and tricks to accepting a job offer will help you on your journey.
If you haven’t gotten a great job offer just yet, just know your time will come, and when it does. You’ll be ready. Happy Job Searching!
1 Comment
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