What‌ ‌Is‌ ‌A Job Offer? (With Examples)

You’re looking for a new job and you get a job offer from a company. What exactly does that mean? Does it mean you’re hired? Or are there other steps involved?

When you look at the words, job offer, it seems like they’re giving you the job. This could actually be the case, but it can also be a little more confusing than that. It all depends on the job, the offer, and other details around the position. Let’s look a little more deeply so you understand all the nuances of a job offer.

Key Takeaways:

• Job offers are invitations of employment that can be formalized in a letter or email.

• When offered a job, make sure to get it in writing so that the terms and conditions are understood by everyone involved.

• You do not need to accept a job offer. You can also ask for some time to consider the offer.

• Job offers are the first steps to being officially employed at an organization.

What Is a Job Offer?

A job offer is an invitation to work for an employer that is given to a candidate. The offer can be an informal, or a “handshake”, agreement, or it can be formalized in a letter or email. Generally most legitimate employers will provide a formalized offer. If they do not, request one in writing, so that you have a record of what is being offered.

Job offers usually contain information about the scope of your employment, such as:

• Job title and position

• Start date of employment

• Salary

• Benefits

• Reporting structure

• Location of employment

• Other terms and conditions

Such information is very important to have in writing because you may need to refer back to it in the future. If an employer does not present a formal job offer in writing, consider that a red flag and ask yourself why they haven’t provided one. Make sure you accept an offer from a legitimate employer.

How a Job Offer Works

So, how does a job offer work?

The offer is made, and it can either be accepted, rejected, or you might want to go back and negotiate a little. That’s kind of the beauty of a job offer, it’s not binding you to anything just yet.

There’s still time for you to negotiate your salary requirements, you can discuss vacation time, the hours you work – just about anything can be discussed but that doesn’t mean that you’ll get everything you ask for. It just opens the doors so you can figure out a plan that both parties can agree to.

What’s Included in a Job Offer Letter

As we mentioned before, it’s best to get your job offer in writing, especially if it’s the final offer and it’s the one you want to accept. You’ll already have determined all the details, like your salary requirements, vacation days, benefits, and such. And those items should be included in the job offer. Some companies will briefly state them, and others will have long forms or welcome packages that lay out all of the details.

In addition to the details, the offer letter should give you an overview of the position, what hours you’ll work, what you’re expected to do and they might go as far as to list a few of their future goals for your position.

One thing to check for on your offer letter is a list of contingencies, if there are any. Sometimes a job is offered with the stipulation that you have to do something – like pass a drug test, go through a background check, or have proper work documents prepared. If there is a contingency, then it needs to be detailed in the offer letter because your failure to comply can mean the job offer is rescinded or taken away.

Many job offers are open ended, meaning there’s no time limit on them and you’ll continue to work for the company until you decide to quit or until they decide to let you go. Some jobs are contract based, so they have a set time limit or they’re only in effect until a project is completed. If you’re working on a contract-based job, then the start date and the end date needs to be in the letter, or the scope of the project must be included.

Job Offer Letter Templates

Let’s take a look at a couple different job offers. One will be rather informal and the other, more involved.

How to Accept a Job Offer

It seems like you just need to say “yes” and away you go – off into the world with a new job. But that’s not necessarily the case. You can see that the second template is more formal and asks you to arrange for the drug test on your own and to sign and return the job offer. Obviously, these things must be done before you’ve formally accepted the position.

In the more informal offer above, it doesn’t even ask for you to accept the job offer but you should anyway. Let’s assume the contract position offer was emailed to you, it’s in your best interest to email back and formally state that you are accepting the position. Then, keep that email just in case you need it later.

If you’ve been given an offer and you need to think about it for a while. That’s okay, too. If you still have some questions or you want to negotiate a bit more, then you’ll need time to discuss that. If you’re just not sure, let them know that you appreciate their offer and you’ll give them an answer – and pick a day when you’ll answer. It’s not fair to leave them hanging too long, so you should respond within a couple days.

How to Decline a Job Offer

It sounded good at first, but once you met with a few people and learned more about the compensation packages, you decided that this really isn’t the job for you. Now you need to decline a job offer. How do you do that when you’ve gone through so many steps to get the job?

It’s never easy to say no, you might even feel a little guilty for wasting their time, but you shouldn’t. Landing a job is just as much about you finding the right fit as it is for them. It would be worse if they hired you and then discovered, down the line, that you were unhappy and not going to do your best job or stay long, anyway.

The best way to turn down a job offer is to be straightforward and honest. Tell them promptly once you’ve made the decision. Thank them for their time and let them know you truly appreciate the offer, but it’s just not the right fit for you at this time. No reason to be specific about your decision.

Sometimes, it’s beneficial to stay in touch – maybe this is a job you’ll want later or someone you’ll work with in the future.

Author

Kristin Kizer

Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.