BlogFree job offer letter templates for every role: A guide for hiring teams
The offer stage in the hiring process is a make-it-or-break-it moment – and one where there’s constant pressure to act fast. “Time kills all deals, especially when it comes to making offers. Many great candidates are receiving multiple offers at the end of their search, so it’s important to stay competitive and act quickly,” said Melissa Lobel, Senior Talent Planning Operations Manager at Greenhouse. A clear, professional offer – delivered swiftly – can be the difference between a “yes” and a missed hire.
In this article, you’ll learn why a consistent job offer process matters, plus get access to customizable templates you can use today.
What is a job offer template?
An employee offer letter is the formal document candidates use to review their employment details.A job offer template provides the standardized framework to create that document.
While the hiring manager or recruiter will often call a candidate to make a verbal offer, the written job offer adds another layer of formality to the process. It also gives candidates the opportunity to review the details carefully – something that’s hard to do in the excitement of an offer call.
Using a template ensures that once your hiring team decides to make an offer, you can move right away. In a world where 50% of candidates admit to ghosting an employer – often out of frustration with friction in the hiring process – efficiency is everything.
But there’s more to it than that – standardizing your offers ensures you’re keeping them consistent, legally compliant and professional. A convincing job offer is a critical part of the candidate experience and another touchpoint that elevates your employer brand – when done right.
Why a strong job offer matters for the candidate experience
Keep in mind: The candidate experience doesn’t end until your new hire’s first day. The offer stage is a critical conversion point where clarity and speed can help you stand out from organizations making competitive offers.
People-first organizations keep company culture and purpose front and center, especially during the offer stage. “When candidates can visualize the role they’ll be inhabiting and see themselves integrated into your company, they’ll feel more confident in their decision to accept your offer,” said Melissa. In her experience, clear and detailed offers that showcase values directly correlate with higher acceptance rates.
Structured templates also make it easier to get the details right – reducing manual errors and inconsistencies, ensuring fairness and keeping your process compliant. Melissa notes, “Maintaining accuracy in your offers enhances the candidate experience and builds candidates’ confidence and trust in your company.”
Key elements every job offer should include
So what should your job offer include? Here are the essentials:
Conditions and contingencies: If there are any conditions candidates need to meet in order to finalize their employment, such as proving their eligibility to work or passing a background check, you can outline these in your offer letter. If there’s a time limit attached to your offer, be sure to mention it clearly and provide information about what candidates should do if they want to request an extension.
Start date: When are you expecting the candidate to officially begin working for you? Include this date in the offer letter. You may also want to note other relevant dates, such as when the new employee will be eligible for benefits.
Include a high-level overview of the candidate’s role, including the job title, who they’ll be reporting to and a brief description of their main responsibilities.
Terms of employment: You can note whether this is a full-time, part-time or contract role. Depending on your location, you may also want to include a statement describing the employment as at-will. At-will employment agreements allow both employers and employees to terminate the agreement at any time.
Location: If your company has multiple offices, it’s important to specify which location the new hire is expected to work from. If the role is hybrid or remote, include the most relevant details of your company’s expectations related to their physical location, working hours or required time in the office (if applicable).
Exemption status: Clearly state whether the employee is exempt or non-exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Exempt employees are not entitled to overtime pay and earn the same salary whether they work a 30-hour week or a 50-hour week. Non-exempt employees must be paid overtime whenever they work more than 40 hours in a week.
Compensation: What is the salary for this role and how often are employees paid? Be sure to outline these details in your offer letter. You can mention how the salary is calculated (annually, hourly or in some other manner) and how commissions or bonuses work for this role.
Bonus: If you’re offering a sign-on bonus or any other type of bonus, be sure to describe it (including amount, date it will be paid and any conditions) in your offer letter.
Benefits: Many companies prepare separate onboarding documents to help new hires navigate their benefits. And in the interest of keeping your offer letter succinct, you may not want to cover all of your benefits information in detail. But it’s a good idea to note some of the main benefits you offer (such as health insurance, 401(k) or commuter subsidies), when employees are eligible to sign up for them, who in their family is covered and where they can find additional information.
Equity/stock options: If employees are granted equity or stock options as part of their compensation, be sure to include the most relevant information in the offer letter. As with benefits, you can point them to additional resources if this is a topic they’d like to explore in more detail.
Signature block and contact information: It’s standard for someone from your company (such as the head of the department the new hire will be joining) to sign the offer letter. Make sure there’s space for the candidate to sign their name and add their contact information as well.
Reminder: Every region has its own employment standards and legal requirements. Tailor your offer letters to reflect local laws, benefits and working conditions to ensure fairness and compliance.
How to customize your job offer template
Templates are your foundation – but personalization turns them into powerful tools for conversion. Here are a few ways you might want to customize your job offer templates:
Refine the tone and content for different roles. You will likely want to make adjustments to the tone and content based on the seniority of the role. Job offers for executives, for example, will likely need to include more personalized language about their expected impact and the details of their pay structure and severance terms.
Dive into what makes your company unique. To go beyond simply listing your benefits, consider including an overview of your company culture, mission and values to build anticipation and excitement. However, to keep the offer letter itself as succinct as possible, you may wish to share this information in separate documents.
Tie up any legal loose ends. The legalities of employment can vary from country to country, so make sure you have separate offer templates that include the required language for each country. If you have unique role circumstances, such as exemption status or unconventional pay structures, you can include tokens with language that will pre-populate for that input.
Anticipate common questions about compensation and equity. Candidates are likely to have questions about compensation or equity structures. You can include pay structure and schedule information in offer templates (or in supplementary materials you provide along with the offer letter) to proactively address common questions.
Job offer templates you can use
Below we’ve provided a few job offer templates that cover all the essentials. Remember: You can make whatever additions you’d like so that they’re right for each role and accurately reflect your company’s culture and values.
Standard employee offer letter template
You can use this standard employee offer template as the basis for any role. It covers all the basics and leaves a lot of room for customization.
[Date]
[Company name and address]
Dear [candidate name],
We’re happy to officially offer you the role of [job title] with [company name]. Please review the terms below and let us know if you have any questions.
Your role will be [job title] and you’ll be reporting to [manager title], [manager name]. Your primary duties will consist of [main duties/responsibilities for the role]. Your start date is [date] at [office address/remote/hybrid].
Your starting salary will be [salary amount], to be paid [frequency and method of payment]. You will also receive [equity information].
This is a [full-time/part-time/contract/at-will] role. [Mention any other relevant information about the terms of employment here, such as contingency on eligibility for employment or passing a background check.]
We offer a full slate of benefits, including [health insurance, 401(k) with matching, commuter subsidies, etc.]. You can learn more about benefits and compensation in the benefits overview packet, which is included as an attachment to this email.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything in more detail, you can contact [contact name] at [contact email or phone number].
Please sign below to indicate your agreement to the terms outlined in this letter.
______________________
[Employee name, signature and date]
We’re excited to have you on our team!
Kind regards,
_______________________
[Recruiter/hiring manager/CEO name, signature and date]
Startup/scaling org job offer letter template
If you’re at a smaller startup or early-stage company and want to emphasize your company’s values and unique employee value proposition, this template provides a few ideas on how to do this.
[Date]
[Company name and address]
Dear [candidate name],
We couldn’t be more excited to officially offer you the role of [job title] with [company name]! As you’ve seen throughout your interview process, our company is dedicated to [company mission] and we bring that to life through values like [company values]. [Potentially add an ambitious company goal and projected timeline for when you’re aiming to achieve it.]
Throughout the application process, you consistently demonstrated your commitment to [specific company value or mission], and we see our company [achieving specific milestone or goal] with you here! [Potentially mention how the role is likely to grow and connect this to specific aspirations or goals the candidate shared with you.]
Please review the terms below and let us know if you have any questions.
Your role will be [job title] and you’ll be reporting to [manager title], [manager name]. Your primary duties will consist of [main duties/responsibilities for the role]. Your start date is [date] at [office address/remote/hybrid].
Your starting salary will be [salary amount], to be paid [frequency and method of payment]. You will also receive [equity or bonus information].
This is a [full-time/part-time/contract/at-will] role. [Mention any other relevant information about the terms of employment here.]
We offer a full slate of benefits, including [health insurance, 401(k) with matching, commuter subsidies, etc.]. You can learn more about benefits and compensation in the benefits overview packet, which is included as an attachment to this email. [Potentially mention unique benefits or perks such as flexible working hours, work from home stipend to set up a home office, gym membership, etc., and tie back to company values or philosophy.]
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything in more detail, you can contact [contact name] at [contact email or phone number].
Please sign below to indicate your agreement to the terms outlined in this letter.
______________________
[Employee name, signature and date]
We’re excited to have you on our team!
Kind regards,
_______________________
[Recruiter/hiring manager/CEO name, signature and date]
Executive job offer letter
The offer letter format for executives tends to be similar to the standard employee version, but is likely to be more detailed about compensation and other matters that tend to apply to executives, like relocation and severance terms.
[Date]
[Company name and address]
Dear [candidate name],
We’re writing to formally offer you the role of [job title] with [company name]. Please review the terms below and let us know if you have any questions.
Your role will be [job title] and you’ll be reporting to [manager title], [manager name]. Your primary duties will consist of [main duties/responsibilities for the role]. Your start date is [date] at [office address/remote/hybrid].
[If relocation is required, outline the terms such as expected start date, the relocation bonus and payment schedule and any other relevant details.]
Your starting base salary will be [salary amount], to be paid [frequency and method of payment]. You will be eligible for a bonus of [amount], to be paid [schedule for bonus payments], provided [conditions for receiving bonus].
You will also receive [equity information and conditions].
This is a [full-time/part-time/contract/at-will] role. [Mention any other relevant information about the terms of employment – including a brief overview of severance terms – here.]
We offer a full slate of benefits, including [health insurance, 401(k) with matching, commuter subsidies, etc.]. You can learn more about benefits and compensation in the benefits overview packet, which is included as an attachment to this email.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything in more detail, you can contact [contact name] at [contact email or phone number].
Please sign below to indicate your agreement to the terms outlined in this letter.
______________________
[Employee name, signature and date]
We’re excited to have you on our team!
Kind regards,
_______________________
[Recruiter/hiring manager/CEO name, signature and date]
Contractor/freelancer/temporary job offer letter
While not all companies send employment offer letters to contractors or freelancers, this can be a useful step in outlining expectations and reducing misunderstandings, especially when it comes to the scope of work or project length.
[Date]
[Company name and address]
Dear [candidate name],
We’re happy to offer you the role of [job title] with [company name], reporting to [manager name and title]. Please take a moment to review the terms below and let us know if you have any questions.
This is a [contract/freelance/temporary] role, starting on [start date]. Compensation for this role will be [compensation amount], to be paid [frequency and method of payment]. [Mention any other relevant information about the scope of work and payment terms here – or specify where to find those details.]
This role is expected to end [end date or project completion terms]. [Potentially mention termination clauses or the possibility of extension – or include contact information for the person who would make extension/termination decisions.]
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything in more detail, you can contact [contact name] at [contact email or phone number].
Please sign below to indicate your agreement to the terms outlined in this letter.
______________________
[Contractor/freelancer name, signature and date]
We’re excited to work with you!
Kind regards,
_______________________
[Recruiter/hiring manager/CEO name, signature and date]
Candidate experience best practices for delivering the job offer
Once your hiring team has made a decision and finalized the offer letter, timing and delivery are everything.
Act quickly. Once a decision is made, use your applicant tracking system (like Greenhouse) to generate pre-approved offer letters, so you can send them without delay.
Personalize the call. Pair every written offer letter with a thoughtful phone call to create a strong impression. “While we use standard talk tracks to convey necessary offer details, it’s essential to tailor them to each candidate,” said Melissa. “Because we’ve spent a good chunk of time getting to know them, we want to show them genuine excitement and highlight the great qualities they demonstrated in their interviews – as well as how we plan to support their growth at Greenhouse.”
Be transparent. If you don’t have an immediate answer to a question, be honest and say so, rather than trying to answer with vague language.
Ensure consistency. Every candidate should experience a fair and standardized process. For example, if salary negotiation isn’t permitted because it can lead to discrepancies detrimental to your employer brand, prepare templated talk tracks that back up your compensation philosophy and review cycles.
Get the tools you need to deliver strong, consistent offers
It’s hard to overstate it: Delivering strong and consistent offers is one of the most impactful ways to build trust and keep candidates engaged. It all starts with the right job offer template – but it doesn’t end there.
“A well-crafted offer doesn’t just outline salary and title – it should outline key benefits and provide a real glimpse into company culture,” said Melissa. “But if you don’t get the basics right, it will be nearly impossible to go above and beyond.”
Looking for more tips on creating a stand-out structured hiring process so you can attract top talent? Download this guide.
