What to Avoid in an IT Job Offer Letter
Posted September 10th, 2015
The final step in your recruiting effort is to extend your chosen candidate a job offer letter. And while this might seem like a casual exercise, it’s important to craft your job offer letter carefully. The language you use and the promises you make could have surprising consequences, and not all of them will be positive. With that fact in mind, learn what to avoid in your IT job offer letter.
Relying Entirely on the Job Offer Letter
Sending out a job offer letter is mandatory. But you shouldn’t rely on the letter as your only way of reaching out to a candidate. Make sure you also call, email, or set up a meeting with the candidate. This gives a personal touch to the process and ensures that the candidate does not accept another offer before the letter is delivered.
Promising Job Security
You can enthusiastically offer someone a job, but you can’t make promises about long-term employment, advancement schedules, or compensation increases. Ultimately, there is no way to guarantee that you can keep these promises and it’s unfair to dangle them in front of a candidate. The best policy is to include an “at-will clause” that conforms to your state’s requirements.
Leaving out Relevant Information
The best job offer letters are as informative as possible. They let the candidate know when the job will start, where they will be working, how much they will be earning, and if there are any stipulations put on employment. Put yourself in the candidate’s shoes. What kind of information would you be most interested in?
Obscuring Conditions of Hire
Your job offer may be contingent on a candidate passing a background check, drug screening, or aptitude test. If this is the case, it needs to be clearly spelled out in your job offer letter. Failing to be forthcoming could put you in thorny legal territory down the road.
Asking for Personal Information
You are prohibited from making hiring decisions based on age, race, gender, sexuality, etc. You probably know to stay away from this territory during the job interview, but make sure you don’t cross over the line in your job offer letter. Your approach should be personable but professional.
With any luck, your chosen candidate will receive your job offer letter and enthusiastically agree to join your company. Find resources to help you turn good candidates into great employees by working with Bayside Solutions.
