MightyRecruiterA handshake isn’t good enough when it comes to hiring. Once you’ve interviewed your final candidates and checked references, you’ve chosen the perfect person to fill that open position. Knowing how to write a hiring letter will help you seal the deal before another company swoops in and snatches them up.
An excellent recruitment letter lets the candidate know that they are your top choice for the job and it outlines the specifics of the job. Once your newest hire has signed hiring letter, you can be sure you’ve secured your candidate and that they understand and accept the terms of the position. If the candidate decides they’d like to negotiate the conditions of the agreement, the hiring letter will serve as a reference point for those discussions. Once signed, the letter serves as a way for both parties to manage expectations and kick off this new professional relationship on the right foot.
Before sending this or any official letter, have your legal team review it. This is a critical step, especially if you are just learning to write a hiring letter. Remember, a hiring letter is a legal document, so it’s imperative to have your attorney review any letter to ensure it is compliant before you send it out to new hires.
Use this step-by-step guide on how to write a hiring letter as your blueprint. This guide will help you learn to write a recruitment letter but always have your legal team review the language before you send it out.
10 Tips for Learning to Write a Hiring Letter
Step 1: When you write a hiring level, start with an introductory paragraph. Hiring letters address important topics, but a good letter should start this new relationship off on a positive note. A good hiring document should make the new employee feel welcome and excited about their decision to join your company but keep in mind that this is an official document and should read as such.
Step 2: To write a hiring letter, you must outline the basics, including job title, salary or hourly pay, whom the new hire will report to and their start date.
Step 3: Include information on your company’s pay schedule, specifically whether it is monthly, weekly, bi-monthly, etc.
Step 4: Include information about any company benefits for which your new hire will be eligible when you write a hiring letter. For example, “As a regular full-time employee working 30 or more hours per week, you will be eligible to receive all benefits provided to U.S. employees. Your benefits will be effective on your first day of employment. These include benefits such as 401(k) retirement, life and health insurance and other.” Customize this language to list your company’s benefits.
Step 5: If employment is at will, be sure to state this when you write a hiring letter. Also, consider enclosing valuable documents, like a job description, employee handbook or other materials as needed. Here is some sample language. “At-Will Employment: You should be aware that your employment with the Company is for no specified period and constitutes at-will employment. As a result, you are free to resign at any time, for any reason or no reason. Similarly, the Company is free to conclude its employment relationship with you at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. We request that, in the event of resignation, you give the Company at least two-weeks notice.”
Step 6: If your company does background checks or drug testing, indicate that when you write a hiring level. If you include this information in your letter, add a line explaining that employment can be rescinded at any time in the event of an unfavorable background investigation or drug test results.
Step 7: Include language about federal immigration law. Here is some sample language: “For purposes of federal immigration law, you will need to provide the Company documentary evidence of your identity and eligibility for employment in the United States. Please provide such documentation to us within three (3) business days of your date of hire.” Please consult your legal team before using these statements.
Step 8: You might consider adding a clause about conflicting agreements when you write a hiring letter. These include agreements relating to a new hire’s prior employment that may affect his or her eligibility to be employed by your company or limit the manner in which they may be employed.
Step 9: Write a conclusion that includes contact information for whom the new hire should contact if he or she has questions or concerns about items contained in the letter. If the candidate finds terms they’d like to negotiate; the hiring letter will serve as a reference point for beginning those discussions.
Step 10: Attach your company’s Employee Handbook and remind your new employee that they will be expected to abide by your business’s rules and standards of conduct.