Dear David: Making a Good Offer Letter

Question: 
What should be included in an offer letter?

Answered by the HR Experts: 

The offer letter should outline the job’s expectations and benefits and provide explicit compensation details. Ideally, it provides the candidate with all the information they need to decide whether to accept the job. A standard offer letter should generally include the following: 

• Job details, including job title, supervisor name, supervisor title, start date, work location, full or part-time (and expected number of hours per week), and whether it’s exempt or nonexempt. You could include a full job description as an attachment for their review; 
• Contingencies such as passing a drug screening and background check prior to the start date; 
• Compensation, including base pay rate, pay periods, and any bonuses or commissions they are eligible for; 
• A brief overview of benefits and a timeline of when they become effective. You can include an attachment with additional details, including coverage and costs; 
• A statement that this is at-will employment (unless it’s not); and 
• Instructions on how to accept the offer and any applicable deadlines.

This Q&A does not constitute legal advice and does not address state or local law. 

This information is from Mineral, a human resource solutions portal. Every month, we share an important HR Q&A. As a VMA member, you can also get other HR questions answered for free through your complimentary Mineral account. Contact jessica@visualmediaalliance.org for questions. 

David Katz
Vice President
VMA Insurance Services

To send your questions, write to david@visualmediaalliance.org