How to Respond to a Job Offer Email
A job offer might come by email for any number of reasons. If the job is in another state or area than where you live, calling you in for a face-to-face meeting to make the offer would not be feasible. Sending it via email provides a written record of exactly what the offer is and provides a paper trail that the offer was made. If the company with the opening only has an online presence and does not have a brick and mortar location, job offers will typically come by email. The response should contain specific reiterated information.
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Instructions
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Send a reply email thanking the company for the job offer. Inform then that you would like 24 hours to look it over and you will respond at that time with any questions you may have and an answer regarding acceptance of the offer.
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Carefully review the email several times. It should clarify the position offered, whether it is full-time or part-time, salary or hourly rate of pay and what, if any benefits are offered. In addition, miscellaneous information such as company vehicle, paid travel or expense account availability should be included in the initial offer email.
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Make notes of any questions while reading the email. For example, if the offer states a salary, but fails to mention how many average hours of work will be expected from you each pay period, add that question to your notes.
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Compose the response. Using your notes, reiterate the offer you received. Restate the position, salary, hours expected and anything else that was included in the offer. Use a second paragraph to ask any questions from your notes. For example, how many hours will your normal shift be, if it was not mentioned in the offer. Will you be provided vacation, sick pay or retirement, and if so how much? Keep questions short and polite.
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Save the email and read it the following day before sending it. A fresh set of eyes after a night's rest makes it more likely to spot grammatical or spelling errors. Double-check the response against your notes to be sure you remembered everything so you don't send a second response and look disorganized or pesky.
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Send the email to the recipient while also sending a copy to your personal email address. This provides you with a copy of what was sent. Send the email far enough in advance so that the potential employer can respond and you can make a decision within that 24-hour window. If you are accepting the position without waiting for answers, or if you did not have any questions, let the recipient know you are accepting the offer and will begin working on the agreed upon start date.
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Decline the offer by Email if you do not want the job. Without going into details, politely state that you appreciate the offer but at this time must respectfully decline. If it is only a matter of money, let the recipient know what amount it would take to hire you. Go over the Email the next day and send it, retaining a copy in your personal Email file.
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Tips & Warnings
Even when declining the offer, do not say anything derogatory about the company or anyone who interviewed you. You never know when you may change your mind about working there and will need to have declined on professional terms.
References
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