How to Accept a Job Offer in a Professional Way

How to accept a job offer? During the offer process, there are a few standard steps you can expect, including an offer notification, verbal or initial offer, and last offer.

The Job Offer Process

Wait times between your last interview and offer conversations vary, but following up if you haven’t heard back in three business days is acceptable unless they’ve given you a timeline for the next steps.

The first (often more informal) offer will likely come in the form of a phone call or email. After the first conversation, you should receive a formal communication containing your official offer.

If the offer looks good as-is, you’ll move into the acceptance communications. If not, use this time to negotiate. Let’s take a closer look at each phase.

The Informal Offer Notification Overview

Initially, you might get an informal notification from the recruiter that you should be expecting an offer.

This communication often comes in the form of a supposition, meaning they will prompt you to tell them what exactly you need from them to accept an offer. An example might sound like this:

“Suppose we offer you the position. What do you need from us to accept the offer as soon as possible?” Keep in mind that this is not consistent across all employers, as each will vary in communication type, style and timeframe.

First, express your appreciation. Then, be prepared to discuss items like salary, benefits, bonuses, working hours and any other needs you may have in the new job.

After you discuss, you should get additional details from the employer on when and how you can expect to receive an official offer.

The Official Offer Phase Overview

After your initial informal conversations, you should get an official offer from the employer. If the offer comes in the form of a phone call, ask them to send a written document for you to review as well.

You must get all the details of their offer in writing both to make the offer official and to fully understand their expectations of your role, pay, start date, and benefits.

For example, it might be part of a written offer that you will be expected to pay for your work phone. This is something you can bring attention to or negotiate with the employer.

How to Accept a Job Offer

If you’ve just been offered your dream job, congratulations! But before you sit back and celebrate, there are several job acceptance steps you must follow.

To help, we share our advice on how to write an acceptance email and we include a job offer acceptance template, so you can get started right away.

On this page:

• Reviewing your job offer details
• Accepting your job offer
• Structuring your job offer acceptance
• Job offer acceptance template

Review the Job Offer Details

Before you accept a job offer, though, it’s important to first take some time to review the details. Most employers make an initial job offer verbally, either over the phone or via the recruiter.

Before accepting a job offer, ensure you are happy with this verbal offer. Does it align with what you were expecting?

Are the salary, benefits, training, and hours, for instance, equivalent to what was discussed during the job interview? Make sure you firm up all the details so you can carefully consider the job offer.

If you Need Time to Think, Ask for it

If you need additional time to review the job offer, please ask for it.

You don’t want to accept a job offer you aren’t happy with, so rather than making a rash decision. Communicate your appreciation for the offer. How to accept a job offer.

Confirm your interest in the role, then give your recruiter and the hiring manager a timeframe of when you will come back to them with your answer and stick to it.

One to two days is considered the most you can reasonably expect to ask for – after all, if you decline the job offer, the hiring manager needs to contact other interviewed candidates promptly.

To help you decide whether to accept a job offer, speak with your recruiter, trusted colleagues, and family, and friends. As soon as you’ve made your decision, let your recruiter and hiring manager know, regardless of what that decision is.

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Be Prepared to Negotiate

Guide to securing a fruitful negotiation:

1. Realistic negotiations are often part of the job offer process.

As mentioned, most job offers are firstly made verbally in a phone call, and this is the most appropriate time to begin negotiating if you are unhappy with one or more aspects. Don’t wait until the formal written offer is sent.

2. Raise your concerns with your recruiter.

Remember, we are available to help you through the negotiations to reach an offer that works for both sides. Often, we already know if there is any room for movement on salary or benefits, so talk to us.

Just ensure you are realistic; to aid your decision-making, it can help to refer back to your target job requirements and why you wanted a new job in the first place. If you accept the position, will these goals be met?

Get the Job Offer in Writing

Once both parties have discussed and reached an acceptable offer, a formal letter is usually sent to confirm the details and terms of employment in writing. When you receive this written offer, read it thoroughly and check all aspects.

If the employer doesn’t indicate they will provide a written offer, ask for one so that you can formally accept the job. If your new employer is keen for you to start as soon as possible, the job offer letter should arrive promptly.

Accepting a Job Offer: Verbal or Written Acceptance?

Once you’ve decided to formally accept the written job offer, it’s time to do so the right way. One of the most common questions we are asked is, “I’ve said ‘yes’ to my new employer.

Do I still need to write a job acceptance letter?” The answer is an emphatic “yes”.

Apart from anything else, if you’ve received a verbal job offer and accepted it, and then receive a standard offer letter, it is courteous to write back with your own job acceptance letter.

In addition, to avoid any future misunderstandings, it’s advisable to document all verbal agreements in writing.

How to Structure a Job Offer Acceptance Letter or Email

While your job offer acceptance letter or acceptance email should be succinct, it is still a formal business communication that will be added to your employment file. How to accept a job offer.

It should therefore be well-constructed, error-free and contain the following details.

1. Express your Thanks

Begin your job offer acceptance letter by thanking your new employer for offering you the position. Clearly state the job title and the organisation’s name.

For example, “Thank you for your time on the phone yesterday. I was delighted to receive your formal offer today for the role of [Job Title] at [XYZ company].”

2. Officially Accept the Job Offer

Next, communicate that you are delighted to accept the offer. You may like to mention that you look forward to starting.

For example, “I am happy to officially accept your offer of employment. I look forward to joining your team.”

3. Clarify the Salary and Benefits

Then clarify the salary and benefits when accepting the offer.

For example, “As discussed, my starting salary is [$XX,XXX], with [an annual performance-based bonus, training, professional membership and hybrid working] part of the offer.”

4. Note your Start Date

If you’re transferring from another job, you will likely have to work out a notice period. In your acceptance letter, formally communicate the notice period and start date to avoid confusion.

If you are yet to confirm your notice period with your current employer, explain that you will notify them in writing as soon as possible of your start date.

For example, “I can confirm that I am required to serve out a four-week notice period with my current employer. My start date will be Monday 23rd June.”

5. Conclude on a Positive Note

End on a positive note by saying that you are looking forward to commencing your new role.

For example, “I am looking forward to joining the team and getting started in my new role!”

Putting Your Job Offer Acceptance Letter Together

Now that you know what to include in your job offer acceptance email, it’s time to put it all together.

But before we do, there are two final points to remember–your acceptance email should include a subject line that clearly communicates the purpose of your email and you must sign off appropriately.

We show you how to do this in the below job offer acceptance template:

Subject line: [Job offer acceptance – Your Name]

Dear [hiring manager’s name],

Thank you for your time on the phone yesterday. I was delighted to receive your formal offer today for the role of [Job Title] at [XYZ company]. I am happy to officially accept your offer of employment. I look forward to joining your team.

As discussed, my starting salary is [$XX,XXX], with [an annual performance-based bonus, training, professional membership and hybrid working] part of the offer.

I can confirm that I am required to serve out a four-week notice period with my current employer. My start date will be Monday 23rd June.

I am looking forward to joining the team and getting started in my new role!

Kind regards,

[Your Name]

What to do During your Notice Period

Once you have sent your job offer acceptance email, it’s advisable to keep in touch with your new employer throughout your notice period.

For instance, send them an email halfway through your notice period to say you are looking forward to the impending start date. How to accept a job offer.

After you accept a job offer, your new boss may even invite you for a team drink to meet your future colleagues, and if so, make an effort to put in an appearance.

Don’t forget to also extend an olive branch to your current colleagues. It can be hard for a team to hear that a valued colleague is leaving, so take the time to personally explain to your closest colleagues why you are leaving.

Focus your reasons on the positive aspects of your new role, not the negatives of your current one. Let them know how much you’ve enjoyed working with them and that you’d like to keep in contact.

Be Excited

Accepting a job offer is an exciting step. This is the next chapter in your career and what you have been working towards. Convey this to your new boss to further underline that they have made the right decision.

Now that you’ve accepted your new job offer, you may be interested in our tips on starting a new job or further career development advice.

What to Include in a Job Offer Acceptance Letter

When you’re ready to respond in the affirmative, take the tip to write a letter or an email confirming your acceptance of the offer. Your letter can be concise, but should include the following:

• Thanks, and appreciation for the opportunity
• Written acceptance of the job offer
• The terms and conditions of employment (salary, benefits, job title, etc.)
• Starting date of employment

Advice on Writing a Job Offer Acceptance Letter

Format your letter correctly. The letter can be sent by email or mail. If you’re sending a hard copy through the mail, format the letter as you would any business letter.

Include your contact information and phone number, even though it’s on file with the employer.

Keep it brief. While you want to include all the most important information, this doesn’t mean your letter should be long and drawn out.

The employer is busy, so a concise letter that includes all the necessary information is best.

Express your gratitude. Demonstrate how thankful you are for the new job opportunity. You might want to briefly explain why you’re particularly excited to work for the company.

For example, you may want to share your desire to contribute to their sales team, or your passion for their mission. Again, keep this polite but brief. How to accept a job offer.

Proofread and edit. You don’t want to create any last-minute reasons for the employer to take back the job offer, such as a sloppy or unprofessional letter.

Go over the letter a couple of times to make sure you catch all the typographical errors and grammar mistakes. While you’re at it, it’s a good idea to double-check the spelling of the name of the person who offered you the job.

Job Acceptance Letter Sample

Here’s an example of a job acceptance letter or email:

Dear Mindy,

I appreciate your call and for accommodating my request for a written offer. I’m writing to formally accept your offer for the Finance Associate position at River Tech.

As discussed, my starting salary will be $55,400 per year with three weeks of paid vacation. I understand that my health, dental and vision plans will begin upon the start date with the option of a flexible spending account.

I look forward to joining the team next Monday, July 20th. If there are any documents or other information I should come prepared with on my first day, please let me know.

My sincerest appreciation again for the opportunity—I can’t wait to get started!

Thanks again.

The communication back and forth from offer to acceptance can be confusing, so if you have any questions along the way, ask the employer during the offer phase.

They want to ensure you are clear on the offer and accept as soon as possible, so they will be eager to answer any questions you may have.

Final Job Acceptance Steps and Tips

After you’ve finalized the deal, the next steps include tying up loose ends with your former employer and preparing for your first day.

Before you put in your two weeks’ notice (or another timeframe per your company’s policy), make sure you’ve done all of the following:

• Formally accepted the written offer letter with a confirmed start date
• Signed any documents from the new employer that make your offer official
• Cleared any final steps like reference conversations or background checks
• Your new employer should be eager to help you however they can so don’t hesitate to reach out and ask about the status of any of these things. How to accept a job offer.
• A simple question like, “Is there anything I should wait for or complete before informing my current employer of my planned departure?” should get you the information you need.
• After you’ve informed your current employer of your resignation, begin to prepare for your first day.
• Though you will likely receive communications from your employer about how to prepare for your first day, here are a few things to consider as you start your new job:
• Onboarding paperwork you need to complete before the start date
• Orientation details
• Items you should come prepared with

How to Gracefully turn down a Job Offer

Here are some tips to kindly turn down a job offer.

Step 1: Show your Appreciation

First and foremost, it’s important to thank the hiring manager for the offer and for his or her time.

Yes, interviewing potential candidates is part of the job, but this person likely spent several hours reading your resume, trolling your social media profiles, and sitting down with you for interviews.

He or she also may have gone out on a limb to talk you up to other members of the team.

So, a heartfelt—and specific—thank you for that time and effort will go a long way. For example:

Thank you so much for the offer for the Marketing Manager position. I so appreciate you taking the time to consider me and for answering so many of my questions about the company and role.

Thank you again for the interview last week—it was great to meet the team and see the offices. I enjoyed learning about the Operations Director position, and I appreciate this generous offer.

Step 2: Give a Good and Brief Reason

Especially if you’ve spent a lot of time interviewing, it’s the right and respectful thing to do not to leave a hiring manager in the dark about why you’re declining the position.

That said, there’s also no need to go into detail about the red flags you saw in your would-be-boss, spill about the amazing perks at the job you did accept, or moan that you’ve spent the past week agonizing over your decision.

The best approach is to be brief but honest about your specific reason for not accepting the position, saying something like:

• After careful consideration, I’ve decided to accept a position at another company.
• After much thought, I’ve decided that now is not the best time to leave my current position.
• While this position seems like a great opportunity, I have decided to pursue another role that will offer me more opportunities to pursue my interests in marketing and social media.
• You can elaborate to the extent that it makes sense

For example, at one point, I had been referred to a company by a friend and gone through three interviews before getting an offer and felt that I owed the hiring team a thorough explanation.

I expressed how much I enjoyed getting to know the group and why the position was so interesting to me, but shared that I had another offer that would ultimately point me more in the direction of my career goals. How to accept a job offer.

But if the position seems terrible and the only real reason you have is that you’d rather stand in an unemployment line than accept it, a simple, “It’s not quite the right fit for my career goals at this time” will suffice.

Step 3: Stay in Touch

The job search world—especially in certain industries—is small. So offering some small pleasantries before you sign off is always a good idea.

If you can reference something you discussed, like an event or conference you’re both attending, do so. Otherwise, you can make a simple mention that you wish this person all the best in the future. E.g;

• I hope to see you next month at the conference we’re both attending.
• It’s been a pleasure getting to know you, and I hope that we cross paths in the future.
• Again, thank you for your time and support, and I wish you all the best.

Frequently Asked Questions

CSN Team.