Offered The Job? Here’s How to Properly Respond to a Job Offer By Email

Time to celebrate! Your long road of applications, resume submissions, and interviews have finally led to a job offer by email. However, your role as a candidate isn’t over yet. You still have one more step: sending the accepting job offer email. 

Just getting to this point of being offered a job is a major accomplishment. The average job posting garners 250 resumes. From these, a handful of people will get to the interview stage and only one person will score an offer.

That said, you still have a decision to make. Do you want the job? You’ll have to weigh your options.

From there, you’ll need to inform your prospective employer. Whatever your choice, composing the message takes some thought and tact. With that in mind, here’s how to properly respond to a job offer by email:

How to Respond to A Job Offer Quickly

Respond Quickly

You don’t want to send a knee-jerk response to a job offer by email. There’s no need to pound out a response on your iPhone while you wait in line for coffee. However, don’t let things linger either. Send your accepting job offer email at the earliest possible moment.

Of course, you might not have an answer in mind immediately when you’re offered the job. You might want to consider it first, and that’s acceptable — just let the company know. Send an initial response asking them for time to consider and letting them know how long you expect to take to make a decision.

Craft Your Message

Think about what you want to say in your accepting job offer email. Your email will have formal implications, either officially starting the process of integrating you into the company or ending your candidacy for the position. As such, you should ensure your accepting job offer email covers everything you need to communicate.

If you’re accepting the position, the email will also continue to build your relationship with the company. You want to put your best foot forward when you’re offered the job.

Make Your Response Clear

It should not be ambiguous whether you are taking the position or not. As such, you should include a very straightforward statement, along the lines of “I accept this offer …” or “Unfortunately, I must decline …”

If you are accepting a job offer by email, use the email to push forward the process of starting the position. If declining, make sure to stay polite and professional. Also, include a reason if you feel giving that information is appropriate.

Stay Professional

Receiving a job offer can be exciting. But that doesn’t mean you should gush in your accepting job offer email. Keep a cool head and don’t get overly casual.

When you’re offered the job, treat your email as a formal document. Keep a professional tone. Your email might be passed around to interested parties in HR or in your particular department — make sure it presents a positive image to your future coworkers.

Your email should include a few key elements:

• Express Gratitude: Even if you decline the role, thank the people involved for considering you. Maintaining good relations will make it easier to capture other opportunities in the future.
• Repeat Key Employment Details: Avoid any confusion by repeating the key aspects of the job offer, items like salary and start date.
• Inquire About the Next Steps: Move the process along by asking about the next steps in the process of joining the company. This will also help to signal your enthusiasm.

Questions To Ask When Offered A Job

When you receive a job offer by email, ask questions about the position to ensure it’s the right one for you. Perhaps there are questions you thought of after the interview? Asking the right questions will give you more confidence when you accept a job.

Here are some questions to ask the employer regarding:

1. The Role – This includes the schedule, work patterns, start date, duties and responsibilities. 
2. Career Development – To get ahead in your new career, you must establish if there is promotion potential. Ask about performance reviews, professional development, and if there are training opportunities. 
3. Salary and Benefits – A vital question about the salary is – is it negotiable? It’s also good to find out about bonuses, holiday and sickness allowances and if there is a pension scheme.
4. The Team – To be fulfilled in any job, you need the support of a good team. So, ask about the team size, management structure and the division of the work. 

Here are Some Questions to ask yourself when offered a job:

1. Does it make you excited?
2. Is the commute ok?
3. Are you happy with the salary?
4. Did you have a good rapport with the people at the interview?
5. Is the role challenging enough?

How To Ask For Time To Consider A Job Offer

Usually, you have to accept a job offer by email within a few days. But, if you’re unsure when you’re offered the job because of a gut feeling, it’s worth taking time to think it over. If you need more time – ask the company for an extension on the acceptance deadline. 

Give a valid reason in your email about why you need more time. This could be if you’re considering other job offers or you want to do more research about the company. Or, you might want to talk it through with your family. A company may not grant extra time – it depends on their schedule and deadlines. 

Need Help Getting Job Offers from Exceptional Companies? 

Ultimately, getting to the job offer stage will take effort and luck, not to mention a strong skill set and natural talent. You can improve your chances by partnering with a staffing firm. On the whole, a top recruiter, like Hiregy, can make getting an offer much easier.

Contact Hiregy today to discover how to get an offer you’re excited to accept.