Posted

Finally finding the right person for your open job is exciting! After sorting through dozens of resumes and interviewing plenty of candidates, you’ve narrowed your list down to one outstanding professional. Now it’s time to write an offer letter this person can’t refuse.

It’s safe to assume your top candidate is probably interviewing with other companies, so you want your offer to outshine any others they might receive. Presenting a competitive offer makes sense, but overpromising can be dangerous for your business. Follow these guidelines to learn what not to include in the offer letter.

1. Employment Timeframe

Hopefully, this new person will turn into a long-term employee who chooses to grow their career at your company. Of course, there’s no way to know if things will work out according to plan, so don’t get locked into a specific employment timeline. If the employee doesn’t meet your expectations, you need to retain the ability to terminate their employment at any time — without penalty.

2. Promise of a Promotion

With any luck, your new employee will be the best thing that ever happened to your company. Granting this person a promotion will be a given, because they work circles around the rest of your staff — but you can’t predict the future. Guaranteeing a promotion in a job offer letter is downright irresponsible. New hires need to prove themselves before the word promotion ever makes its way into conversation. Don’t obligate yourself to move this person up the ladder now, because you don’t know how they’ll perform as part of your team.

3. Guarantee of a Bonus

As a generous employer, you enjoy giving your team bonuses as often as possible. However, this needs to be at your discretion — not because you’re obligated to do so, because you made it a “sure thing” in an employee’s offer letter. The person might slack off and fail to earn their bonus or your company could hit a rough patch and lose the ability to dole out extras. You don’t know what the future holds, so don’t make irresponsible promises.


Tracking down top talent can be a challenge, so allow PrideStaff Northern Kentucky to assist. Whether you’re trying to fill temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire positions, our expert recruiters will present you with the best candidates in Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties. Contact us today to get started!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *