When accepting job offers, there are a series of formalities to adhere to.
These job offer acceptance formalities can pose a few potentially confusing questions.
How long should I wait before accepting a job? How formal does my acceptance need to be? Do I still need to write an acceptance letter, or a job offer acceptance email, or will a verbal acceptance suffice?
You want to avoid confusion and make sure your job offer response is appropriate. We’ll show you how to accept a job offer, how to negotiate a job offer, and how to hand in your notice.
How to accept a job offer – summary
- Take some time to consider the offer – you can accept a job offer verbally over the phone
- Follow up with a job offer acceptance email/confirmation letter
- Negotiate the terms of a job offer if necessary
- Think of any questions to ask before you start a new job
- Find out the process of handing in your notice
- Make sure all details are finalised – and get excited for your first day at a new job!
1. Receiving a job offer – first stage
The question of how to accept a job offer starts with what to do when you first receive the offer.
Most employers will offer you the job by phone call, either personally or via a Recruitment Consultant.
Accepting a job is a big decision, so take some time to think about it, and ask the employer or the recruiter any questions you have at this stage.
If you want the job but are unhappy with some of the terms of the offer, it may be that you spend some time negotiating at this stage before accepting the job offer.
Scroll down to find out more about how to negotiate your job offer.
Of course, if you’ve been waiting excitedly for the call, and you know that everything about this job is right for you, you can verbally accept it over the phone at this stage.
When accepting a job offer verbally, say ‘thank you’ for the opportunity, show how excited you are about the offer, and make sure to clarify any question marks you have regarding the offer.
It’s not a problem if you haven’t been able to confirm your start date yet; just inform the employer or Recruitment Consultant that you will let them know as soon as you can.
After this first communication, you should receive a written formal offer, either by email or by post.
It’s important that you have written confirmation of the job offer. So, if the Employer or Recruitment Consultant doesn’t inform you of this during your phonecall, ask them about it or request that you receive the offer in writing, even if they weren’t planning to send one.