How to write a job offer acceptance letter (guide)

Congratulations! You’ve just been offered a job! All your hard work has paid off and you can now eagerly await your start date. So what’s next? It’s now a good idea to accept your job acceptance letter. Not only does it officially confirm your acceptance (creating a legally binding contract), but it also looks professional. In addition, you can also discuss the terms, such as salary, benefits, holidays, and so on.

Although you may not feel it’s necessary to write an official letter, you should not underestimate the impact it can have. Not only will you be able to agree the important terms of the role, you will also impress the employer with your enthusiasm and professionalism. What a great way to start your new job!

Here’s how to write a job offer acceptance letter:

1. Keep your job acceptance letter brief and accurate

You do not need to beat around the bush and pad out your job acceptance letter. It can be friendly and personable, but must remain professional and on topic. Your aim is to show how enthusiastic you are about the role, and to clarify a few important details. It should not be used to tell jokes, be inappropriate, or to discuss anything else other than the role.

If you want to make a great impression before you’ve even started your first day, then stick to the script. Keep it relevant and focused on the job offer. Be completely factual and do not try to change or improve upon anything that was originally agreed.

2. Include your gratitude

Within your acceptance letter you should thank the company for the opportunity. Being polite in your letter is very important as it sets the tone nicely for when you begin. The company wants to know that you appreciate the opportunity to work for them, so make your gratitude clear.

Typically you may decide to end your letter thanking them for the role. It will be a great way to close out the letter and finish on a high.

3. Get to the point

Within the first few lines you should get quickly to the point – accepting the job offer. You should get straight to the heart of the matter and leave no doubts as to why you are sending a correspondence.

Amidst all the details of the salary and benefits you may actually forget to confirm your acceptance. Although it may seem like an unrealistic error to make, you’d be surprised at how easy these things can happen. Leave no doubt in the mind of the employer as to what the letter is about.

4. Detail the terms

You do not need to go into too much detail here as you should soon be receiving a contract to sign. This will have everything on there from salary to holiday pay, so don’t worry too much. However, you are able to state a few of the most important aspects in your letter as confirmation. This could be the salary, working hours and start state. If there was anything unique or specific that was agreed upon during the interview, then you could also mention this too.

“As the word ‘contract’ implies, if you accept the offer, you are making a legal undertaking. You should not accept a job with the intention of rejecting it later, if something ‘better’ turns up.”

~ University of Oxford

5. Choose an appropriate format for acceptance

“It is common to initially accept an offer verbally (over the telephone, for example) and then follow it up in writing. Be aware that accepting an offer over the phone is a legally binding verbal contract.”

~ Newcastle University

Although a printed and posted letter is acceptable, you would usually be expected to telephone and confirm your acceptance, followed by an email confirmation to the hiring manager. The time it takes to send an email is of course instant, so we would always recommend this method of contact. However, if you live close by and feel it would make a good impression by handing the manager a letter, then go ahead. It could be a nice touch!

Include your personal contact information to ensure the company has everything they need to get in touch. Sometimes the hiring manager may prefer to call you about your letter upon receipt, so always make their life easier by providing your contact details again.

6. Don’t make a mistake

Although you’ve been offered the job, a mistake on your letter will still matter. You should proofread your acceptance letter to ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Take your time just like you did with your initial CV.

You do not want to set the seed of doubt in the employer’s mind even before you’ve set foot in the door. We cannot stress enough the importance of checking, double checking and triple checking every single aspect of your correspondence. You should remain professional to the end and scrupulous with your work. Your reputation is at stake and you should start as you mean to go on.

With a new career all ready to begin have you thought about promotion in the next few years? Here are 5 career traits that could earn you a promotion.

“A job offer doesn’t have to be in writing, and nor does the acceptance – but it’s a good idea for employees to ask for and give something in writing. Employees should wait until they get an unconditional offer before handing in their notice as a conditional offer could fall through.”

~ Gov.uk

Job acceptance letter example (UK):