How to Make a Job Offer

After sorting through dozens of resumes and cover letters and interviewing one candidate after another, you’ve finally found the perfect employee to fill a position. However, making the job offer is more complex than simply notifying the candidate to tell him he has been chosen. When offering a job position, you must be prepared to answer questions about the position and your company, as well as negotiate salary and benefits, all while presenting this opportunity in the most positive light possible to encourage the candidate to accept the position.

Prepare the necessary documentation prior to calling the candidate, including a contract, salary, benefits and other logistics, such as the hours the employee will be expected to work per week. If you are a recruiter making the offer on behalf of an employer, retrieve all of this information from him or his human resources department prior to making the phone call.

Decide on a salary range for negotiations. No matter how outstanding the candidate is, you likely have a salary cap, and you must have this cap in mind before you begin negotiations.

Outline a brief projection of the employee’s prospects at your company, including potential promotions and raises. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recommends that workers ask where they might be in a company when evaluating a job offer; be prepared with information on salary increases and bonuses. If the employee will be working largely on commission, offer a few examples of other employees and the percentage by which they increased their wages within the first three years.

Call the employee and introduce yourself, reminding him of your company and the interview. Inform him that you would like to offer him the position and name the date on which you'd like him to begin. Use positive tones to demonstrate your enthusiasm on having the candidate join your team. Explain in a few sentences what skills or traits the candidate possessed that most impressed you.

Answer any questions the candidate may have. If the candidate requires time to consider the offer, ask if he would like you to fax or send any written materials to help make his decision. Before ending the call, schedule another call to further discuss the offer, or establish another method by which the candidate will contact you, such as email or via an in-person meeting.