It will probably rank among the happiest e-mails you’ll ever write: one in which you accept a job offer that will begin a rewarding new chapter in your career. Be sure to express your enthusiasm, but don’t let your clicking heels trip you up over a fundamental inclusion: summarizing the highlights and conditions of your acceptance. After all, nothing can dampen enthusiasm faster than miscommunication. Be sure to send your acceptance e-mail promptly and keep a copy for your records. Then count the days until you begin “writing” this new chapter in your life.
Run your e-mail through a spell-checker, but proofread and edit it carefully. Be certain that every word is spelled correctly and that there are no grammatical errors.
Step 1
Write a subject line for your e-mail that is descriptive and succinct, such as, “Job offer acceptance from Jane Doe” or the more enthusiastic “Delighted job acceptance from Jane Doe..”
Step 2
Set a flush-left margin, which is easier to read in an e-mail format. Do not indent your paragraphs.
Step 3
Address the hiring manager in the manner of your most recent exchange. If you have referred to the person only by her last name, such as "Ms. Smith," do not address your e-mail, "Dear Sharon ..." . Show that you are a professional and pay attention to the details.
Step 4
Thank the person for her phone call or e-mail – the means by which the job offer was extended to you. Say that you are “happy,” “delighted” or “thrilled” to accept the position, being sure to name it specifically. In other words, do not simply allude to “the marketing position”; say that you are “delighted to accept the position of director of marketing.” Include the starting date.
Step 5
Summarize the key terms or conditions of the position. Use bullet points, which make information particularly readable in an e-mail format. Include such terms as your salary, travel allowance and technology provisions, including, perhaps, a PC, cell phone or iPad.
Step 6
Wrap up your e-mail with an optimistic statement that points to the future and any special projects or challenges you may have discussed during the interview. Express your enthusiasm about helping the company attain its goals and working with your new colleagues.
Step 7
Ask the hiring manager to confirm that she has received your acceptance e-mail. Some job seekers say that they worry about starting an endless stream of e-mails, but they should worry more about an important e-mail slipping through the cracks of cyberspace. In other words, confirmation of the receipt of your e-mail is important, and if you don’t receive it within two business days, call the hiring manager to confirm your job status. The e-mail exchange can properly end at this juncture.
Step 8
Type your name and include your contact information underneath it – another way in which e-mail communication differs from print. On a hard copy, your contact information would appear at the top of the page.
Tips
References
- Job Offer Acceptance Letter
- How to Write a Letter: How to Write a Letter of Acceptance
- Purdue University Online Writing Lab: Writing the Basic Business Letter
- Cover Letters: Types and Samples
- Colorado State University: Writing Guide: Business Letters
- The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill: Writing Concisely
Resources
- The New St. Martin’s Handbook; Andrea Lunsford and Robert Connors; 1999.
Tips
- Run your e-mail through a spell-checker, but proofread and edit it carefully. Be certain that every word is spelled correctly and that there are no grammatical errors.
Writer Bio
With education, health care and small business marketing as her core interests, M.T. Wroblewski has penned pieces for Woman's Day, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal and many newspapers and magazines. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University.