Offer Letter Format
An offer letter is a formal document sent to the candidate who successfully clears the selection process for a particular job position. It contains all the critical information about the job offer, role, and the company. A signed offer letter implies a basic legal contract between you and your new employer. However, the employer can revoke the offer under section 5 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872:
“A proposal may be revoked at any time before the communication of its acceptance is complete as against the proposer, but not afterward.”Similarly, “ An acceptance may be revoked at any time before the communication of the acceptance is complete as against the acceptor, but not afterward.”
Offer Letter Format
Employers must ensure that the following critical information is included in the job offer letter:
- Job title: The potential employee’s position at work and level of responsibilities after getting selected.
- Job description: A written narrative that lists down the core responsibilities, general tasks, and other associated duties.
- Starting date: The scheduled date when the new hire is expected to join the company and start working.
- Work schedule: The expected volume of work, like hours per day or days per week, that the employee must put in at the job.
- Reporting structure: The inter-relationship between various authorities within a company. In other words, it describes the hierarchical chain of command – who reports to whom.
- Salary: The compensation paid to the employees in exchange for their service. An employer needs to factor in various components of salary while calculating it in India. Typically, it includes base salary, wages, commissions, incentives, etc.