Job acceptance email: how to nail it

If you have just been offered a new job, it is an excellent practice to send a job acceptance email. It affirms to your employer that you are a ready communicator and appreciate the opportunity you’ve been offered. It also gives you a chance to confirm the terms of the job, such as the salary, any benefits, the start date, and any other items of interest.

Learning how to nail a job acceptance email is just as important as writing an excellent CV. Here are some tips on how to write a brilliant email for job acceptance.

1. Keep Your Tone Consistent

If you have previously corresponded with your new employer via email or a digital messaging interface, keep your tone consistent. Be courteous and formal, and also friendly and approachable. As with every other correspondence, vet it carefully to make sure that you come across as professional and enthusiastic. Use a spelling and grammar check with all of your professional correspondence if it isn’t your strong point, especially since your acceptance letter may be filed in your employee record.

2. Affirm the Terms

Regardless of the terms of your new job, you should make it a point to restate and reaffirm what those terms are. Be sure to restate the job title, the salary, any benefits that were offered, typical hours if applicable, and your starting date. Make sure not to skimp on detail – you want to be sure that you heard all the details correctly.

If you receive a response that indicates your salary or benefits were lower than what was indicated or advertised, affirm the offer again. If you still don’t receive a satisfactory response, consider rescinding the offer – especially if you have other offers or interviews on the table. However, affirming the terms also gives you the opportunity to negotiate should your new employer try to lowball you once they see you’re on board.

3. Express Appreciation

Above all other concerns, make sure to voice appreciation for the opportunity that you have been offered, particularly if the interview process was a lengthy one for you and your employer – such as having to go through multiple interviews or legal checkpoints to be offered the position.

Express your enthusiasm for your new job and, if applicable, cc other company employees that may have interviewed you and express your appreciation of them as well. In addition, you may wish to contact any references you listed that assisted you in landing the position – should you ever be on a job search in the UK again, thanking those who helped you succeed is an excellent method of keeping them in your corner.

Writing your acceptance email is not the most critical step of being offered a new job, but it is still of vital importance and should never be skipped or overlooked. Sending an acceptance email and utilising the aforementioned guidelines can help to set the tone for your entrance into your new job, and for the first few weeks at your new company.