Job Offer Templates To Simplify Your Hospitality Recruitment

A shorter time-to-hire is an integral HR metric in the tourism, travel and leisure sector, where top talent is hard to come by. Understanding how to make an offer of employment and crafting a great employment offer letter will enable you to quickly hire top talent in this employee-driven job market.

In this article, you’ll find out what a job offer is, review the key components of a great employment offer letter, and learn how to make an offer your candidates cannot refuse. You’ll also discover the best practices for handling the job offer process. Lastly, you’ll get access to 2 free employment offer letter templates, which you can customise for your hospitality business.

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What Is an Offer of Employment?

An offer of employment or job offer is a formal communication that a company gives to a candidate. It informs the candidate of the company's desire to hire them for a particular role. Job offers often include key job information, such as: the job title, salary, benefits, duties, department, and reporting lines. Other details of an offer of employment include the preferred start date, working hours and any other information the prospective employee needs to know. Typically, an employee is required to sign a copy of the formal offer letter as proof of accepting the job. It serves as a confirmation that the terms of employment have been agreed upon by both parties.

While a job offer shares some similarities with a job advert, they are entirely different documents. A job offer goes into more detail and is tailored to the successful candidate(s).

A job advert, on the other hand, is an announcement about an open job position in a company. The main purpose of a job advert is to inform potential job candidates about a new opening and attract them to apply. A job advert is generic and targets an entire candidate pool in the job market.

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Components of a Great Offer of Employment

Here are the typical components of a great job offer letter:

A descriptive subject line: A great subject line instantly gets the recipients' attention. Here is an example of a great subject line: “Congratulations: We’d like to have you onboard”.
Job title: State the official designation of the prospective employee and who they will be reporting to. You can also indicate if the job is part-time, full-time, remote work, hybrid or any other working arrangement.
Start date: Indicate the date and time you expect your candidate to start their role.
Job duties: Indicate key responsibilities of the role. Ensure the duties are updated to avoid any misunderstandings down the road.
Compensation: State the base salary of the position. If the employee is entitled to bonuses such as a signing bonus or accommodation, indicate that as well. Read the benefits of offering signing bonus here.
Benefits: Indicate the benefits that the employee will be entitled to if they accept the job offer. Again, this will depend on what your company is offering. Typical benefits include health insurance, wellness packages, paid sick leave, parental leave etc.
Company culture: While compensation ranks high in the candidate's mind, the company culture comes close. Show off a bit of your company culture in your formal offer to demonstrate how it's like working in your hotel/restaurant. Winning propositions here can include flexible working options, industry awards won, employee reviews, etc
Company policies: Include a standard protocol statement which indicates that employees are bound by company policies.

Ways of Making an Offer of Employment to a Winning Candidate

There are different ways of communicating your job offer to successful candidates. Typically, the scope and complexity of the open position will determine the channel you use. For instance, communicating an offer for an executive position might require you to put it in writing, while a verbal offer might suffice for an entry-level position. Also, hiring internally may require a different method from an external hire. This is because an internal candidate is already working for you and is, therefore, already familiar with company benefits, working hours, and procedures.

However, it’s wise to make a phone call to communicate the offer verbally and follow up with a written offer later on. A phone call allows you to engage the candidate and adds a personal touch to the hiring process, whilst having everything in writing reduces ambiguity for both parties.

5 Best Practices for Making an Irresistible Offer of Employment

1. Show Enthusiasm

Be enthusiastic about bringing new hires on board. Contact them as soon as you make the hiring decision, so you don't lose talent to competitors. A prompt job offer demonstrates that you are confident of their abilities and eager to have them start their new role. During the initial phone job offer, let the candidate know that they are your first choice, and that you look forward to a fruitful working relationship.

2. Be Clear and Succinct

A job offer is what makes or breaks your relationship with a prospective employee. Although you want them to feel respected and accepted, you must be careful not to unintentionally misrepresent the facts about their position. Make it your goal to give all the relevant information in a straightforward manner. Keep your message succinct and easy to read. You don’t want to overwhelm them right away, so prioritise what’s most important. The candidate will find more information in the contract, staff handbook and during the onboarding process.

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3. Follow Up, But Don't Rush Prospects

Every company wants a job offer to be accepted as soon as possible. However, you don't want to pressurise your prospect. Give them some time to contemplate, and be open to answering their questions. You can use the initial phone call job offer to get their reaction. If you sense reluctance, you can negotiate beforehand to iron out any concerns. If the candidate is taking too long to sign, inform them that you might be forced to consider other candidates.

4. Prepare for the Unexpected

When you offer a job to your best candidate, it's not guaranteed that they will take it up. Still, some may initially accept but later renege, throwing your hiring plans off balance. It's essential to have a back-up plan in these cases. For instance, you can reach out to the secondary contender or restart the hiring process, depending on how fast you need to fill the position, and how happy you were with the applicants.

5. Refer to Employment Laws

When making a job offer, it's critical to refer to the applicable laws to ensure you know your obligations vis-à-vis the prospect's obligations. You may need to familiarise yourself with labour issues, such as minimum wage, employee benefits and dismissal procedures. In Spain, for instance, the employment law allows for employment contracts to be either written or verbal, with contracts presumed to be indefinite.[1] In France, there are minimum employee entitlements, such as a minimum wage of EUR1,603.12, overtime pay and maximum working week hours.[2]

Now that you know the best practices, feel free to make use of our job offer letter templates. Just download the files, and fill out the blank spaces with the required information. It’s that simple!

We hope these job offer templates help you convey your employer brand when hiring internally and externally, and make great candidates enthusiastic about joining your workplace.