job offer

Making an Offer They Can’t Refuse

Produce a written job offer for your potential new employees.

REBECCA L. JOHNSON, CPOT, COT, COE

While it is quite common to make an initial job offer by telephone, you should always follow-up with a written offer that can be e-mailed to the candidate, signed and returned to you for the employee’s file.

A written offer confirms the verbal offer, ensures no room for interpretation and prevents misunderstandings, such as confusion regarding whether the job is hourly or salary.

Here, I explain what you should include in the offer:

Thanks/notification

Start by thanking the applicant and offering him/her the job. For example, “Thank you for your interest in Associated Eyecare. After careful consideration of each applicant, we believe your skills and experience best match our job position, and we are delighted to make you the following job offer…”

Title of position and salary

To avoid confusion, provide an annual and hourly breakdown of salary. Also, listing the position reminds the individual of the position for which he/she applied. For example, “The position we are offering is Optician at our Sweetwater location at an hourly rate of $17.00/hour ($35,360.00/year).”

Start date and work hours

Include a start date and work hours to ensure you are both on the same page. For example, “Your normal work hours will be Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a one-hour unpaid lunch period. We would like you to start work on September 1, 2013 at 8 a.m.”

Benefits

This should include bullet points with brief explanations of vacation, personal and sick time, paid holidays, discounts, health insurance and profit sharing. For example, “One eye exam/one pair eyewear per year at 50% off for immediate family of employees.”

While this information should also be in the employee handbook, showing the benefits as a part of the overall compensation package sweetens the offer.

Time limit for response

Make the time limit between 24 to 48 hours, as you want to be able to act quickly to engage the next candidate if the job offer is turned down. For example, “Please return a signed copy of this letter to me by August 2, 2013, to indicate your acceptance of this offer. Feel free to contact me at 555555-5555 if you have questions.” (For additional items you may want to include in the offer, see the online version of this article at optometricmanagement.com.)

Summary

Let the candidate know that you believe he/she can do the job. For example, “We are confident you will be able to make a significant contribution to the success of our business and look forward to working with you.” Include space at the bottom for the applicant to sign and date the document.

Prepare for a counter-offer

If the salary and benefits were made clear during the interview, a counter offer is not considered appropriate. If a ballpark salary was discussed, you should be prepared to discuss a counter-offer. Know your budget restrictions along with what is currently in place for other employees in your practice and in the industry to avoid a salary offer you will regret. OM

REBECCA JOHNSON IS THE FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF EYETRAIN4YOU, AN OPHTHALMIC STAFF COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. E-MAIL HER AT REBECCA@EYETRAIN4YOU, OR SEND COMMENTS TO OPTOMETRICMANAGEMENT@GMAIL.COM.