Editor, Publisher

First, I should point out that the acceptance letter has two key ingredients forming the thin batter and that is:  1) Stating the acceptance of the job offer and 2) Confirming acceptance of the compensation package.  Stating acceptance of the offer can be as simple as, “This letter confirms my acceptance of the job offer you extended to me on Friday, June 13, 2003 for the position of assistant account manager.” 

Now, the confirmation of compensation paragraph is just as simple to pull together and usually includes some mention of the following items:  title of position, salary, signing bonus, year-end bonus if any, start date, relocation package if any, job location and amount of vacation time during first year.  Please note that while you may have already accepted the job offer and agreed to the compensation package over the phone, you should still reconfirm your acceptance of the compensation package in the form of an acceptance letter.

Now, the last minute ingredient being tossed in our thin batter is a small mention of the new hire's interest in working at the company.  This is usually included in the last paragraph and while you may have already mentioned your desire to work for the company in your thank you letter, I still think it’s a nice touch to mention it again in the acceptance letter.  Besides, adding it definitely seems to help end the letter more smoothly than without it.

To help get you started in creating your first acceptance letter, I’ve included several sample acceptance letters just below.  The first letter is worded for a job offer that was originally introduced over the phone and the remaining two letters are worded for job offers that were originally introduced in the form of letters.  Feel free to revise any of the following acceptance letters to fit your personal needs.

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(Sample Acceptance Letter)

Dear Ms. Jackson:

This confirms my acceptance of the job offer that was extended to me on March 21, 2003 for the position of Program Coordinator with Jacob & Simmerson.

Per the details outlined in our phone conversation, I am pleased to accept the following compensation package.  

Salary:  $29,000 per year

Relocation Expenses:  $2,000

Vacation:  2 weeks (with pay after 1st full year)

Again, I am really excited about starting work soon and believe that I will be able to make important contributions to the company right away.  If you need to reach me anytime before my start date, please feel free to call me at 312-243-1234.

Sincerely,

Seneca Langford

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(Sample Acceptance Letter)

Dear Ms. Murphy:

I am delighted to accept your offer for the position of program coordinator in the Pediatrics Department, and as requested in the offer letter that was mailed to me, I will report to work at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, September 15, 2003.

Additionally, I have thoroughly reviewed the details of the compensation package that was described in the letter and I am happy to accept the following terms/benefits:   

Yearly Salary:  $32,000

Sign-on Bonus:  $2,500

Year-End Bonus:  $3,600 (1^st year)

Vacation Time:  1 week (1^st year)

Once again, I am very much looking forward to my first day of work.  If any other matters need to be discussed or other information conveyed to me before my start date, please feel free to call me at 312-243-1234.

Sincerely,

Seneca Langford

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(Sample Acceptance Letter)

Dear Mr. Ryan:

Thank you for the job offer of sales consultant with Shafer's marketing division.  I am extremely happy to accept your job offer.

Also, I am pleased to accept the terms of your compensation package, which I've outlined briefly again for confirmation purposes.

Salary:  $39,500

Sign-on Bonus:  $6,500

Relocation Package:  $4,000

Once again, I would like to reinstate my pleasure and excitement at starting work with your company on Monday, August 11, 2003.   I've read much about Shafer over the years in trade journals, magazines and newspapers and always with words of heightened praise headlining the many articles.  I'm extremely eager to start making contributions of my own to your company; contributions that I believe will undoubtedly aid Shafer in reaching even greater heights in the future.

If you need to reach me before my start date, please call me at 312-243-1234 or email me at senecalangford_123@msn.com.

Sincerely,

Seneca Langford

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Recapping Things

To make sure we have the order and the purpose of each paragraph straight in our minds, let's quickly recap things here.  Remember, an acceptance letter has three components (rather two key parts and one not so key part).  The opening paragraph of the acceptance letter is used to declare or confirm acceptance of the job offer.  The second paragraph is used to reconfirm the compensation package and the third paragraph can be used to restate one's interest in working at the company or can also be used to provide personal contact information.  If you pull together your acceptance letter exactly in this order, you won't have to ever worry about having a job offer rescinded because of poor letter form.

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This article is © 2003-2005 by Tracy Miller and may not be reposted without written permission from the author and may not be reprinted for profit.