Offer Letters 101

This is the time of year when students start receiving summer job offers. Don’t know what to expect if that happens? Read on!

Many organizations will make their initial offer to you over the phone or by email. It is very important to set up a professional-sounding voicemail message in anticipation of an employer contacting you with an offer. Also don’t forget to monitor whichever email account you provided to the employer very carefully so you don’t miss any correspondence. If you receive an employment offer over the phone or via email, don’t keep the employer waiting, either. Respond to the initial offer within 24 to 48 hours. If you have questions or concerns about accepting this offer, please contact your Work Experience Coordinator right away so they can support you. As per the AWE Student Handbook, verbal and email offer acceptances are just as legally binding as signing an offer letter. Accepting an offer in any way will initiate the employer’s hiring process. 

Typically speaking, a more formal offer letter will be sent to you following your initial acceptance. If that occurs, it is critical that you read the entire letter very carefully before signing and returning it to the employer, but that you submit it within 24-48 hours. A signed offer letter is a contract between you and the employer that usually confirms your rate of pay, hours of work, other workplace expectations and your union’s collective agreement, if applicable. It may also include vacation and time off policies, confidentiality clauses and probationary periods. Signing a contract before reading it is never advisable, so take your time going through it and reach out to the employer if you have any questions whatsoever before you sign and submit it. 

If the employer’s process doesn’t involve issuing an offer letter, they should be informing you of all of the critical information about the position and their hiring process when they offer you the position. If anything is unclear, please ask the employer for clarification. If you are not sure how to proceed, reach out to your Work Experience Coordinator for support as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about the offer acceptance process or what you need to do once you have received an offer, please reach out to your Work Experience Coordinator as soon as possible!