An appointment letter is an official letter issued by the recruitment team to the employee who has been hired by your company. It is an important document that contains all the necessary terms and conditions of employment.
What is an appointment letter?
An appointment letter is a legal document written by the employer to deliver their decision of hiring an applicant for a job. When the applicants have qualified, they sent their job application letters then got shortlisted and received a job offer letter. Some companies conduct two or more interviews of the applicants while most of them usually use the traditional one-time interviewing process. Moreover, this letter contains the employer’s expectations like benefits, remunerations, working station, reporting time, and structure.
What is the difference between offer letter and appointment letter?
An offer letter is an official document written for a candidate who has found suitable for the position. On the other hand, an appointment letter is sent to the candidate when they make sure that they want to accept the job.
The generic details which were discussed during the interview stages are typically included in the offer letter. While, the appointment letter contains detailed information which is specific to the role.
Different Types of appointment letters:
Let us discuss below some different types of appointment letters;
Appointment letter for new employees
It is considered the most common type of appointment letter. It is written for potential employees to invite them for taking a specific position in the company.
Appointment letter for employees
This type of appointment letter is sent to employees who are promoted to new or higher positions within the company.
Appointment letter for teachers
Unlike the above two types of appointment letters, this letter specifies the subject and grade level that teachers must teach. It can also be written for presenting a promotion for teachers.
Missed appointment letters
The missed appointment letters are typically sent to the health personnel when patients missed their appointed schedules for consultation. It includes an apology and the reasons that why they have missed the schedule.
Appointment confirmation letters
This letter is written as a response to the offer letter for confirming its acceptance. An appointment cancellation letter is another type of response.
What to include in an appointment letter?
Here are the elements that should be included in an appointment letter;
Welcoming the employee
Make this part impressive because this is the first impression the employee will get about the company. It is a necessary step in order to make an effective onboarding and successful process. They feel them secure about the work environment by reading a simple welcoming statement. This also develops a sense of belonging in them.
At the starting, congratulate them on securing the job with the company. Then, welcome them to the team. It is an effective way to indicate that the company’s happiness in employing them and they are looking forward to work with them.
Terms, conditions and prospective
Describe them what they are supposed to do at work. Also, indicate the stipulated working hours. After this, mention the terms and conditions regarding their salaries and compensations included in the letter. These terms and conditions make sure the maintenance of order at work.
Important information
To make sure efficiency and productivity at the workplace, communication is a key. Their job title, benefits plan, rate of pay and to whom they’ll be reporting to should be is clearly mentioned in this section. For a peaceful understanding among the employer and employee, precisely state these as an overview concerning the discussed topics.
Employment at- will
It is the legal right of an employer to terminate the employee at-will. They aren’t accountable for why they did so. To prevent future understandings, this should be clearly stated in the letter.
Conventions, customs and regulations
Also, mention any medical or physical tests in the appointment letter that are taken at the workplace. Including this at the letter make sure it’s clear that the discussion was agreed upon is essential.
How do you write an appointment letter?
Below are some pointers on how to write an appointment letter format;
Addressing the appointment letter
At first, on the first line, write the date in which you are writing the letter for documentation purposes with the prospective employee. Begin the second line after four spaces and write the employee’s name and address. This is important for formality purposes. This also makes sure that the letter is meant for the specific person.
Furthermore, to make the letter more appealing for the readers, make sure that the lines have single spacing. After the address, skip two spaces and write the salutations. This sets the tone that indicates your employee how you view them. It is suggested to use the word dear to address their name. Then, before writing the body, skip two spaces.
The first paragraph of the appointment letter
The first paragraph of the appointment letter is a short paragraph that consists of three sentences. The first sentence confirms the appointment to them. The second one congratulates them for receiving the job. Finally, in the third sentence, welcome them to your company.
Principal information of the letter
In the second paragraph of the appointment letter, inform the employee about
- The job title, responsibilities,
- The commencing date,
- The working hours,
- Reporting structure
After that, move to the third paragraph and define the salary and benefits discussed during the interviewing process. For these two paragraphs, four sentences are enough. These paragraphs should be concise.
Signing off and conclusion
Leave a space for the hired employee to sign and makes sure to write the date under the signature. In the end, inform them that the company is looking forward to having them on their team. After skipping two spaces, end the letter by writing ‘Sincerely’ followed by the name of the employer. Include your signature after four spaces.
Tips for writing an appointment letter:
The appointment letter should be;
Short and brief
To keep your letter short and precise, use a few keywords. However, if you don’t know your client then scheduling the first meeting is quite hard. Therefore, by outlining your products, you should write the first letter in a brief way and straight to the point.
Friendly but professional
Write a letter by thinking it as a conversation with the client. Involve questions to give it a lively touch. During writing the letter, you should stick to being professional.
An included contact information
Give details on how you want them to get back to you. It can be via a contact number or email address. Your letter looks more professional by including an email signature to your email, social media links and contact information.
Attached with essential documents
If you have attached a file or document then include a statement like “Please look at the attached document.”
Conclusion:
In conclusion, an appointment letter is a legally binding document between your company and a potential employee. This letter is issued by the employer to an employee who has been hired by your company. Keep the tone of the letter professional. It should be well-written, precise, and simple.
Faqs (Frequently Asked Questions)
No, appointment letter is not legally binding. In case, the employment opportunity is withdraw then the employee or candidate don’t have any right to take legal actions against the employer.
The HR manager, team lead or department manager can write the appointment letter and it is send to the employee after the offer letter.
