Intent Letter
Announce Your Intentions

Intent letter template introduction:

Writing an effective letter of intent can be tricky. You want to make certain that the message your intend to send is actually the message that is perceived by the individual who is receiving your letter.

Let's get you started with these proven key points to consider:

• Begin effective correspondence with the applicant right away. As soon as you receive the completed application, respond to notify the sender that you are in receipt of the application and that you will be in contact again soon.
• Always be positive in your letters, while not giving off a false impression that the candidate has landed the job. Never give false hope to a candidate. Be up front about the process and keep the dialogue professional at all times.
• Formalize what has been agreed to verbally in a written document. This protects both parties from any misunderstandings, and prevents hiring based on any misleading information.
• Items to include in any offer letter are: starting date for employment, job description/title, as well as specific details about job duties, areas of responsibility, starting salary and benefits.
• When writing an intent letter, be thorough. Avoid using any details that are not relevant to the offer and communicate only the key facts of the offer.
• Be sensitive to the fact that the applicant you wish to employ may be working somewhere else at the moment, so your intent letter must convey to the prospective employee that the job you are offering is a better opportunity. Allow the applicant 2-3 days at the most to decide whether or not to accept the position. You might consider making the offer on a Friday to give the applicant the weekend to make their final decision. Remember, it's in both parties best interest for the applicant to be 100% positive that this is the right position for them. Otherwise you might find yourself going through this process all over again in a few weeks or months.

So let's now say that you have just been offered a job opportunity. It's now up to you to write an effective letter of acceptance.

Always start your acceptance letter by stating clearly that you accept the offer.

Next, thank your new employer for the opportunity that you have been provided.

Assure your new employer that you are excited to begin working on the agreed upon date that you are committed to make certain they will not regret their decision to hire you.

Restate in your letter of acceptance the basic terms of the job offer.

Be sure to request more information or to clarify any question you still have before accepting any offer. Never plan on negotiating terms after you've accepted a position, as those discussion do not typically work out the way you might intend.

Ensure that your intent letter of acceptance is professionally written, and free of spelling or grammatical errors.

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