There are various kinds of letters in employment and business. In today’s blog, we will be learning about the appointment letter. This article covers the definition of a basic appointment letter, its importance, how to write one, and an appointment letter sample for employees.
You can also download the appointment letter format or the job appointment letter sample template format in Word format for free.
What is an Appointment Letter for an Employee?
In simple words, an appointment letter can be defined as a formal letter by an employer to a candidate who is offered to join the organisation. When a candidate shows interest in an open position at any company and successfully clears all their selection rounds, the candidate is provided with a job appointment letter.
There are two types of appointment letters: A job letter and an Internship letter.
This official letter helps to leave no doubts behind. A basic appointment letter contains CTC, date of joining, name of the candidate, name of the company, roles and responsibilities, job location, etc.
The significance of an offer letter/ salary certificate is to convey the requirements and deal clearly with the employees for smooth employee management.
Let us learn more about a basic appointment letter format and its content.
The Difference Between an Offer Letter and an Appointment Letter
Although the offer letter and the appointment letter by the company are similar, they serve different purposes and should not be mixed or confused with each other. Here we are pleased to give you a differentiation between the two in simple words.
➔ Offer Letter
The purpose of the offer letter is to inform the candidate that the company finds their qualification right for the job. This can be a job offer where we say “We are pleased to offer you the position” or a promotion offer where you will be informing them of the position you wish to promote them to.
It is an official document by the company. It includes an overview of the job role and information about the firm which is often been already discussed during the recruitment process.
➔ Appointment Letter
The appointment letter is also about hiring someone for the job position. That is an official document but carries very specific information about compensation, responsibilities, terms, and conditions of the appointment.
The appointment letter is given to candidates only after they officially accept the job offer.
How to Write an Appointment Letter?
An appointment letter is an important document and you need to draft it clearly, as it also represents the company. Below are the descriptions for prime elements of the appointment letter and how to write it.
You can use it as a guide to write an effective appointment letter for your employees. It will also be helpful to draft your appointment letter format sample for future use.
➔ Job title
The job title is one of the essential detail that has to be mentioned in the appointment letter. The candidate may be applying for multiple positions and the company itself is likely to be recruiting for multiple positions.
Missing out on the job title may cause confusion for both the candidate and the employer. That’s why you should always be clear with the job title that you are appointing the person for.
The job also determines the field of work, specialization, and position in the organizational hierarchy as well as career growth for the employee. If the new hires make the wrong assumptions on their own about their new job position it may lead to disputes in the firm.
Furthermore, an appointment letter without a job title comes across as very unprofessional and candidates may see it as a sign of carelessness and reconsider their decision to join the organization.
When you will be making the appointment letter format sample you should remember to leave the designated space for the job title. That way whenever you are writing an appointment letter, you won’t miss adding it due to the rush of work.
➔ Joining date
The appointment letter is in a way a confirmation of the job. In addition to that it often serves as an essential guide for the employee about their new job position. That makes it essential to ensure that it contains the information on when they are supposed to start working in their new job.
The joining date also plays an essential role for the employee to decide whether they are going to ultimately join your organization or not. They have to join the company only after completion of the notice period of their previous employer.
You will be mentioning the joining date on the appointment letter so they are well informed and don’t have to bother you with a further enquiry for the same.
The date of the joining is also crucial because they’re often in extended discussions and negotiations with the previous organization as well as the new employer. That often leads to misunderstandings.
Mentioning the joining date will help you to avoid all the chaos that might happen to everyone. Furthermore, it can be a key factor that enables an employee to join on an expected date.
➔ Pay Details
Your appointment letter is a formal notification for the employee informing them that they are now appointed for the post after acceptance of the offer letter. You will be expected to add the details of compensation that are mentioned in the offer letter or the one that is finally agreed upon.
Clearly mention what will be their compensation for the time period of year or more, according to your increment cycle. If you provide occasional revisions from time to time ensure to mention that too.
For example, you can write something such as ‘We are glad to offer you the compensation package we discussed with the following perks and benefits.’
It is an appointment letter that should include the salary details as well as other perks and benefits they are going to receive as a part of their employment. You must always include the payment details in an appointment letter format.
➔ Types of Leaves
A letter of appointment to the employee should include details of all the essential factors regarding their employment. It is an appointment letter that is supposed to include the details of the leaves offered by the company such as casual leaves, sick leaves, unpaid leaves, and more.
If you are wondering how to write leave details while writing an appointment letter, you should start by listing various types of leaves. Then go ahead to add the number of leaves in the table format against every leave type.
Everyone needs time off from work now and then for multiple reasons. It’s essential to maintain a healthy work-life balance. It helps to keep the creative spark on.
There is also some amount of mandatory leaves that the employee is entitled to. So, to stay out of legal trouble as well as to communicate that you care for your employees, add the leave details in the appointment letter templates.
Note that you should also inform the terms and conditions to the employees they have to know to utilize some special leaves in the company.
Workplace Terms and Conditions
When a company says that ‘This is your appointment letter and we offer you the position of….’ the related terms and conditions should be in an appointment letter too.
It’s important to reveal all the policies to the employee. Especially if there is any binding contract that they need to submit to the company on the date of the joining.
Explain all policies to the candidate such as the code of conduct, non-discloser, eligibility for various benefits, and any other terms they should be agreed upon before joining.
Most of the time an appointment letter is the last formal document they get before joining so you may also like to make it as a tool to gain the trust.
It can be simple when it comes to the question of how to write an appointment letter. Don’t leave out important things that might trouble them during the onboarding process.
In addition to that you need to include the terms and conditions of the termination, we will discuss that in the next point.
➔ Termination Conditions
When you are giving the letter of appointment you should mention the terms of your employment, in a sense the conditions that may cause termination for the candidate if they fail to follow it.
It is essential to explain to the candidate the terms they must follow to work as an employee of the company or they may feel cheated.
An appointment letter for the candidate by the company is definitely a positive thing but should not be limited to that only.
Including details of such obligations will help help to be better informed on their date of joining. In addition to that details letter of appointment, a letter will help to keep the candidate in the company longer.
Winding it up
An appointment letter is a formal notification of appointment. In addition to basic details such as the date of joining, a letter of appointment should have a lot more information to make it helpful for the candidate. You can use this blog to know how to write an effective appointment letter.
Appointment letter sample for employee-
Here is the sample appointment letter format-
[Date, Month, Year]
[Candidate Name] [Address]
[City], [State] [Pin code]
Subject: Appointment for the post of [Designation]
Dear [Mr./Mrs.] [Candidate Name],
We are pleased to offer you, the position of [Designation] with [Company name] on the following terms and conditions:
Commencement of employment
Your employment will be effective as of [Starting Date, Month, Year]
Salary
Your salary and other benefits are as follows: [XYZ]
Hours of Work
The normal working days are [Start Day] through [End Day]. You will be required to work for such hours as necessary for the proper discharge of your duties to the Company. The normal working hours are from [Start Time] to [End Time] and you are expected to work not less than [Number of Hours] hours each week, and if necessary, for additional hours depending on your responsibilities.
Leave/Holidays
You are entitled to casual leave of [Casual Leave] days,
You are entitled to [Sick Leave] working days of paid sick leave, and so on…
Acceptance of our offer
Please confirm your acceptance of this Contract of Employment by signing and returning the duplicate copy.
We welcome you and look forward to receiving your acceptance and to working with you.
Yours Sincerely,
[Name of HR manager]
[Designation]
[Signature]
