Hr Draft Offer

When to use

Reach for this when a candidate has verbally accepted or a hiring manager has approved an offer and you need a written letter ready to send. Produce a professional, accurate document that mirrors the approved requisition exactly.

Not for: deciding the numbers or benchmarking pay (use hr-comp-analysis), planning the new hire's ramp (use hr-onboarding), or giving binding legal advice — route jurisdiction-specific clauses to counsel.

Method

1. Collect inputs — candidate name, role title, level, manager, team, start date, employment type (full-time/part-time/contract), work location/remote status, reporting line.
2. Assemble compensation — base salary (and pay period), sign-on bonus (with clawback window if any), target annual bonus, equity grant (type, amount, vesting, cliff), benefits summary.
3. State conditions — at-will language (jurisdiction-appropriate), background check, work authorization/I-9 or local equivalent, offer expiration date.
4. Add key terms — relocation, confidentiality/IP assignment, PTO policy, probation period if applicable. Decision point: include only terms the requisition or policy supports; do not invent.
5. Set tone — warm, welcoming opener; precise on every number; clean acceptance instructions (signature + date + deadline).
6. Verify before delivery — cross-check every figure and date against the approved req. Decision point: any value you cannot confirm gets a visible [CONFIRM] marker, and any legal-sensitive clause routes to counsel before sending.

Never invent numbers, dates, or legal terms. When in doubt, mark it and escalate.

Example

Candidate Priya Shah, Product Manager (L4), start 2026-08-04, full-time, hybrid (SF). Base $165,000/yr paid semi-monthly; sign-on $15,000 (12-month clawback); target bonus 12%; 12,000 RSUs vesting 4yr with 1-yr cliff. Contingent on background check and I-9. Offer expires 2026-07-25. Placeholder left: [CONFIRM manager name] because the req listed "TBD — Growth PM lead." That marker plus a reviewer note ("route clawback clause to legal — CA") ships with the draft.

Pitfalls

• Copying comp numbers from an earlier draft or memory instead of the signed-off requisition.
• Omitting the offer expiration date, leaving the offer open-ended.
• Using generic at-will boilerplate in a jurisdiction where it is unenforceable (e.g., outside the US).
• Sending before legal/finance review on equity, clawback, or relocation clauses.

Output format

--- OFFER LETTER (ready to send) ---
Greeting
Position: <title>, <level> — reporting to <manager>, <team>
Start date | Employment type | Location/remote
Compensation: base, pay period, sign-on (+clawback), target bonus
Equity: type, amount, vesting, cliff
Benefits: summary
Contingencies: background check, work authorization, offer expiration
At-will / terms: confidentiality/IP, PTO, probation
Acceptance block: signature ___ date ___ deadline ___
---
Placeholder list: [CONFIRM ...] items needing sign-off
Reviewer notes: clauses to route to legal/finance

Reference

Offer-letter anatomy — required components

A complete offer letter carries every element below. Missing any of the first group creates ambiguity; missing the contingencies group creates legal exposure.

Core terms

• Position title, level, and department/team
• Reporting manager (name and title)
• Employment type: full-time / part-time / contract / temporary
• Work location and remote/hybrid/on-site designation
• Start date
• FLSA classification (US): exempt vs. non-exempt (drives overtime eligibility)

Compensation

• Base salary with pay period stated (annual + per-paycheck; for non-exempt, hourly rate)
• Sign-on bonus, if any, with amount, payment timing, and clawback/repayment window
• Target annual/variable bonus: % of base, $ target, plan basis (individual/company), proration for partial year, and whether year-1 is guaranteed
• Equity grant: type (RSU/ISO/NSO/options), quantity or $ value, vesting schedule, cliff, and a note that grants are subject to board approval and the plan documents
• Benefits summary: health/dental/vision, retirement (e.g., 401k match), PTO/leave, other perks — usually by reference to plan docs

Contingencies (offer is conditional on)

• Satisfactory background check / references
• Proof of work authorization + I-9 (US) or local right-to-work verification
• Any role-specific screening (drug test, credit, security clearance) where lawful
• Offer expiration date/time

Legal terms

• At-will statement (US, where enforceable) — this is not an employment contract for a fixed term
• Confidentiality / IP-assignment / invention-assignment agreement (usually a referenced attachment)
• Restrictive covenants (non-compete/non-solicit) — jurisdiction-sensitive; many US states restrict or ban non-competes; route to counsel
• Contingency and probation language, if applicable

Acceptance block

• Signature line, printed name, date
• Explicit acceptance deadline

At-will vs. contract — jurisdiction cautions

At-will employment is a US default (except Montana) meaning either party may end the relationship any time for any lawful reason. It is not a global concept: most of Europe, the UK, Canada, and much of the world requires notice periods, statutory grounds, and often a formal employment contract — copying US at-will boilerplate there is unenforceable and can invalidate other terms. Always match the governing-law state/country to the employee's work location and route non-US and multi-state offers to counsel.

Equity clause essentials

State enough that the candidate understands what they're getting, without overstating certainty:

• Type — RSUs (taxed at vest, no strike) vs. options (ISO/NSO, carry a strike price, taxed differently).
• Quantity vs. value — number of units or a target $ value; note private-company shares are illiquid and current PPS is an estimate.
• Vesting — standard is 4 years with a 1-year cliff, then monthly or quarterly. State it explicitly.
• Conditions — "subject to board approval and the terms of the equity incentive plan and your grant agreement." Never promise a grant the board hasn't approved.
• Strike/409A (options) — strike is set at grant per the latest 409A/FMV; do not quote a strike you can't confirm → [CONFIRM].

Sign-on and clawback

Sign-on bonuses commonly carry a repayment clause if the employee leaves within a window (typically 12 months, sometimes prorated). State the amount, when it's paid (first paycheck vs. after 30/90 days), and the exact clawback terms. Route clawback and relocation-repayment language to legal.

The [CONFIRM] discipline

Any figure, date, name, or term you cannot verify against the signed-off requisition or approval gets a visible [CONFIRM …] marker in the draft — never a guessed value, never a number pulled from an earlier draft or memory. Maintain a placeholder list at the bottom so the approver sees exactly what still needs sign-off. Comp numbers, in particular, come only from the approved req, not from a prior candidate's letter.

Pre-send verification checklist

• Every comp figure matches the approved requisition exactly (base, bonus %, equity, sign-on)
• Start date, manager name, level, and location match the req
• Offer expiration date present and reasonable (commonly 3–7 business days)
• Governing law matches the employee's work location; at-will language appropriate for that jurisdiction
• Equity clause has type, amount, vesting, cliff, and board-approval caveat
• Contingencies listed (background, work auth/I-9)
• IP/confidentiality attachment referenced
• All [CONFIRM] markers resolved or explicitly flagged to the approver
• Legal/finance review completed on equity, clawback, relocation, and any non-standard clause
• Tone: warm opener, precise numbers, clear acceptance instructions

Common state/jurisdiction traps (US)

• Salary-history bans (many states/cities) — don't reference prior pay.
• Pay-transparency laws (e.g., CA, CO, NY, WA) — job postings and sometimes offers must include ranges.
• Non-compete restrictions — CA, ND, OK broadly void them; other states limit scope; route to counsel.
• Final-pay and PTO-payout rules vary by state — relevant to any clawback or accrual language.
• Multi-state / remote — the employee's physical work location usually governs, not the company HQ.

Route anything jurisdiction-specific or non-standard to counsel before sending; this skill drafts, it does not give legal advice.