What is the offer letter feature?
The offer letter feature allows you to send employment offer documents directly through Workinitiatives.
This can help reduce manual steps such as printing, signing, scanning, and emailing documents outside the platform.
Using Workinitiatives, you can:
shortlist applicants
upload an offer letter template
insert macros to pre-fill candidate and job details
add signature and text fields
manage signing recipients
send the offer letter for signing
track when the applicant has been offered the role
download the signed document once completed
Before you start
Before sending an offer letter, make sure:
Requirement | Why it is needed |
The applicant has applied for the job | Offer letters are sent from the applicant management area |
The applicant has been shortlisted | The Send Offer option is available from the shortlisted applicant stage |
You have completed your interview or review process | The offer should only be sent once you are ready to proceed |
You have an offer letter template | You can upload a new template if one does not already exist |
The offer details are correct | Check the role, salary, start date, and employment terms before sending |
The correct recipients are known | You may need the candidate, manager, HR, or other signatories |
Review applicants
To review applicants:
Go to the left-hand menu.
Select Jobs.
Select Job ads.
Find the job ad you are reviewing.
Open the applicants for that job ad.
From the applicant list, review each candidate and decide whether to progress them. You can use actions such as:
Mark as Shortlisted
Reject
Shortlist the applicant
Before sending an offer, the applicant should be marked as shortlisted.
To shortlist an applicant:
Open the applicant list for the relevant job ad.
Find the applicant you want to progress.
Select Actions.
Select Mark as Shortlisted.
The applicant will then appear in the Shortlisted category.
Send an offer to an applicant
Once the applicant has been shortlisted and you are ready to send an offer:
Go to the Shortlisted category.
Find the applicant.
Select Actions.
Select Send Offer.
A new window will open to begin the offer letter process.
Upload an offer letter template
If this is your first time sending an offer letter, you may not have any existing offer templates available.
To upload a new template:
Select Upload New.
Choose the offer letter template from your computer.
Upload the file.
Continue to the template editing screen.
NOTE: Once you have uploaded a template offer letter above, this will be saved as an existing template that can be used for future candidates.
Edit the offer letter before sending
After uploading your offer letter template, the editing screen will open.
From here, you can insert macros to pre-populate candidate, role, and offer information before sending the document.
Macros may help populate details such as:
applicant name
job title
company name
manager name
salary or pay rate
start date
employment type
work location
other relevant applicant or job details
After adding the required macros, select Save and Continue.
If you need to pause and return later, select Save Draft. You can continue editing the offer template when you are ready.
Finalise the offer letter
After selecting Save and Continue, you will move to the final offer letter preparation step.
This is where you review the offer document before sending it to the applicant.
Check that:
the correct offer template has been used
all macros have populated correctly
the candidate’s details are accurate
the role details are accurate
the salary or pay details are correct
the start date is correct
all required signing fields have been added
the correct recipients have been added
Tip
You may find it easier to zoom out in your browser so you can see more of the document on screen.
TIP: I recommend you zoom out of the form to see all the information on the screen!
Manage recipients
The Manage Recipients section allows you to choose who needs to receive, sign, or receive a copy of the offer letter.
You may add recipients such as:
Recipient | Purpose |
Candidate | Receives and signs the offer letter |
Employee manager | Reviews or signs the offer letter |
HR manager | Can be copied into the completed document |
Other internal stakeholder | Can be added if they need to sign or receive a copy |
You can also add CC recipients if someone should receive a copy once all parties have signed.
Add fields to the document
After setting up recipients, add the required fields to the offer letter.
Common fields include:
signature field
date field
time field
text field
name field
Make sure each field is assigned to the correct recipient.
For example, a candidate signature field should be assigned to the candidate, and a manager signature field should be assigned to the manager.
NOTE: If you have missed any information or the template has the wrong information and you need to edit the template, you will need to exit this screen, and will bring you back to your template to make those changes.
Send the offer letter
Once the document is finalised and all required fields have been added:
Select Save and Close.
The offer letter process will begin.
You may receive the document first if your signature is required before the candidate receives it.
After the required internal signature is completed, the offer letter is sent to the candidate.
After sending, you should see a success message.
The applicant’s status should update to Offered in Workinitiatives.
Signing the offer letter
Recipients will receive an email asking them to review and sign the offer letter.
If a manager or internal signer is first in the signing order, they must sign before the candidate receives the document.
Once all required parties have signed:
the completed offer letter is emailed to the relevant recipients
any CC recipients receive a copy if they were added
the applicant status updates to Offer Accepted in Workinitiatives
Not received the email? Please check your Junk or Spam folders as this is coming from a new email address.
Candidate email and signing:
The candidate will receive the email to sign.
Click on the image above to review the step-by-step procedure in detail.
Manager email and signing:
The manager will receive the email to sign.
Click on the image above to review the step-by-step procedure in detail.
At the end, both parties (including any CC's if they were added) upon signing will receive a copy via email and your candidate will show as Offer Accepted in Workinitiatives.
From here, you will move on to the next step in your recruitment process, you can download a copy of the signed document via the actions menu, or you progress to the next step of Send Contract via the system.
Sending Contracts via Workinitiatives is the same workflow but using a Contract template instead, if you want to follow along the applicant journey, please follow this article here.
Best practice tips
Review the applicant first
Only send offer letters to applicants who have completed the required recruitment steps and are ready to receive an offer.
Use templates for consistency
Save offer letter templates so you can reuse consistent wording and formatting for future candidates.
Check macros before sending
Confirm all macros have populated correctly and there are no blank fields or incorrect details.
Confirm the signing order
Make sure the correct person signs first if the offer needs to be reviewed internally before being sent to the candidate.
Add CC recipients when needed
Add HR, payroll, or relevant managers as CC recipients if they need a copy of the completed offer letter.
Troubleshooting
I cannot see Send Offer
Check that the applicant has been moved to the Shortlisted category.
The Send Offer action appears for shortlisted applicants.
I do not have an offer letter template
Select Upload New and upload an offer letter template from your computer.
Once uploaded, the template can be saved and reused later.
I need to stop and come back later
Select Save Draft.
You can return to the draft offer letter and continue the process later.
The offer letter has incorrect information
If the template wording is incorrect, return to the template editing step and update the document.
If the candidate or role details are incorrect, review the applicant and job ad information before sending.
The macros did not populate correctly
Check that the correct macros were inserted into the offer template.
If required, edit the template, reinsert the macros, then save and continue again.
The candidate did not receive the offer email
Ask the candidate to check their junk or spam folder.
The email may come from a new or unfamiliar address.
Also confirm the candidate’s email address is correct in Workinitiatives.
The candidate has not received the offer because the manager has not signed
If the manager is first in the signing order, the candidate may not receive the offer until the manager has completed their signing step.
Ask the manager to check their inbox, junk, and spam folders.
I want to download the signed offer letter
Once all parties have signed, use the Actions menu to download a copy of the signed document.
I want to send a contract after the offer is accepted
Once the applicant status shows Offer Accepted, use the Send Contract action to begin the contract process.
We hope this new feature will make the hiring process smoother and more efficient for you. If you have any questions or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team.
Thank you for choosing Workinitiatives for your hiring needs!