Congratulations! Your offer from a candidate has been accepted. Now, it's time to take the next steps in the hiring process and send a contract to the applicant.
Before you send a contract
Before sending a contract, review the accepted offer carefully.
Make sure the offer details are correct, including:
applicant name
job title
employment terms
salary or pay rate
start date
work location
any other agreed conditions
You can download a copy of the accepted offer by selecting Actions and choosing the relevant offer option.
How to send a contract to a successful applicant
To send a contract:
Go to the applicant or offer record.
Select Actions.
Select Send Contract.
A new window will open for the contract process.
When you select Send Contract a new modal opens for you. If this is your first time, you will not have existing Contract templates available. You'll select Upload New and choose a template from your work computer.
NOTE: Once you have uploaded a template contract above, this will be saved as an existing template that can be used for future candidates.
Editing the contract before sending
After uploading the contract template, the edit screen will open.
From here, you can edit the template and insert macros to automatically populate applicant or job information into the contract.
Macros can help reduce manual data entry and ensure candidate information is inserted consistently.
For example, macros may be used to populate information such as:
candidate name
job title
company name
start date
salary or pay information
other relevant offer details
Once you have added the required macros, select Save and Continue to move to the next step.
If you are not ready to continue, select Save Draft. You can return to the draft contract later and continue the process.
Finalising the contract
After saving and continuing, you will move to the final contract preparation screen.
This is where you can review the contract before it is sent to the applicant.
At this stage, check that:
the correct template has been used
macros have populated correctly
applicant details are accurate
offer details are accurate
signature fields have been added
recipients are correct
any required additional fields have been included
TIP: You may find it easier to zoom out in your browser so you can see more of the document on screen.
Managing recipients
The Manage Recipients section allows you to choose who needs to receive or sign the contract. You can add multiple recipients if needed.
For example:
Recipient | Purpose |
Manager | Reviews and signs the contract first |
Candidate | Receives and signs the contract after the manager |
HR Manager | Can be copied into the final signed document |
You can also add CC recipients if someone needs to receive a copy once the contract has been completed and signed.
Adding fields to the contract
After configuring recipients, you can add fields to the document. These fields tell each recipient what they need to complete. Common fields include:
signature field
date field
time field
text field
name field
other required input fields
Make sure each field is assigned to the correct recipient. For example, the manager’s signature field should be assigned to the manager, while the candidate’s signature field should be assigned to the candidate.
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.
Sending the contract
Once the document has been finalised and all required fields have been added:
Review the document one final time.
Select Save and close.
This action sends the contract to the recipients for review and signing.
Signing of Contracts by Recipients
Not received the email? Please check your Junk or Spam folders as this is coming from a new email address.
The contract may be sent in a signing order.
For example, the manager may need to sign the contract first. Once the manager has signed, the contract is then automatically sent to the candidate for signing.
After all required parties have signed, a completed copy is sent by email to the relevant recipients, including any CC recipients if they were added.
Manager email and signing:
The manager will receive the email to sign.
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 Hired in Workinitiatives.
Candidate email and signing:
The candidate will receive the email to sign.
What happens after the contract is signed?
Once the contract has been completed and signed by all required parties:
the signed contract is sent to the relevant recipients
the hiring process can move to the next stage
the applicant may show as Hired in Workinitiatives
You can then continue with onboarding the new employee.
Congratulations! You have successfully completed the hiring process and can now move forward with onboarding the new employee.
Best practice tips
Review the accepted offer first
Before sending the contract, download and review the accepted offer to make sure all details are correct.
Use contract templates
If you regularly send similar contracts, save a contract as a template so it can be reused for future applicants.
Check macros carefully
Before sending, confirm that all macros have populated correctly and no placeholder text remains.
Assign fields to the correct person
Make sure signature, date, and text fields are assigned to the correct recipient.
Add CC recipients when needed
If HR, payroll, or another manager needs a copy of the signed contract, add them as a CC recipient before sending.
Troubleshooting
I do not have any contract templates
Select Upload New and upload a contract template from your computer. Once uploaded, the template can be saved and reused for future applicants.
I need to pause the contract process
Select Save Draft.
You can return to the draft contract later and continue from where you left off.
The contract information is incorrect
If the contract wording or template information is incorrect, return to the template editing step and update the document before sending. If the issue is with applicant or offer details, review the accepted offer and applicant information before proceeding.
The macros did not populate correctly
Check that the correct macros were inserted into the template. If required, edit the template, reinsert the correct macros, then save and continue again.
The wrong person received the contract
Check the recipient setup before sending. If the contract has already been sent to the wrong person, contact support or follow your internal process before continuing.
The candidate has not received the contract
Ask the candidate to check their junk or spam folder. Also confirm that their email address is correct in Workinitiatives.
The manager has not signed yet
If the manager is first in the signing order, the candidate may not receive the contract until the manager has signed it. Ask the manager to check their inbox and complete their signing step.
If you have any further questions or need assistance with sending a contract, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team. We are here to help make your hiring process as seamless as possible.