16 Things To Include In A Job Offer (And Conditions To Place On It)

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In most situations, a conditional job requirement is something that signifies that the employee is capable and able to perform the job to the satisfaction of the employer. If they don’t meet the condition, then you can rescind the offer.

Bringing someone on board with your company is an exciting time for everyone, but there are some considerations and details that need to be ironed out before anyone agrees to employment. Read on to learn what you should add to the job offer to accommodate both parties and clear up any potential confusion.

Key Takeaways

• A job offer is an offer of employment, and it can be very simple, or it can have conditions that require further steps before employment begins.

• A conditional job offer lists requirements that must be met before any further steps toward employment are taken.

• All job offers should have some key bits of information and don’t need to contain conditions unless they are key to performing the job.

• Conditional job offers allow you to gather critical requirements and information from applicants.

• If an employee fails to meet the conditions in the job offer, they can then be denied the job.

What Is a Job Offer?

A job offer is an offer of employment. It can be as simple as asking someone to work for you, or it can be an involved contract with many requirements and pieces of information. Job offers can also be for short-term work, like shoveling your driveway, or they can be for long-term, permanent employment, like working for a company for the foreseeable future.

What Is a Conditional Job Offer?

A conditional job offer is one that has certain requirements that need to be met before the job offer is official. A common condition is that someone needs to pass a drug screening before employment. In this situation, you’re typically giving the offer, and if you pass the drug test, you get the job. If you don’t pass the test, the job offer is rescinded.

In a conditional job offer, the conditions that must be met are almost always determined by the employer because they’re making the offer.

There might be a conditional acceptance from an employee, in which case they would accept the job if certain requirements are met. For example, disabled employees will work for a company once they install the necessary equipment for them to do their job. But this is a conditional acceptance, not an offer.

What Information Should Be in a Job Offer?

Even job offers that are not conditional should list some key pieces of information. This information is critical for potential employees, and it’s what they’ll want to consider before they accept or decline the offer. Make sure you add the following considerations when making a job offer.

1. Job title. So there is no confusion, the official job title should be listed in the offer.

2. Responsibilities. The job offer is where all of the duties of the job are listed. It’s important to list not only the day-to-day tasks but also the ones that are not so regular but still a part of the job.

3. Name/Title of Supervisor. Usually, the person who is the supervisor or direct contact for the new employee is listed in the job offer. Sometimes that person’s contact information is also listed.

4. Pay or compensation. Detail how the individual will be paid and what pay is based on, whether it’s hourly, salary, or commission based, etc.

5. Supplemental benefits. Most employers offer some benefits in addition to pay. Benefits include health care, retirement plans, vacation pay, and other common incentives.

6. Job type and hours. It’s important that the job offer spells out whether the job is full-time or part-time if it’s seasonal or permanent, and if the employee will be exempt or non-exempt from overtime.

7. At-Will employment. Most employees are termed at-will, which means they can be terminated or quit their job at any time, and there might not be advance notice or any reason.

8. Instructions for accepting the offer. In most cases today, the offer is an email, and responding to the email is the accepted response whether you’re declining the job or taking it. But it’s still good to indicate how you’d like the next steps to go.

9. Conditions of employment. If there are any conditions that are essential for the employee to complete or prove before they can begin working, these must be spelt out in the job offer.

What Conditions Should Be in a Job Offer?

If you’re hiring someone and your job offer does have some contingencies, then these conditions need to be spelt out in the job offer. It’s key that both parties are in agreement on what conditions need to be met in order for the job offer to be official.

Every employer and every position within a company may have different conditions that must be met for employment, especially when specialized training is involved. Some of the most common job offer conditions include the following:

1. Aptitude tests. Proving your knowledge or skill in particular areas can be key in displaying your ability to do a certain job.

2. Educational background or professional certification. Many positions require a certain educational degree or professional certification that proves the candidate is qualified to do the job being offered.

3. Drug screening. Passing a drug test has become a very common condition that’s attached to job offers.

4. Physical exam. Some jobs require physical exams before they will hire an individual; this is becoming less common and used only when necessary.

5. Psychological exam. Psychological exams are not included in many jobs offers as a condition of employment, but they might be if the job requires a certain degree of mental stability.

6. Background check. Routine criminal background checks are gaining in popularity with employers, and it’s not uncommon to see one in a job offer.

7. Reference check. Reference checks are sometimes listed in job offers; sometimes, they’re done before the job offer is made. It’s not uncommon to see this as a condition of employment.

What Conditions Cannot Be in a Job Offer

While it’s easy to see why some conditions are important for specific jobs, there are others that are not allowed. If someone is being hired based on any of the following conditions or if they’re being denied a job due to these conditions, then it’s discrimination, and that’s illegal.

• Race

• Physical disabilities

• Mental condition

• Marital status

• Sex

• Age

• Sexual orientation

• Military or other protected status

It’s clear that if there’s an in-person interview, some of the conditions above are evident or can be determined through the course of an interview. It’s not illegal to know that someone is married; it’s illegal to require that they be married or single as a condition of employment.

What If a Job Offer Condition Is Not Met

If you’ve offered a job to someone and there is a condition in the offer, the individual needs to complete or show proof of meeting that condition to be hired.

For example, you’re hiring someone for your company, and passing a drug screening is required for employment; you’ve offered the job to someone and set up their drug screening, and they fail the test. At this point, you can rescind the job offer because they did not meet the condition you established for employment.

Why Are Conditional Job Offers Important

Conditional job offers are an important tool that should be used by most employers. There are many laws to protect individuals and their privacy, and these laws come into play in the hiring process.

Consider the employer who wants to have a drug screening as a condition of employment. It’s not legal to drug screen everyone who applies for the position; it’s also not practical to do this. In this situation, a person must be given a conditional offer of employment before the drug screening takes place.

The job offer is not finalized until the individual meets the conditions laid out in the job offer. So the employer is still protected and doesn’t have to follow through on hiring if the potential employee fails to meet the key conditions.

Job Offer FAQ

1. Do I need to have conditions on my job offer?

   No, in some situations, a job offer does not need to contain conditions. A condition in a job offer is a requirement that the prospective employee must meet to perform the job.

   For instance, a dental office may require all of their dental hygienists have a degree that proves they have had the appropriate education to do the job. They may be offered the job with the condition that they can prove that they have their degree.

   Similarly, that same dental office may require that their employees pass a drug screening. To have the drug screening, they need to provide the applicant with a conditional job offer that requires them to pass the drug screening before they’re hired. Once they pass, then the job is theirs.

2. Do I need to hire someone after they’ve completed the conditions in a job offer?

   Yes, if someone completes the required conditions in a job offer, then you must hire them. Your job offer is a legal contract that is binding once the other party has proved that they meet the conditions you’ve laid out. Conditional job offers are not a tool that helps employers dig up information on people; they’re meant to be a serious offer of employment as long as specified conditions are met.

3. What if someone doesn’t fulfill the conditions of their job offer?

   If an employer provides a job offer with a condition that’s not met by the applicant, then the job offer is rescinded or null. If you require an applicant to meet certain conditions to do the job and they can’t meet or prove those conditions, then they don’t qualify for the job, and the offer is no longer valid.

Author

Kristin Kizer

Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.