Job Offer

When an employer is willing to hire you and gives you a job offer, they must:

• Communicate to you about the offer 
• Specify the job role and the terms of the job 
• Offer some remuneration/salary/benefits in return for your work

Communication of the Offer

An employer has to communicate the willingness to hire you through a job offer in clear words, either in writing or verbally.

However, it is better to have the offer in writing, as it is easier to prove that the offer was indeed initiated, if your employer denies it in the future.

Job Role and Terms of Job

• The offer made to you should be for a specific position or a role. If the offer is unclear, clarify the kind of job role they are interested in hiring you for. It will be hard to get out of the job, once you have taken it and signed the written contract.
• Make sure that your job role, annual cost-to-company (CTC), benefits, monthly salary etc. are given. You should also clear up any doubts you have about the job details before you accept the offer.

Salary and Other Benefits

Your salary will be determined by the kind or nature of your employment. Salaries are calculated based on the market rate for that particular job, previous work experience, and your bargaining skills. You can negotiate your salary amount by clearly communicating the advantage, in the form of your skillset, that you are bringing to the organization, and by utilizing your own market research regarding the salary as per industry rates.

If you are a salaried employee, your total salary will be broken up under different heads such as basic pay, dearness allowance (DA) , Provident Fund deduction, house rent allowance (HRA) etc. However, if you are not an employee,  you will be paid your full salary amount which will be called a ‘retainership fee’.

After the job offer has been communicated to you, depending on your circumstances, you can always negotiate for additional benefits, a higher salary, or a better position. Your employer may or may not entertain  such negotiations, in which case it is up to you to accept or reject the offer.

Timely Response to Offer

Your job offer may specify a time period within which you will have to reply and if you do not respond within the time given, the job offer will lapse.

If there is no specific time period mentioned, you should reply to the employer within a reasonable time, either accepting or rejecting the job offer.