Quite often we draw on international experience. This goes for all fields of our lives, which renders them simpler. In order to facilitate the recruitment process, we have also borrowed a few things from international companies, namely the signing of the “job offer” between the candidate and the employer.
What is a “job offer”, then? This is the so-called confirmation of the employer’s intention of employing the candidate based on conditions that have previously been discussed between the former and the latter during a job interview.
Every employer/recruiter must have obtained some experience dealing with weird candidates who change their mind at the last minute. They may also have found themselves in the situations when the conditions first discussed with the candidate orally would assume a very different form at the following meeting. Reaching an agreement is no mean feat, since people tend to hear the things they want to hear. For this reason, it is appropriate to sign a written agreement that will help solve all controversial issues in future.
The moral aspect of signing the “job offer” exerts an impact both on Ukrainian employers, and on their future employees. It also provides the employer with the opportunity to close the vacancy and not waste time searching for other candidates, whereas the candidate may initiate the dismissal procedure and stop looking for an alternative.
A “job offer” should consist of the following components:
- Congratulations to the candidate confirming that he or she has been selected.
- The title of the position, department and organization.
- Contacts of the supervisor.
- A detailed description of the position: responsibilities, duties, KPIs.
- Work conditions. This element requires special attention, as each condition should be laid out in a clear and concise way, so that the candidate does not have any further questions. If such questions do arise, they are to be answered and agreed upon.
- The address of the work place.
- Remuneration, bonuses, etc. It is also worth mentioning the currency of the remuneration. If the employer offers a grade salary system, this element is also to be agreed upon.
- Probation period conditions.
- Employee’s motivation, rest, trainings and “cookies”.
- Loyalty program and improvement of work efficiency.
- The deadline for the final decision and the date of the first working day, as well as the dates of the probation period.
- The list of the documents needed to be employed.
- Candidate’s signature and consent.
Does the “job offer” have a legal force?
The “job offer” is a written confirmation of the agreement. It contains the information that will prove useful in case one of the parties wishes to protect its rights. The proofs will be evaluated by the court in their entirety. Depending on the case, the court will decide whether it will consider this document as a proof or not. In any case, if the candidate is offered to sign the document, he or she is not advised to refuse it, especially if he or she is employed not by a labor contract.
The Labor Codex does not provide for a mandate requirement to sign this document. However, in order to improve the internal HR-processes, we recommend the employers signing the “job offer” with all “white collars”.