Appointment Letter for a Job: Template & Confirmation Sample

The recruitment process is finally over. A lot of elimination, interviewing, and shortlisting went into getting you to this point. Maybe some negotiation, too. Then the offer letter, the signed contract. And now you have your new hire. The last formality in the hiring process is an appointment letter.

In this article, you’ll find a sample appointment letter better than most. One that ticks all the boxes. You’ll get lots of solid, UK-specific advice to get your appointment letter looking at least as good. Follow along with our step-by-step guide and you’ll be closing this chapter before you know it.

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Had a different letter in mind? See:

• Acceptance Letter Sample
• Apology Letter Sample
• Appeal Letter Sample
• Appreciation Letter Sample
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• Recommendation Letter Sample
• Reference Letter Sample
• Resignation Letter Sample
• Retirement Letter Sample
• Termination Letter Sample

Appointment letter sample

What is an appointment letter?

An appointment letter is a formal document issued by an employer to an individual who has been chosen for a particular position. It summarises job responsibilities, terms and conditions, the salary offered, and other important details regarding the employment and collaboration.

The appointment letter above is your guiding star. Read on for a detailed walkthrough for getting your letter of appointment looking at least as good:

1. Frame your appointment letter with a professional header and appropriate salutation

An appointment letter is an official document, so it has to be formatted like one. In fact, its structure is similar to a standard  cover letter structure. Start by setting out the header: align to the right your name, job title, company name, and company inside address. Leave a line and add the date of writing, followed by another empty line.

To address your letter properly, align to the left the new hire’s name, their postal address, phone number, and email address. Leave another line and then use either ‘Dear + Mr/Ms + Surname’ or ‘Dear + First Name’ for the salutation. Which you choose will depend on whether or not you’re already on a first-name basis.

Appointment letter sample: header and salutation

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2. Start by making it clear that this is an appointment letter

Don’t leave your reader hanging. Your very first sentences should let them know that you’re conditionally offering them the position in question. You can also thank the new hire for their time and participation in the recruitment process. Draw their attention to the conditions on which you agreed.

Appointment letter sample: opening paragraph

3. Summarise the most important conditions in your appointment letter

There are some conditions that every letter of appointment should contain: the commencement date, workplace location, and normal working hours. These will at least let your new hire know when and where they should report for work. A job description is also a good idea—make it as detailed as you feel necessary.

Other than that, you could include the agreed salary, holiday days, and special benefits. In general, you should include any and all non-standard conditions that were agreed upon during the recruitment process. There’s no need to list absolutely every detail, though. That’s what the contract is for. 

In fact, refer to the employment contract and any other documentation the new hire has signed, like an NDA. Writing an appointment letter for an academic post? Check with your employer—teaching institutions will sometimes have ready-made appointment letter templates for various positions. 

Appointment letter sample: conditions summary

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4. Wrap up your appointment letter and sign off the right way

Make yourself available should the new hire have any questions before they accept the offer. Include your email and phone number here, even if it appears on your letterhead or in your header. Set a deadline for the acceptance of the appointment letter. Leave instructions for this acceptance.

Close your appointment letter on a positive note. Refer to something good about the recruitment process (if you had a chance to deal with the candidate directly). Look optimistically towards the future. Do this in your own name if you’ll be working with the new hire, or in the company’s name if you won’t.

Sign off with ‘Yours Sincerely’. Leave a few lines blank and type out your full name. Sign above your name if you’re printing out your appointment letter. Consider pasting in a digital copy of your signature if you’re not. You’ll have to print and sign your letter if the new hire is required to countersign it.

Appointment letter sample: closing paragraphs

5. Format your appointment letter properly

The right appointment letter format is the business letter format. Follow the advice in this article, and you’ll automatically have it right. When listing conditions, use bullet points, tables, paragraphs or a combination of these. The main thing is that your letter of appointment is clear and transparent.

Include lots of white space

Leave the margins of your appointment letter at one inch all round. Set the line spacing to 1.15 and use double spaces between paragraphs. Don’t bunch your text up, even if your appointment letter ends up being quite long. It’s more important that it remain easy to navigate and a pleasure to read.

Choose an understated font for your letter of appointment

Use a professional-looking, easy-to-read font for your appointment confirmation letter. The default Arial and Calibri are fine. Serif or sans, it ultimately doesn’t matter. Leave the font size at 11–12 points. Anything smaller won’t print well.

Save your appointment letter in PDF

Emailing your letter of appointment to the new hire? Be sure to save it in PDF rather than something like a *.docx file. PDF will display more consistently on a wider range of devices. It’ll also print more predictably—this is important if your new hire will need to print and sign the letter remotely.

Writing an appointment confirmation letter isn’t easy if you’ve never done it before. Has this article given you what you need to write an appropriate appointment letter? Got any experiences of your own to share? Drop us a line down in the comments section below—we’d love to hear from you.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.