Offer Letter Follow-Up
Cadence executed: 24h, Day 3, Day 5 check-ins as needed. ATS updated with acceptance/decline status and reason. Onboarding workflow triggered on acceptance. Decline reasons logged for compensation and positioning insight.
Before you start
- Offer letter signed and sent
- Approved counter-offer and acceptance playbook
- Hiring manager and HR informed of timing
- Candidate name, role, offer details, deadline
- Candidate's stated start date and any concerns from negotiation
- Hiring manager's flexibility on package, start date, location
The steps
- Confirm offer is delivered and decision deadline is set — Verify the offer letter was delivered (DocuSign read receipt or email open). Confirm the decision deadline. If no deadline was set, add one (typically 5-7 business days for senior roles, 3-5 for IC roles). Flexibility should be granted on request, not by default.
- Send a 24-hour check-in — 24 hours after delivery, send a warm message: 'Just wanted to make sure the offer arrived clearly. Happy to walk through anything — feel free to schedule a 15-min call.' Do not pressure for an answer; reduce friction.
- Schedule a Day 3 check-in if no acceptance yet — If still pending at Day 3, send a softer follow-up: 'No rush — wanted to flag I'm available for any questions on benefits, equity, or start date.' Offer specific topics they might want to discuss. Common silent objections: equity vesting, RSU vs ISO, relocation.
- Day 5: facilitate any negotiation — If candidate raises a counter, route immediately to the recruiter and hiring manager (not auto-decline or auto-accept). Document the counter, offer the agreed-upon flex, and turn around within 1 business day. Slow counters lose candidates.
- Confirm acceptance and trigger downstream workflows — On acceptance: send a personal thank-you note, trigger background check, IT provisioning, onboarding workflow, manager intro. Update ATS to 'Hired'. Send hiring manager a 'they accepted' Slack note with the start date.
- Handle declines gracefully — On decline: thank them, ask for the specific reason (compensation, role, competing offer, location). Log in ATS verbatim. Tag for talent pool if appropriate. Decline reasons feed back into compensation strategy and competitive positioning.
If it goes wrong
Candidate goes silent and doesn't respond to check-ins
Day 5: try a different channel (LinkedIn DM or phone). If still silent at Day 7, send a polite final message setting an end date. Do not leave indefinitely.
Negotiation drags past 10 days, hiring manager gets impatient
Set a clear end date in the negotiation. 'We'll need a final answer by [date]'. Open-ended negotiations produce worse outcomes.
Candidate accepts then ghosts before start
After acceptance, schedule a manager intro within 5 days, send a welcome packet, and check in 1 week before start. Long gaps between acceptance and start day correlate with reneges.
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