What Is a Letter of Intent to Hire?
A letter of intent to hire is a communication to a potential job candidate that you, as an employer, plan to bring them onto the team as an employee. It’s often used during negotiations and while job terms are being finalized within the company.
This letter is often contingent on several factors. For example, it may be conditional on a candidate passing a background check and drug test and providing employment verification from a past job. It comes before the company extends a formal job offer and before the parties sign an official employment contract.
An intent to hire letter helps a company get organized and secure talent while they finalize matters related to the candidate’s official hiring. It’s also common for use with new grads, as they may sign an employment letter of intent and be hired on the condition that they have obtained their degree by a certain date.
Is a Letter of Intent to Hire Legally Binding?
No, a letter of intent to hire is not legally binding. It only expresses interest in hiring the job candidate and provides details such as the following:
- Expected job start date
- Position duties
- Work location
- Compensation
- Probationary period
All the details in an employment letter of intent are subject to change, depending on the outcome of negotiations. It’s similar to a job offer letter in that neither is legally binding, but it’s more informal, allowing room for adjustments as needed. A job offer letter may have more weight, but neither is comparable to an official employment contract.
How to Write a Letter of Intent to Hire
Writing a strong letter of intent to hire involves including the key details about your plans to hire the job candidate. It should answer all of their questions and provide them with the information they need to be confident that you’re considering bringing them on board.
Your employment letter of intent should also include non-binding language. This way, you won’t overpromise if your company ends up deciding not to hire them or goes with a different candidate.
Legal Templates’s form incorporates accurate language that conveys your message without making claims you can’t back up. Learn how to write your letter below.
- Date the letter. Add the date that you’re writing your letter of employment intent. This helps the job candidate frame the letter and gives context, so they’ll know how far after their interview it was delivered.
- Name the parties. Address the letter to the job candidate and identify yourself as the party that might be hiring them.
- Describe the job duties involved. Explain what job duties the recipient would be responsible for if they are hired.
- List the work schedule and location. Ensure that your intent-to-employ letter describes the candidate’s potential work schedule and location, so they know whether it would be feasible for them to proceed in the hiring process.
- Specify whether the position is fixed-term or at-will. Clarify whether the candidate would be entering a fixed-term or at-will employment position.
- Define the probation period. State how long the probation period would last if the candidate was hired.
- Provide compensation and benefits details. When you write a letter of intent to hire someone, you can give them details on their potential pay and benefits. This information can help show you’re serious and convince them not to continue their job search.
- Clarify whether there are contingencies. Discuss whether your willingness to proceed as the employer depends on certain conditions, such as the candidate’s compliance with providing job history details or your internal HR processes.
If you decide not to proceed with a candidate, send them a job rejection letter instead.
Letter of Intent to Hire Example
Here’s an example of a letter of intent to hire someone that outlines the proposed terms of a potential position, while remaining non-binding until a formal agreement is signed.
Marcus Sterling
Director of Operations
Peak Analytics Group
124 S Main St
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
April 13, 2026
Beatrice Collins
452 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Dear Beatrice Collins,
I am delighted to extend to you our intent to hire you as a Senior Data Analyst at Peak Analytics Group, located at 124 S Main St, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. This letter outlines the proposed terms of your potential employment, pending a formal employment agreement.
We plan to offer you the position with the following terms:
- Position: Senior Data Analyst
- Start Date: May 4, 2026
- Base Salary: $95,000 per year
- Additional Compensation: You shall be entitled to commission on the following basis: Performance-based quarterly bonuses up to 10% of base salary based on department KPIs.
- Work Schedule: Full-time.
This offer is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check and verification of your professional licensure.
- Job Description.
In this role, your responsibilities will include: Leading data mining projects to identify growth opportunities, developing automated reporting dashboards using SQL and Tableau, and collaborating with the executive team to refine SEO and digital marketing strategies for local clients.
These responsibilities reflect the typical tasks associated with your role and may be adjusted based on our business needs and your professional development.
- Termination of Employment.
If an employment agreement is finalized, the proposed employment would commence on May 4, 2026, and continue for an unspecified duration on an “at will” basis. Your initial employment period would include a probation period of 90 days, starting from your first day of work.
- Benefits.
Subject to any qualifying conditions, you may also be eligible for the following benefits:
- Paid Time Off. You shall be entitled to paid time off in the amount of 15 days per year.
- Sick Leave. You shall be entitled to paid sick leave of up to 5 days per year.
- Personal Leave. You shall be entitled to paid personal leave of up to 2 days per year.
- Other. Health, dental, and vision insurance coverage; 401(k) matching up to 4%; and a monthly UTA Trax transit pass.
Please note that specific details and eligibility requirements regarding benefits will be provided in the formal employment agreement.
- Work Location.
Your primary place of work will be at our premises located at 124 S Main St, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. Your regular hours of work will be 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday.
- Additional Terms.
Employee agrees to adhere to all internal cybersecurity protocols and data privacy standards as outlined in the company handbook.
This letter of intent does not constitute a contract of employment but is an indication of our intent to formalize an employment relationship with you. Should you accept this offer, a formal employment agreement will follow for your review and signature.
We look forward to the possibility of you joining our team and are excited about the potential contributions you can make to our organization. Please feel free to contact Peak Analytics Group at (801) 555-0198 or [email protected] should you have any questions or require further information.
Sincerely,
Marcus Sterling
Director of Operations
Peak Analytics Group
Sample Letter of Intent to Hire
View a sample letter of intent to hire to see what details you should provide to someone that you have a serious interest in bringing on as an employee. Then, customize your own using Legal Templates’s guided form and download the final letter in PDF or Word format.
