How to electronically sign a job offer letter.

Learn what e-signatures are and how they can help your ideal candidate quickly sign your offer letter.

You’ve reviewed dozens of applications, interviewed skilled candidates, and finally found your ideal employee. Now, all you need to do is send them a job offer letter. But this particular position needs to be filled very quickly, and you’d really rather not wait around for the applicant to print and scan the signed letter.

A question might pop into your mind: “Can you electronically sign an offer letter?” Good news — you can.

How to electronically sign an offer letter online

Ready to send your offer letter? Don’t forget your signature. You can electronically sign an offer letter online in a few simple steps.

• Select your file. You can do this by selecting your file from the navigation menu, or dragging and dropping it into the drop zone on-screen. Then, select the file you plan to sign.
• Log in to Acrobat. Follow the prompts on-screen to verify your account.
• Use the Sign panel tools to finish the file. Be sure to check back to ensure no gaps were missed.
• Finalize your document. Download your form or copy the share link to distribute it to your intended recipient.

What are e-signatures?

Electronic signatures — or e-signatures — are a method to indicate acceptance of an agreement or a document digitally. They usually come in the form of a digitized handwritten signature. You can create one either by scanning a pen-and-paper signature or writing your signature digitally in an application.

Having a trusted tool to sign an offer letter electronically is very useful, since e-signatures are now considered common practice for most companies, from large corporations to SMBs and even start-ups, so chances are your next job offer letter will require an e-signature.

Learning how to sign an offer letter electronically and what happens after you sign it can also help you move through the process faster.

Can a company withdraw a job offer after e-signing the contract?

What happens after you sign an offer letter is generally up to the employer. An employer may choose to rescind their offer for any reason, whether or not there is an offer letter signed electronically. They also retain the right to do this whether the employee has formally accepted the offer or not.

E-signatures, in this case, don’t have a legal bearing on whether or not the employer can rescind the offer. Generally, offers may be revoked at will and are legally protected (unless they are due to discriminatory reasons.) What happens after you sign an offer letter is between the applicant and employer.

If you have any questions about the legality of the job offer process in your company or any clause in your contract, consider connecting with a lawyer for further legal context and additional clarification.

Are e-signatures legally binding?

An e-signed offer letter is fully legally binding. E-signatures are recognized as valid in the U.S., the European Union, and most other industrialized countries. You can add a digital authentication certificate to them for additional legal validity to protect the confidentiality and confirm the signer’s identity.

There are a few requirements that generally must be present in order for an e-signature to be legally binding. These can include:

• Affirmative action. To sign an offer letter electronically and have it be legally sound, the signee will need a step that requires them to take affirmative action on the signature, such as a dialog box that appears prompting them to complete the process through the touchscreen.
• Intent. The document must indicate a level of intent that would show the signer did have interest in completing the contract.
• A transaction record. There must be proof of process when you’re signing an electronic offer letter. Generally, document services will send emails back and forth indicating the need for the signature and confirming once all required parties have signed.

What other benefits do e-signatures have?

As you learn how to sign an offer letter electronically, it’s important to consider the many benefits and use cases these options can offer signees.

E-signatures are faster to process than traditional signatures because they eliminate the need to print, scan and mail paper documents. Their form of identification is often enough to eliminate the need for any third-party co-signers, witnesses or software. They may also save both you and your candidate money in printing and paper costs. You can e-sign offer letters and other documents from just about anywhere with a mobile device.

E-signatures are invaluable to your recruitment process. Many job candidates appreciate the ease and convenience of signing an offer letter electronically, as well as the real-time confirmation and documentation for their records that they receive. Plus, they’ll see that your company is on top of the latest digital trends, potentially indicating a progressive and innovative workplace culture. This can be a particularly attractive perk to younger candidates.

How to start using e-signatures?

You can create and request e-signatures with e-signing software, like Acrobat Sign, that lets you request and track signatures, share documents with multiple recipients, offer safety certificates and more.

To get the most out of your experience, consider preparing your document for e-signature and review. Double-checking that all necessary fields are ready for acknowledgment, reading through the contract and doing a final legal review can all be helpful steps for a seamless e-signature experience.

Discover everything Adobe Acrobat Sign can do to help you approve documents and more.