AI for HR & Recruiters
Module 7: Offer Letters and Onboarding Docs
Module Overview
The period between "You're hired!" and Day One is crucial for employee success. Great offer letters and onboarding documents set clear expectations, build excitement, and reduce first-day anxiety. In this module, you'll learn to use AI to create professional, welcoming employment documents.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Create compelling offer letters with AI
- Build comprehensive onboarding packages
- Write welcoming first-day materials
- Develop role-specific onboarding content
- Streamline document creation for efficiency
Estimated Time: 45-60 minutes
7.1 The Power of Great Offer Letters
Why Offer Letters Matter
A great offer letter:
- Confirms their decision to accept
- Sets the tone for the employment relationship
- Clarifies expectations and terms
- Demonstrates your professionalism
- Gets them excited to start
Essential Components
Required Elements:
- Job title and start date
- Compensation (salary, bonus structure)
- Employment type (full-time, part-time, contractor)
- Reporting relationship
- Work location/remote policy
- Benefits overview
- At-will statement (where applicable)
- Contingencies (background check, etc.)
Recommended Elements:
- Welcome message from hiring manager
- Brief role description
- Team introduction
- First week overview
- Company culture highlights
- Next steps and contacts
7.2 AI Prompts for Offer Letters
Standard Offer Letter
Write an offer letter for a new employee.
Details:
- Candidate name: [Name]
- Job title: [Title]
- Department: [Department]
- Reports to: [Manager name and title]
- Start date: [Date]
- Base salary: [$X]
- Bonus: [Structure if applicable]
- Employment type: [Full-time/Part-time]
- Location: [Office location/Remote/Hybrid]
- Benefits: [Brief summary or "comprehensive benefits"]
Include:
- Warm welcome and excitement
- Clear statement of offer terms
- Brief role summary
- At-will employment statement
- Contingencies (background check if applicable)
- Response deadline
- Next steps
- Contact for questions
Tone: Professional, warm, and enthusiastic
Executive Offer Letter
Write an executive offer letter for a senior hire.
Details:
- Candidate name: [Name]
- Title: [Executive title]
- Reports to: [CEO/Board/etc.]
- Start date: [Date]
- Base salary: [$X]
- Bonus target: [X%]
- Equity: [Details or "per separate agreement"]
- Sign-on bonus: [If applicable]
- Severance: [If applicable]
- Other perks: [Car allowance, etc.]
Tone: Professional and substantive—appropriate for
a senior leader who has likely seen many offers.
Note: Reference that detailed terms are in
separate employment agreement if applicable.
Informal Offer Letter (Startups)
Write a startup-style offer letter that's less formal
but still covers essential terms.
Details:
[Include standard details]
Tone: Enthusiastic, personal, and direct. Less
corporate speak, more "we're excited you're
joining the team."
Include:
- Why we're excited about them specifically
- What they'll be working on
- Team culture preview
- All legal essentials in clear language
Keep it under one page if possible.
7.3 Onboarding Document Suite
The Onboarding Package
A complete onboarding package might include:
- Welcome letter from CEO/leadership
- First day logistics
- First week schedule
- 30-60-90 day expectations
- Team introductions
- Key contacts and resources
- Technology and systems guide
- Company culture document
AI Prompts for Onboarding Docs
Welcome Letter:
Write a welcome letter from [CEO/Leadership name]
to a new employee starting as [Job Title].
Include:
- Warm, personal welcome
- Brief statement about company mission
- Why their role matters
- What we value in our culture
- Encouragement for their journey
- Open door for questions
Tone: Warm, inspiring, authentic
Length: 200-300 words
First Day Guide:
Create a first day guide for a new [Job Title].
Include sections on:
- What time to arrive and where
- What to bring
- Dress code
- First day schedule overview
- Lunch plans (if any)
- Key people they'll meet
- What to expect by end of day
Tone: Friendly and reassuring—reduce first-day anxiety
Format: Clear, scannable sections
First Week Schedule Template:
Create a first week schedule template for [Job Title].
Day-by-day format:
- Day 1: Orientation, setup, team intro
- Day 2: [Customize by role]
- Day 3: [Customize by role]
- Day 4: [Customize by role]
- Day 5: Week 1 check-in
Include for each day:
- Key activities
- People they'll meet
- Goals for the day
- Break times
Balance structure with flexibility.
7.4 30-60-90 Day Plans
Why 30-60-90 Plans Work
- Set clear expectations
- Define success metrics
- Reduce new hire anxiety
- Structure learning curve
- Enable early performance conversations
AI Prompt for 30-60-90 Plans
Create a 30-60-90 day plan for a new [Job Title].
Role context:
- Key responsibilities: [List main duties]
- Reports to: [Manager]
- Team size: [If managing]
- Key stakeholders: [Who they'll work with]
First 30 Days (Learning):
- What they should learn
- Who they should meet
- Systems to master
- Shadowing/observation goals
Days 31-60 (Contributing):
- First independent contributions
- Skill development focus
- Relationship building
- Feedback milestones
Days 61-90 (Ownership):
- Full responsibility areas
- Independent projects
- Performance expectations
- Long-term goal setting
Format as a clear document the employee and
manager can reference together.
Role-Specific Variations
For Sales Roles:
Add to the 30-60-90 plan:
Days 1-30:
- Product training completion
- CRM mastery
- Shadowing X calls/meetings
- Understanding sales process
Days 31-60:
- First independent calls
- Pipeline building targets
- Quota ramp expectations
- First customer wins (if applicable)
Days 61-90:
- Full quota expectations
- Independent deal management
- Team collaboration benchmarks
- Mentorship of future new hires
For Engineering Roles:
Add to the 30-60-90 plan:
Days 1-30:
- Dev environment setup
- Codebase orientation
- First small PRs merged
- Team workflow understanding
Days 31-60:
- Medium complexity tasks
- Code review participation
- Documentation contributions
- On-call shadowing (if applicable)
Days 61-90:
- Feature ownership
- Technical decisions
- Mentoring newer team members
- Full on-call rotation (if applicable)
7.5 Team and Role Introductions
Team Introduction Document
Create a team introduction document for a new
[Job Title] joining the [Department] team.
Team members to include:
[List names and roles]
For each person, include:
- Name and title
- What they work on
- How they'll interact with new hire
- Fun fact or conversation starter
- Best way to reach them
Also include:
- Team meeting schedule
- Communication norms (Slack channels, email)
- Team traditions or rituals
- Key stakeholders outside the team
Role Context Document
Create a role context document for [Job Title].
Explain:
- How this role fits into the org structure
- Key relationships and stakeholders
- What success looks like in 6 months
- What success looks like in 1 year
- Common challenges in this role
- Resources and support available
Also include:
- Decision-making authority
- Budget/approval limits
- Escalation paths
- Regular meetings they'll attend
7.6 Technology and Systems Onboarding
Systems Access Checklist
Create a systems access checklist for [Job Title].
Include common systems:
- Email and calendar
- Slack/Teams
- HRIS (for personal info)
- Role-specific tools: [List]
- VPN/security tools
- Password manager
Format as checklist with:
- System name
- Purpose
- Who provides access
- Expected setup time
- Help resources
Technology Guide Template
Create a technology onboarding guide for [Job Title].
Cover:
1. Day 1 Setup
- Equipment they'll receive
- Initial logins and passwords
- Security requirements
2. Core Tools
- [Tool 1]: What it's for, how to access, key shortcuts
- [Tool 2]: [Same format]
- [Tool 3]: [Same format]
3. Communication Norms
- When to use email vs. Slack
- Meeting culture
- Response time expectations
4. Getting Help
- IT support process
- Common troubleshooting
- Self-service resources
Keep it practical and scannable.
7.7 Document Efficiency
Creating Reusable Templates
Create a master template system for onboarding documents.
I need templates for:
1. Welcome letter (customizable sections marked)
2. First day guide (role-agnostic and role-specific sections)
3. 30-60-90 plan (framework with role customization)
4. Team intro (fillable format)
5. Systems checklist (department variations)
Mark each customizable field with [brackets].
Include instructions for what to customize.
Create versions for:
- Individual contributors
- Managers
- Executives
Batch Document Creation
I need to create onboarding packages for multiple
new hires starting soon.
New hires:
1. [Name], [Title], starts [Date]
2. [Name], [Title], starts [Date]
3. [Name], [Title], starts [Date]
For each, generate:
- Personalized welcome letter
- Role-specific first week schedule
- Customized 30-60-90 plan outline
Use consistent formatting across all packages.
7.8 Pre-Start Engagement
Before Day One
Keep new hires engaged between offer acceptance and start date:
Create a pre-start communication plan for new hires.
Touchpoints:
1. Day of acceptance: [What to send]
2. 1 week later: [What to send]
3. 2 weeks before start: [What to send]
4. 1 week before start: [What to send]
5. Day before start: [What to send]
Each touchpoint should:
- Build excitement
- Reduce anxiety
- Provide useful information
- Maintain connection
- Not overwhelm
Suggest specific content for each touchpoint.
Welcome Email Template
Write a welcome email to send when a candidate
accepts our offer.
This is the first communication after they say "yes."
Include:
- Celebration of their decision
- Brief overview of next steps
- Timeline for paperwork
- What to expect before start date
- Contact for questions
- Enthusiasm about them joining
Tone: Warm, excited, supportive
Length: Under 200 words
Module 7 Summary
Key Takeaways:
-
Offer letters set the tone: Make them warm, clear, and professional.
-
Onboarding is a system: Create a complete package, not just scattered documents.
-
30-60-90 plans clarify expectations: Set new hires up for measurable success.
-
Personalization matters: Templates are foundations, not final products.
-
Pre-start engagement reduces ghosting: Keep new hires connected before Day One.
-
Efficiency through templates: Build reusable systems to save time.
Preparing for Module 8
In the next module, we'll tackle employee handbooks. You'll learn to:
- Create handbook content that's actually useful
- Write policies in clear, accessible language
- Cover essential topics without legal jargon
- Update handbooks efficiently with AI
Before Module 8:
- Review your current employee handbook
- Note sections that confuse employees
- Think about policies you wish you had documented
"The best onboarding makes new employees feel expected, prepared, and excited—not overwhelmed."
Ready to continue? Proceed to Module 8: Employee Handbook Content.
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