
EMPLOYMENT POLICY & PRACTICE (EPP) 
Clerical Update: 03/10/15 
 
APPOINTMENT LETTER FOR NEW EMPLOYEES 
 
 
 
PURPOSE: To provide a newly hired employee a written letter of appointment as a 
regular/probationary status, contract, or temporary employee, as a formality, after 
accepting a job offer. 
 
SCOPE:  Applies to all departments hiring regular, temporary or contract employees. 
 
Note: Letter examples are for regular status hires and content may need to be modified for 
other employment statuses. 
 
POLICY STATEMENT: 
 
The Department of Employee Services (DES) encourages the use of a formal 
appointment letter as a follow-up to a job offered by phone or in-person. Examples of 
standard appointment letters are attached. 
 
The appointment letter provides important information to the selected candidate, 
including: the agreed upon starting salary, reporting date, time and location, employee 
ID number, employee group the employee is assigned, and other helpful information. 
 
The offer letter directs the new hire to the County’s Onboarding Website where they 
may begin their orientation to the County and also directs them to Employee Self 
Service (ESS) where they can complete their new hire paperwork before their reporting 
date. 
 
This letter may be delivered to the new hire either through US Mail or by email. A copy 
of any appointment letter (conditional or final) must be sent to the Department of 
Employee Services so it can be scanned into the employee’s personnel file. 
 
Accuracy on an appointment letter is important. Inaccurate terms and conditions of 
employment provided in the appointment letter or verbally may constitute a written or 
oral contract if legally challenged. Staff from DES is available to provide specific 
information such as benefits, salary, or service accruals for a particular position. We 
encourage departments to direct new employees to the County’s On-boarding Web Site 
to access the appropriate “Benefit Recap” sheet that summarizes the benefits, leaves 
and other conditions of employment provided to a particular employee group or union 
group. By directing new employees to this site they will receive the most current 
information available. 
 
If you have any further questions regarding appointment procedures, please contact the 
DES staff at 503-655-8459. 
 
 
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