Offer Letter Vs. Appointment Letter

Hi,
Is there any difference between offer letter and appointment letter? If yes then how it could be differentiated?
Please reply ASAP
Thanks
Gurpreet

Hi,
They are different. Offer letter, offers you to join the organisation with a glimpse of what would be offered to you by the organisation with date of joining option.
Appointment letter is a detailed letter with all job related terms and conditions including the offerings of offer letter.
But, in many organisations only one letter is issued either offer letter or appointment letter with all terms and conditions.
Regards
Javaid

Well,
If I may add, the sequence could be like this:
Job Ad (by company)- - Job Application (by candidate)- - Interview (by company) - - Job Offer (by company)- - On joining (by candidate), Appointment Letter.
After 'Job offer' the candidate may choose to not join, but after Appointment letter if the candidate chooses to withdraw the agreement unilaterally, the employee may require to furnish notice period, and/ or compensate the loss to the company as the case may be.
Thanks.

Dear Mr. Gurupreet,

Offer letter is different from Appointment letter. After shortlisting the candidate for the job companies do give the offer letter which contains broadly- the total CTC, period required to join, designation etc. The candidate may or may not accept the offer. Once he accepts the offer the next stage starts for him i.e. he has to tender resignation to the present job, get it accepted by the employer etc. and from the new employer's point of view he can put an end to the recruitment process since the candidate has accepted the offer.

Appointment Letter: It is a document which contains the detailed breakup of the CTC offered in the offer letter, all the terms and conditions such the eligibility of leaves, retirement age in the company, condition that he may be transfered to any branch or location of the company, notice period to be given in case of resignation etc.

As rightly said above some companies do give the appointment letter in the beginning itself with out offer letter.

D. Phani Kumar

DGM-HR

VASAVADATTA CEMENT

(A Unit of B.K. Birla Group of Companies)

Sedam, Gulbarga Dist., Karnataka.

Dear D. Phani Kumar Sir,
Suppose for some reason a candidate not able to join after accepting the offer letter, then can a company take legal action aganist the candidate.

You cannot. Accepting the offer initially and declining later is a common phenomenon. You have no right to take action against a person who accepted the offer earlier and not joining later.
Employee - Employer relation starts only when he/she becomes your employee i.e. after joining only. Till such time, you have no lien on him/her.
Balaji

Dear All,
If any employer not willing to serve release letter to any employee even after his regisnation and if there is no notice period mentioned in the appointment letter then what employee should do if he has to join another company within specified period. As employer require this from every new candidate at the time of joining.
Regards
Goutam Kr Tapedar

I recall only JFK's statement; "Ask not what the country did to you, ask what you did to the country". So also, you do your duty i.e submit your resignation letter and inform them in advance that you incline to resign. Give them time and request to be relieved by such and such date. Keep a copy of your resignation with you. (You can even mail them on the same day of your resignation, so that the copy can be mailed to your prospective employer).
Ask for relieving letter when you leave. Still if they do not issue, forget it. Submit the copy of the resignation letter to the employer and explain to him that they are not issuing.
Balaji

You are welcome Gurpreet. I too was benevolently supported by Seniors in this blog. Now it my turn to do something, even if it is a miniscule.
God bless.