Setting up offer and e-signature templates

Send custom signable documents to candidates and collect their e-signatures on offer letters, NDAs, and other contracts/agreements.

Check out a quick overview of how offer letters work and see more options for other e-signatures in the Templates section of your account.

 

Overview

Workable e-signature documents are set up through the use of templates. With our Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign) integration, get candidate e-signatures and offer details streamlined and stored on candidates' profiles.

Templates can be created for two types of documents: "simple" and "offer". Simple documents can be sent to candidates at any pipeline stage. Offer documents are sent specifically in the Offer pipeline stage and have some extra advantages regarding Timeline tracking, internal approval workflows, and reporting.

In both cases, a template will consist of:

• an e-signature document; a custom file created by you, which has fill-in-blank fields or “variables”
• a customizable email message that will be used when sending the document to a candidate
• an optional approval workflow to get offer approval from internal stakeholders

Think of each template as an archetype for the hiring your organization does. Instead of adding a new template for every single job, create documents that can be used for certain types or levels of jobs. 

Adding and managing e-signature templates

Set up different templates to ensure that prospective hires get the right offer. For example, a 'Sales department' offer letter might use a template that mentions commission and bonus rates. Or, a template for interns might include different compensation styles and benefits than those for full-time employees. To start:

1. Click your user icon in the upper right of Workable and navigate to Settings and then Templates
2. Scroll down to the E-signature Templates section
3. Click Add a new template to set up your own customized template(s). Your account comes with a default offer template to get started. Any template that gets added to the account can be edited, cloned, or deleted.
   
   
4. Add the template details: name, language for numbers and date formatting, or optionally assign a department/location (if you want to limit the template's access and help to reduce confusion or miscommunication when sending an offer)
5. Choose the type of e-signature document you want to create. "Simple" for documents that aren't offers. "Offer" for when you're extending job details and terms.
   
6. (Optional) For "offer" type templates, you can set approval workflows where the candidate will only be contacted after all approval groups have reviewed and confirmed the offer details.
   
7. Next, prepare your e-signature document and the e-signature email.

 

Creating an e-signature document

An e-signature document is a .docx file that you’ll upload to Workable. This document is what the candidate will actually sign. 

This file should be written by the recruitment/HR team or key stakeholders for jobs. Customize the file according to your company's requirements, such as adding a branded intro page, headers, or footers with your logo and other relevant information.

Check out this offer-type document template for ideas on where to start and how to format your document.

Adding variables

Start creating the e-signature document outside Workable in your regular text editor (e.g. Word or Pages). Your document can contain ‘variables’. These are fill-in-the-blank spots where you’ll add information for each document you send out. Each time you send this template to a candidate, you will be prompted to fill in the variables with details.

We’ve created a list of the default account variables you can use. When writing your offer document in a word processor, include variables you wish to utilize in square brackets, e.g., [salary]. 

Variable	Type	Label
[today_date]	Date	Today's Date
[candidate]	Short text	Candidate
[job]	Short text	Job
[company]	Short text	Company
[start_date]	Date	Start Date
[direct_manager]	Short text	Direct Manager
[salary]	Salary	Salary
[bonus]	Numeric	Bonus
[paid_time_off]	Numeric	Paid Time Off
[sick_days]	Numeric	Sick Days
[offered_equity]	Numeric	Offered Equity
[offer_expiration_date]	Numeric	Offer Expiration Date
[job_responsibilities] *1	Bullet list	Job Responsibilities
[other_notes] *1	Long text	Other Notes
[sender_name]	Short text	Sender Name
[candidate_signature] *2	Signature	Candidate Signature
[company_signature] *3	Signature	Company Signature

1 The [job_responsibilities] and [other_notes] variables should be inserted in a dedicated line and not inside a paragraph, i.e., at the beginning, middle, or end of that paragraph.

2 The [candidate_signature] variable can be used more than once, but it must always be included in your document at least once.  

3 The [company_signature] variable can be included more than once if needed. It can only be used for offer-type templates.  

In case one or more of the default account variables are not included in your file, you still have the option to fill them out when creating an "offer" type (but not a "simple" document). The details will only be stored internally for Workable users and the candidate will not see them. Below, for example, the variables Bonus, Paid Time Off, and Sick days were excluded from the offer document, so you can either fill them out for internal use or just ignore them. 

Once you've created your document, save it as a .docx file on your device, ready to be uploaded to one of your e-signature templates in Workable. 

Uploading the e-signature document

1. Navigate to the Templates section from the Settings menu.
2. While creating a new template or editing an existing one, click Upload a file or drag and drop your file to the document section.
3. Once the uploading is complete, you will see a preview of the document. Scroll all the way to the end of the Template and click Save template.

 

Changing the document 

To make changes to the text of an e-signature document after uploading it:

1. Create a new .docx file or edit the original file outside of Workable.
2. When your changes are ready, upload the revised document to the template in Workable. Just click Replace file or drag and drop.

 

Adjusting signature settings

If you wish to have each page of the document signed by all signers - for example, the candidate and the internal signer for an offer - you can adjust this option right below the document uploader. Set the switch to ON and save your changes at the bottom of the page. 

This setting applies to both the candidate and company signature. If you update the setting in existing templates, the change will apply to any new offer letters sent with that template. Documents already sent to candidates will not be affected. 

 

Uploading other documents

If there are other documents that you'd like to have the candidate sign when sending an "offer" type template, you can add them to the Additional Documents tab. Follow the same rules that you would when uploading the main offer document. At a minimum, additional documents must:

• Be uploaded as a .docx file
• Contain the "[candidate_signature]" variable
• Not exceed 5 documents in total 

For example, if you need multiple documents signed when a candidate accepts an offer, create an "offer" type template and add the other documents (an NDA, a bonus agreement, a relocation agreement, etc.) to that same template. You'll fill things out and send only one request to get everything signed.

All documents sent to a candidate with the offer template must be signed for the candidate to successfully accept the offer. The candidate cannot sign only the offer and not the other documents.

Preparing the e-signature email

When it’s time to send an e-signature document to a candidate, the document will be sent in an email. This email is a custom part of a template and can always be customized further just before the document is sent to a candidate. 

Customize the email as needed, but don't remove the ‘HelloSign link’ placeholder. Placeholders are automatically filled in with the relevant details when you send an email. 

The candidate will need to click the document link to view and sign the completed document via Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign). Add additional placeholders) by clicking the [+] icon in the formatting toolbar.

Use the email to explain the purpose of the document. Attach other files about your organization's culture, facilities, or any other information that's relevant.

 

FAQs

Can we customize the branding of our e-signature documents? 

Yes! Customize your e-signature file (simple or offer) according to your company's requirements, such as adding a branded intro page, headers, or footers with your logo and other relevant information.

Can candidates fill in variables into an e-signature document?

No, the only variable that the candidates can fill in is the [candidate_signature]. As for the rest of the e-signature variables (both default variables and custom variables), they are designed solely for the hiring team to fill in when completing the e-signature creation.

To find out when the candidate signed the e-signature, check the audit trail created after they signed.

 

👉 Next steps: Send e-signature documents to candidates