The candidate says yes. The client celebrates, the recruiter marks the role as filled and everyone turns to the next vacancy.
Two weeks later, the written terms are still unclear. A required check has no owner, the candidate has not confirmed their notice date and the hiring manager assumes somebody else sent the first-day instructions.
The offer was accepted, but the placement never became a controlled start.
A reliable offer-to-start handover keeps the candidate, client and recruiter working from the same information until the person actually begins.
Create one confirmed offer record
Start with a single record of the terms communicated to the candidate. Capture the role, employer, agreed remuneration, employment type, location or working arrangement, proposed start date and any conditions that still apply.
Do not rely on a collection of calls, messages and forwarded emails. If a term changes, update the working record and note who confirmed it. Everyone involved should be able to identify the current offer rather than choosing the latest attachment they can find.
Keep sensitive information available only to the appropriate people, while ensuring the colleagues responsible for the placement can see the actions they own.
Separate interest, verbal acceptance and completion
“The candidate is happy” is not a precise placement status.
Use clear stages that reflect what has actually happened. These might include offer being prepared, offer issued, candidate reviewing, verbal acceptance, written acceptance, conditions outstanding, cleared to start and started.
A verbal acceptance can be an important milestone, but it should not hide the work still required. Define which evidence your organisation needs before it treats the offer as formally accepted and before it closes the vacancy.
Track every condition separately
An offer may depend on references, identity or right-to-work evidence, qualifications, background checks, medical or licence requirements, client approval or another role-specific condition.
List each condition as its own action. Record who must provide or review it, the current status and the next due point. “Checks in progress” is too broad when one item has been completed and another has not even been requested.
Follow your organisation’s policies and applicable legal requirements when gathering and sharing candidate information. Do not describe a condition as satisfied until the authorised person has completed the required review.
Confirm the real start date
A proposed start date can change when the candidate confirms their notice period, the employer completes onboarding or an outstanding condition takes longer than expected.
Record the date as proposed until both sides have confirmed it. Then communicate the confirmed date, expected arrival time, location or remote arrangement and the person responsible for welcoming the candidate.
If the date changes, update the central placement record and notify everyone who depends on it. An old calendar invitation or email should not continue presenting the previous date as current.
Keep both sides informed
The period between acceptance and start can feel quiet, especially when the candidate is serving notice. Silence creates room for uncertainty and competing offers.
Agree who will contact the candidate, how often and about what. Useful updates may include confirmation that a document was received, progress on an outstanding condition and practical information for the first day.
Keep the client informed as well. They should know which actions are complete, which remain open and whether any issue threatens the agreed start. Do not share confidential candidate details beyond what the process legitimately requires.
Prepare the first-day handover
The recruiter may not control the employer’s onboarding, but the placement workflow should make the boundary clear.
Confirm who is responsible for sending first-day instructions, arranging equipment or access, notifying the relevant manager and answering last-minute questions. Record whether the candidate has received the essential information.
For temporary or contract placements, confirm any additional booking, timesheet, site or assignment instructions relevant to the organisation’s process.
Do not assume that the client’s internal onboarding begins automatically when the recruiter marks the offer accepted.
Use a practical example
Consider a candidate who verbally accepts a permanent role on a Monday. They expect to serve four weeks’ notice, while the client believes they can start in three. A reference and proof of qualification are still outstanding.
Without a structured handover, the recruiter may close the vacancy and send a general congratulations email. The candidate resigns using one date, the client prepares for another and the missing evidence only becomes urgent shortly before the expected start.
With a clear workflow, the recruiter records the accepted terms, keeps the start date proposed and creates separate actions for the reference and qualification review. Once the candidate confirms their notice date and the authorised checks are complete, the recruiter records the agreed start and asks the client to confirm first-day instructions.
The placement now has a visible path from acceptance to arrival.
Manage changes without losing the history
Offers sometimes change or fall away. A candidate may reconsider, the client may revise a term or a condition may not be satisfied.
Do not overwrite the earlier position without explanation. Record what changed, who communicated it, when it took effect and the next decision. If the offer is withdrawn or declined, close the placement according to the organisation’s process and reopen any recruitment activity deliberately.
Clear history protects the candidate experience and helps the team understand why an expected start did not proceed.
Close the placement after the start
Before treating the workflow as complete, confirm that the candidate started as agreed and that any immediate issue has an owner. Where appropriate, schedule the first follow-up with the candidate and client.
The final record should show the confirmed terms, completed conditions, actual start date and relevant handover. It should not end at “candidate accepted”.
MyTalent Recruitment brings candidates, clients and opportunities together across vacancies, bookings, placements and compliance. Explore Recruitment or talk to our team about the capabilities available for your organisation.
An accepted offer is an important win. A clear offer-to-start handover turns it into a dependable placement.