Are Electronic Signatures Valid for Job Offers?

In many countries a simple electronic signature, such as a typed name with a clear confirmation, is accepted for ordinary documents like an offer letter, as long as the person intended to sign and there is a reliable record. It is not a proof of identity, and some documents or countries require a stronger kind of signature. Check the rule for your country and document.

Simple, advanced and qualified

A simple electronic signature is any electronic way of showing intent to sign. Stronger kinds add identity verification or a certificate. Some jurisdictions use these terms formally, and the stronger ones are for documents where the law demands more proof. Offer letters are usually ordinary documents, but employment contracts and some regulated documents can have special rules.

What makes a signature record reliable

A reliable record shows who was asked to sign, that they received the document, what the document said, when they agreed and how. Useful details are the time, a fingerprint of the exact text signed so any later change is detectable, and some technical evidence of where the action came from.

What a simple signature does not prove

A typed name does not prove who typed it. The link in the email is the main control, so it should be personal to the recipient, sent once and unusable after signing. If you need to be sure of identity, add a check outside the signing step, such as seeing identity documents at the right-to-work check.

Practical steps

Send the offer to the candidate's own email, tell them not to forward it, make the signing link single-use, store the signed copy and the record, and let the candidate download a copy. If the offer changes after sending, withdraw it and send a new one, so there is never doubt about which version was signed.

When to ask a lawyer

If you hire across borders, hire into a regulated sector, or the document is something other than an ordinary offer, ask a lawyer which kind of signature is needed. Rules change, and this article is a general guide.

In Rezumz

Rezumz sends an offer for signature through a personal link. The candidate types their name and confirms. Rezumz records the time, a fingerprint of the letter text and a hashed browser and network marker, and shows a printable certificate. It is a simple electronic signature and does not verify identity.