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UK Recruitment Glossary

Job Offer

Alex By Alex · 12-year UK recruiter · Updated April 2026

In recruiter context

A verbal offer is real but flimsy — a written offer letter is what you negotiate against. Most UK offers are conditional on satisfactory references, right-to-work checks, and sometimes DBS or credit checks. The employer can withdraw a conditional offer if those checks fail; withdrawing an unconditional offer for no reason is harder and can expose them to discrimination claims. Don't resign your current role until you have the written offer in hand and the conditions are met. I've seen verbal offers evaporate when budget got cut between offer and contract.

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