Congratulations on the New Job: 70+ Messages

Someone you know has just landed a new job. They have probably spent weeks rewriting a CV, rehearsing answers in the shower and refreshing their inbox. Then the offer came, and now the news is out and you have a text box open with the cursor blinking.

"Congrats!" is fine. It is also what the other forty people said. A good congratulations message does one of three things: it names what they went through to get here, it names what they will be great at, or it makes them laugh. This post has new job messages for every relationship, from a close friend to the coworker you are sorry to lose, and a section on turning a stack of individual congratulations into one card from the whole group.

What to write in a congratulations on the new job card

Pick one of these angles and the sentence writes itself:

The effort. "You worked for this" is more meaningful than "you deserve this," because it is about something they did rather than something they are.
The fit. Name a strength and connect it to the role. "They finally get someone who can explain a budget to a room of designers."
The future. A small, concrete wish beats a big vague one. "Hope the first-week coffee is good" beats "wishing you every success."
The loss, if you are their coworker. It is all right to say you will miss them, as long as you also say you are glad.

Add one of those to "congratulations" and you are done.

Short congratulations on the new job messages

Congratulations on the new job! So happy for you.
Huge congrats! They're lucky to have you.
Well done on the new role. You earned every bit of it.
Congratulations! Onwards and upwards.
New job, new chapter. Congratulations!
So pleased for you. Congratulations on the new position!
Congratulations! Go and show them what you can do.
Brilliant news. Congratulations on the new job.
You did it! Congratulations, and good luck on day one.
Congrats on the new gig. Drinks are on you.

Sincere congratulations on the new job messages

Congratulations on the new job. I watched you prepare for this for months, and I'm so glad it paid off. They're getting the real thing.
I know how much this one meant to you. Congratulations. You held your nerve through a long process and it showed.
Congratulations! You've been ready for a role like this for a long time. I'm thrilled someone finally noticed.
So proud of you. The new job is a big step and you'll take it in your stride, the way you do everything. Congratulations.
Congratulations on the new role. The way you handled the setbacks this year told me this was coming. Well done.
This is the news I've been hoping to hear. Congratulations, and thank you for letting me cheer you on.
You're going to be excellent at this. I've seen you do harder things with less support. Congratulations.
Congratulations! A better title, a better team and a better commute. You've waited long enough for all three.

Congratulations on the new job messages for a friend

Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you I'm using two exclamation marks, which you know I don't do.
New job! Congrats, mate. I expect a full report after the first week and a very expensive lunch after the first paycheque.
Congratulations on the new job. Of all the people I know, you're the one who most deserved a break like this.
You did it. Congratulations! Now please stop refreshing your email.
Congrats on the new role! Proud of you, and only slightly jealous of the office.
Congratulations! All those practice interviews in my kitchen finally paid off. I'd like a credit.
So excited for you. Congratulations on the new job, and remember us little people.
Congratulations! You handled the whole search with more grace than I would have. Enjoy this.

Congratulations on the new job messages for a coworker who is leaving

Congratulations on the new job! Genuinely happy for you and genuinely sorry for us.
They poached the right person. Congratulations, and good luck. Keep in touch.
Congratulations! The new place has no idea how lucky they are. We do.
Well done on the new role. Thank you for everything you did here. It was a lot, and we noticed.
Congrats! I'll miss having you across the desk, but you've outgrown this place and we all know it.
Congratulations on the move. Don't forget us when you're running the show over there.
New job, new team, same brilliant you. Congratulations, and the group chat stays open.
Congratulations! I learned a lot working with you. Go and teach the new lot.

Congratulations on the new job messages for a partner or spouse

Congratulations, love. I saw every late night and every "I'm not sure I'm good enough." You were. You are. So proud of you.
You did it! Congratulations on the new job. I've booked dinner to celebrate, and I'm not telling you where.
Congratulations. I'm so proud of the way you went after this. They're lucky to have you, and so am I.
New job! Congratulations, and thank you for being so patient with yourself through all of this.
Congratulations on the new role. I'll handle the school run for the first month. You handle being brilliant.

Congratulations on the new job messages for a son, daughter or sibling

Congratulations on the new job! We're so proud of you. Call us after the first day, we want all of it.
Well done, kid. You worked for this and it shows. Congratulations from a very proud parent.
Congratulations! Your first proper job. I remember when you couldn't tie your shoes. Now look.
Congrats, little brother. The new job is a big deal and you're going to be great at it. Don't let it go to your head. Too late.
Congratulations on the new position. Mum would have been bursting. We all are.
So proud of you, sis. Congratulations on the new job. First round's on you.

Congratulations on the new job messages for a former boss or mentor

Congratulations on the new role. Everything I know about doing this job well, I learned from you. They've made a very good hire.
Congratulations! You taught me how to lead a team. It's about time someone gave you a bigger one.
Well deserved. Congratulations on the new position, and thank you for everything you did for my career.
Congratulations! I'm not surprised, and I'm delighted. Let me know if you need a reference for how good you are.

Funny congratulations on the new job messages

Congratulations on the new job! Condolences on the new commute.
Congrats! New job, new chance to pretend you know how the coffee machine works.
Congratulations! Please remember to update your LinkedIn before your mum does.
New job! Congrats. The first rule: find out who controls the thermostat.
Congratulations on the new job. Enjoy the brief period where nobody expects you to know anything.
Well done! Your new colleagues don't know about the stapler incident. Let's keep it that way.
Congratulations! Remember, day one is all about memorising the exits and the snack drawer.
Congrats on the new role. You now have a new set of meetings that could have been emails.
Congratulations! You can finally stop saying "I'm exploring opportunities."
New job, who dis? Congratulations!

Congratulations on the new job messages for a promotion within the company

Congratulations on the promotion! Long overdue, and nobody is happier about it than the people who work with you.
Well done on the new role. The best person got the job, which is rarer than it should be. Congratulations.
Congratulations! Same building, bigger title, more meetings. Two out of three isn't bad.
Congrats on stepping up. You've been doing the job for months anyway. Now they're paying you for it.
Congratulations on the promotion. You earned it the slow, honest way, and it shows.

Congratulations on the new job messages from the whole group

Opening lines for a card from the team, the family or a group of friends, before each person adds their own note.

Congratulations from all of us! Every one of us wanted to say it, so we each did.
The whole team is thrilled for you. Read on; the good stuff is below.
From the people who watched you get here: congratulations. You did it, and we're proud.
Congratulations on the new job from everyone who's ever worked with you and is sad they won't anymore.
Congratulations from the family. We've all written something, and some of it is even sincere.

When to send a congratulations message, and how

Send it when the news is public. If they have told you in confidence before telling their current employer, hold the card until they say the word is out.

Match the medium to the relationship. A text is fine for a friend. A card is better for a parent, a mentor or a colleague you have worked with for years. A card from the whole team is the right answer when the person is leaving a job they have been in a while.

Keep the job details light. Not everyone wants their new salary or title discussed. "The new role" covers everything.

How to send one congratulations card from everyone

When a coworker leaves for a new job, or a friend finally gets the role the whole group has been rooting for, the individual texts arrive over a week and vanish just as quickly. A group card collects all of them into one thing they will keep.

Start a card, share the link in the team channel or the group chat, and let each person write their own message in private from their phone. Add photos from the leaving drinks or the years you worked together, and let anyone who wants to record a short video. Then send it as a reveal: they open an envelope on screen, hear the song you picked and watch each congratulations arrive one by one. For a colleague leaving the company, it doubles as the farewell card, and it is a great deal better than the one that circulates with a pen.

If you want them to have something on the new desk, the same card can be printed with a handwritten greeting inside and mailed to them, which is a nice way of making sure the old team is the first thing they see at the new job.