Got a Job Offer but Waiting to Hear Back from Others - How Long Can I Wait?

You can buy time by telling them you need two weeks before you can start, instead of one. This is typical.

Usually, like someone else said they have a respond by date. If they don't I recommend asking for 24-48 hrs...tops! Remember this is still an employers market...

My ex is in software.

- They expect you to be applying for multiple positions
- They usually expect a couple weeks between formal offer & acceptance
- They expect you to negotiate the informal offer OR the formal offer (not both) especially as you get other offers (most companies will match your best offer)... That's probably what the "expectant pause" was on the phone. Waiting to see what your counter offer was.

- To late now, but never ask IF you can take time to deliberate. Inform them that you will be looking forward to receiving the offer letter & compensation package to review.

....

Generally, people never receive raises/etc. while in their current positions (a few small ones, maybe). How people receive raises is by switching jobs. 1 year at a Co. shows "extreme" loyalty. Even so, one collects offers, the goes to their FAV company, with the best offer letter & sees if that company will match it (nearly always will).

But they expect weeks between offer & acceptance (unless they're breathing down your neck as an emergency hire (rare, they usually just grab a consultant for fire-drill positions) and then 1-3 months of ramping up.

My SIL just went through something similar. She got offered a position but was hoping for something else because the offer she received was less than she needed.

She talked to her current HR department and other HR contacts she has and THEY said it was acceptable to accept the position and if she was offered something else, that it was okay to "back out". Granted you probably don't want to make a habit of doing that, but if the 3rd (most desirable) job came through with a better offer, don't be afraid to take it! HR said it was better to take the job and then "back out" than it is to tell them you are "waiting on other offers". That way, if other offers don't come, you aren't stuck without a job if the 1st offer gets offered up to someone else because they are tired of waiting.

"so I asked it it would be okay if I spoke with my husband (to buy some time)"

That was a mistake. You made yourself look like an incompetent woman that needs her husband's permission to work. Do not be shocked if the terms in the the formal are lesser than what he said on the phone.

The proper thing to do is be upfront about your other pending offers. That would make you an even more desirable person to have as an employee, and could have improved your offer in the end.

Well, my thought is you have as much time as you need and they will give you. If you want 2 weeks, ask for two weeks. If they want an answer in one week, try to give them that.
Heck, a written letter is NOT a contract so give them a verbal OK and then interview at the other positions, if they work out better for you, call the previous offer and politely decline with "after more time to evaluate what my family needs are, I can no longer accept this position." If it is due to $$, let them know that, they may offer you more to keep you, if it is company culture or hours, tell them that.
I have hired people in the past to have them back out after they had verbally accepted and I had sent them a letter. No biggie. it happens.
good luck!

The official offer letter should have a respond by date. I wouldn't say anything accepting or declining until I had a formal offer in hand. I had a verbal offer once and waited and waited and waited for the formal offer, which didn't come. Turned out the Government customer didn't have the authority to ask the contractor for support and couldn't get it cleared through his management, so they couldn't offer me the position. Good thing I kept looking for another position ...

Ask them for some time to think about it. Asking for 5 days is totally appropriate. Taking the job and then backing out is NOT APPROPRIATE AT ALL. All you will do a is burn a bridge. It's a small world out there.

If you are not satisfied with the money, come back to him and ask for more. You should be negotiating. The worst that can happen is they say sorry, that is our top offer. Chances are, they will come back with a few thousand more.

I am a former recruiter. If I made you an offer on a Thursday, I would want an answer no later than Monday morning. If you weren't able to tell me by then, I wouldn't think you were serious enough to want the job. I totally understand having other interviews and other prospects, but those processes could take awhile and the company that made you the offer shouldn't, and probably couldn't, wait until you found out about the others. If you make them wait too long and then turn them down, you are costing them the opportunity to get their second choice candidate.

Congrats on the offer! That is very exciting and I hope it turns out to be a great opportunity for you.

depends on your field. In my field, which is considerably smaller, that behavior would get me blacklisted and as word got around my rep would be shot.

If you don't like the offer, be honest with him. It's lower than you expected, you have 2 interviews and you'd like to explore other options.

Maybe he can get you more money.

What you can do is advise the upcoming interviews that you have a verbal offer currently pending. You wonder, what if anything, they can do to expedite their own interview/ retention process.

Good luck,
F. B.

CoMoMom is spot on. I'm in a technical field, though. We have no problem if a candidate says they are also interviewing with others and would like some reasonable amount of time to make a decision. Whatever you do, don't accept the offer and then rescind it and take another position.

If the job is time sensitive (i.e., they need someone to start right away), this considerably reduces your time to explore other options.

Tough choice. Good luck.

Wait for the letter. That should give you some time. Also ask about the start date. They are making you an offer. Let them know that you appreciate their offer very much and must discuss it with your husband prior to giving any answers. That is a perfectly acceptable response.

Best of luck!

I'm not in the field any longer, but I was an IT recruitment consultant for several years in a very competitive market. It was expected that the best candidates be interviewing with more than one company, that they might reject an offer based on pay or benefits and want to negotiate, that their current company or other competing companies might counter offer to either keep them or attract them. It was my job to persuade a candidate to accept the offer of the company who was my client, whilst understanding the perspective and position of the candidate. You may think you are doing the right thing by accepting the offer and being proffessional and timely and loyal and moral and not screwing them around, but if it is not the right position for you, and you are not the employee that will stay for a decent amount of time because actually you wanted a job that was x,y,z, then you are doing both you and them a dis-service. If you are happy enough with the offer, I would verbally accept it. Nothing is concrete or confirmed until you have seen the offer, package and employment details in writing and you should never accept any job offer with out these details on paper. Meanwhile, tell the other 2 companies that you have a verbal offer that you need to make a decision on soon after the paperwork arrives, but that you are more interested in their company/position/values whatever because you like the x,y,z that their company and position is offering. Be genuine. Sounds like you are. What have you got to lose? You already have one job offer. Keep it warm while asking the other prospects how long they expect the recruitment process to take. If they want you, they will either act quickly or if they can't, it's a sign that the company has a lot of buracracy and hoops and top down management and the hiring manager has little autonomy. Just like you taking too long to make a decision is not a great sign, if they are slow to act, that's not a great sign either. This is a game, like a poker game. The idea is that you play like you are holding all the best cards. Have confidence in yourself. Sounds like you are a very desirable employee. So be that and expect much for yourself. The first offer may not be it.

Ditto Riley J. below.

My Husband is in the computer field.
It is very competitive.
You cannot seem wishy washy.
They assume you are also applying at different firms.
I would not wait too long, before you give them your answer. But wait for their offer letter. That is typical formality.
And, it also depends, on how desperate you are... to get a job. Meaning, if you really need a job and don't grab any offers or wait too long, then you may not have any job. You can try and negotiate the salary offer. And see what their overall package is. ie: their benefits.

But if you only want a higher pay, then you have to wait for another company to want you. Which may take time or not come. And... you may not, get higher pay with other companies either.

My Husband had several offers after he graduated. Different salary ranges. But ultimately, he chose a company that he liked, overall. And though the pay was similar & not drastically higher as his previous company, he knew that he liked, this company and the team that interviewed him. He felt it was a good, fit. And the company is stable. And that he would earn raises.

In the interview and offer dance... there is a fast turnaround. Meaning, many of these computer companies are really fast paced. And the team is aggressive can do'ers. And they expect, their candidates to be that way too. If you seem wishy washy or take too long... to make your decision, you can loose an opportunity. In my Husband's case, he negotiated and per when they wanted his response. His future Boss, also traveled a TON, and was on the go constantly. And they needed someone ASAP. They gave him, 2 days, to decide.
He took the job.
After he did so, he was still getting other offers. But the decision was made. He did not regret it.

Now, per start date of a job. YOU cannot always determine this.
The company... decides when your start date is.

And, even if you bide your time in order to go to those other interviews... the process takes time. Remember, companies are also interviewing OTHER candidates too. Not just you. And it will probably take longer... than 1 week to even hear back from those other companies you interview with.
And again, in this field, it is highly competitive. AND, many companies... do not just interview a candidate, once. At many firms... the interview process entails SEVERAL ROUNDS... of interviews. Even having to do on-site real world, problem solving of scenarios, RIGHT at the office at a computer and white board. So that, the "team" can see... how you work and your ability to think fast on your feet.
My husband went through those. It took half a day... just for one round of interviews. Then there were others, with the Owner and the team and support team too.

Depends on what type of job it is and how quickly they want you to start. If they're looking for someone to start next week, then you have about 24 hours to accept the offer. (if they're looking for someone to start in a month, you have maybe two days - not a lot more) I don't think it means that you get to wait until you get a formal offer letter. You will need to decide before you go on the other interviews. If you don't - you risk looking like you're not interested, and I'm sure they have multiple candidates who they could turn to, right? You can certainly tell him that you were hoping for more money - that slows the process down and gives you a little breathing room. But you have to decide whether you're willing to lose this opportunity. If you do anything other than call back quickly, accept the job and express your full enthusiasm, he could certainly tell you they've changed their minds, or can't offer more money, or whatever.

I would not tell him you have other interviews because then you're telling him his job isn't good enough. And if you end up taking it anyways, he knows he's getting someone who didn't really want the job.

Sit yourself down and think through how much you want any job, versus this particular job. If this is the only offer you get, is it good enough? What if you say no to this and you don't get offers from the other two?