There’s a lot to think about when you’re looking for work. One of the most important things you should keep in mind is knowing when companies will be looking for new employees.
According to career experts, the following are the time of day and days of the week in which job offers are usually made:
I have always viewed one day of the week as the most productive throughout my career. It always seems that candidates, clients and prospects are always more responsive on this day than any other.
That is why it comes as no surprise that more job offers are made on this day of the week than any other.
Tuesday is a popular day to extend offers
Hiring decisions are typically made shortly after the final interview. However, depending on the position and the structure of the organization, it may take a few days to get an official offer letter together.
Monday can be a “catch-up day” for many of us, including hiring managers. By Tuesday, the tasks that spilled over from the prior week have been completed, and the hiring manager has time to extend an official offer letter.
Tuesday is also a popular day to extend offers because it gives the candidate time to review the offer, ask questions and possibly make a counteroffer in the same week. All questions and concerns can be ironed out during the remainder of the week, and the candidate can sign their offer letter by Friday, if not sooner.
Related: 25+ Best Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Job Offer
The truth is job offers are made every day of the week. However, Tuesday is the most popular.
The best approach is to set aside an agreed-upon time with no distractions
The most common time for job offers to be made can depend on multiple factors, but the most important is scheduling. Often the candidate is currently working, so it is important for the hiring manager to have some flexibility. It is equally important for the candidate to understand that the hiring manager has responsibilities outside of extending offers.
The best approach is to set aside an agreed-upon time with no distractions.
Before the pandemic, the most common times during the day to extend offers were around lunchtime or at the end of the day. Now that many employees and employers are working remotely, there is a lot more freedom and flexibility to have open conversations.
I have never noticed a universal “set time” for job offers to be made. There is a set time for rejections, though, which I’ll share at the end. In smaller startups, the offers get made at any time of day and any day of the week. We would sometimes make offers within ten minutes of an interview, and sometimes it would be a week later.
Larger companies are a little more reliable, but it still changes company to company. There are some questions a candidate can ask, though, that will give them a sense of when to expect to be notified.
How are final approvals/decisions made?
Most offers are made within an hour or two of getting “final approval”
Most offers are made within an hour or two of getting “final approval.” It really is that reactive.
Recruiters are excited to make winning offers, so once approved, we make them fast. So, if a reader wants to get an idea of when they will get an offer, they should ask when the decision will be made. Nine times out of ten, they will be notified of an offer within a few hours of that approval.
Larger companies have a bureaucratic process
Larger companies have a bureaucratic process (in Google, it’s called Hiring Committee) that is pretty regimented and has set dates and times. In smaller companies I’ve worked at, offers were usually all approved by the CEO and sometimes done ad-hoc and sometimes in standing meetings.
My suggestion would be to get as much information about the approval process as early on in the process. As it gets closer, recruiters sometimes get cagey about sharing details.
But at the beginning, get as much info as you can:
- How are offers approved?
- Who approves them?
- How often does the recruiter meet with them?
It takes a little tact to ask these and not be invasive, but they’re easy enough to work into that first phone call when the candidate is just trying to learn more about the process.
When does my recruiter normally contact me?
Recruiters are managing dozens of candidates at the same time. Generally, the successful ones have rhythms. For example, mine was: cold calls in the morning, meetings, data review, clean-up mid-day, interviews, and offers in the evening.
Since candidates work with the same recruiter throughout the process, they’ll get a sense for when they hear from that recruiter.
That, honestly, is the best tell I’ve ever used as a candidate. If my recruiter is chatting with me almost every day, then it goes for final approval, and I don’t hear anything, that’s a signal. Additionally, if I only hear from my recruiter on Friday afternoons, then I’m okay if it’s Thursday and I haven’t heard anything.
Side note: When do rejections usually get sent out? My experience, as a candidate and recruiter, has been that most rejections go out at the end of the day or end of the week.
Related: How to Ask for Feedback After a Job Rejection
We save these calls to the end of the day because, understandably, they’re our least favorite to have. Obviously, if a candidate has told us they have a tight timeline, we’ll notify sooner. But, if there’s no other offer or deadline and we find out at 10 am, most likely we’re not gonna ruin someone’s morning with that.
The optimum day of the week is usually on a weekday when things are less chaotic
While the time of day and day of the week when a job offer is made is entirely dependent on a company’s internal working structure and onboarding process, it is generally based on two variables. These are the hiring manager’s and the applicant’s schedules.
As a recruiting manager, you frequently have numerous duties and roles to fill at the same time. Job offers are commonly made when there is wiggle room or spare time in between. For applicants, there may be some who are currently working for another company, so schedules must coincide to ensure that prompt responses are made.
The optimum times to expect an offer call are as follows:
- 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Employers may contact applicants between the hours of 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. when the hiring manager’s initial responsibilities have been finished or squared away.
- 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.: Some hiring managers make job offer calls between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., especially to applicants who already have a job and won’t return the call within work hours.
- 4 p.m.: Some recruiting managers prefer to make job offer calls at 4 p.m. to update onboarding and hiring materials first thing the next day or as soon as they hear back. Making the offer close to the end of the workday also enables applicants to fully concentrate on the job offer, and it gives applicants enough time to consider.
The optimum day of the week is usually on a weekday when things are less chaotic. This means that Mondays are out because it’s the beginning of the week, and people are returning from the weekend, so there’s a lot to catch up on.
Tuesday is statistically the most popular day. It is the day following the busiest day of the week, when the most urgent tasks are accomplished, leaving ample time to make job offer calls. This is closely followed by Thursday since employers like to make offers before the weekend since it provides candidates enough time to examine the offer properly.
Job offers are usually made from Tuesday to Thursday between midday and EOD
Although there can be a lot of variation regarding day and time of day, job offers are usually made from Tuesday to Thursday between midday and EOD.
When it comes to the day job offers are usually made, most offers will ideally be extended on Tuesday or Wednesday. For HR professionals, Mondays are usually spent catching up on communications and dealing with anything urgent or whatever has stacked up over the weekend.
You might get a job offer on a Friday, but this is less common as it leaves little time to get things moving before the weekend arrives.
As for the time of day, most job offers will tend to come between noon and the end of the working day. However, HR will often call candidates who are currently employed either during lunch hours or in the evening.
Preferably HR will be extending offers from mid-morning onwards, but most commonly, they’ll be sent out during the afternoon.
All the data points to Tuesdays
In terms of the day of the week when anything related to hiring is most likely to happen, it’s almost always Tuesday. Most jobs get posted on Tuesdays, most people apply on Tuesdays (18.5%), and most hires are made on Tuesdays (21.39%).
Why? Because hiring great candidates is very important and of extremely high priority. Recruiters and managers want to do it as soon as possible. But, you guessed it, Monday is not always possible.
Mondays tend to be those days when you have to deal with some crisis that spilled over from the weekend (or the previous week) or take care of all the boring, administrative details that you need to check off your list before approaching a candidate with an offer.
The time of the day you receive an offer? That mostly depends on whether you’re currently employed.
My rule of thumb, and also a principle most of my friends in HR teams or recruiting agencies follow is: If you know a candidate is currently not working, make the job offer call mid-morning to noon.
This way, if their response is positive, you give your in-house HR team the time to complete all the necessary paperwork to send a formal offer by the end of the day.
If you’re making a job offer to someone currently employed somewhere else, do so in the late afternoon or even in the evening. Help them avoid the awkwardness of answering a call or even viewing an email while they’re in an office they might be set to leave in a few weeks or months.
Most job offers are made in the afternoon or closer to the end of the day
In general, most job offers are made in the afternoon or closer to the end of the day. With that said, timing isn’t strategic; it’s just the way it usually goes. Once you get the green light to extend the offer, try to find time between meetings to schedule a time to chat.
A lot of candidates will tell you to call at the end of the day.
HR, like everyone else, gets right to work as quickly as possible. So here’s the scenario: An applicant successfully completes the interview process and is offered the job. The hiring managers and recruiter meet and agree that Lindsey is the candidate they want to hire.
However, because it is Monday, the recruiter goes to her calendar and puts a reminder to call Lindsey at the end of the day on Friday. Do you believe that’s how it works? What would the point of that be? It’s illogical.
We attempt to make the offer as soon as the employer makes a decision and chooses that one candidate.
I don’t want this candidate to sit around waiting for us while still interviewing elsewhere. The candidate may accept one offer and then accept it elsewhere. Then I’ll have to start my search all over again, which I don’t want to do.
Tuesday seems to be the most common day for job offers to be extended
Time of day
Concerning time, I think it’s a mistake to assume there is a predictable time of day when job offers are made. A much more observable rule is that they happen whenever the hiring manager emerges from under their mountain of emails and phone calls.
Some days I tackle them in the morning. Others I call around lunch. Some days I stay late and call in the evening. There really isn’t a rule. Offers are made when the world calms down for 10 minutes, and I can shut my office door.
Day of the week
Tuesday seems to be the most common day for job offers to be extended, and my own experience backs this up. Mondays can be challenging for hiring managers because they are trying to catch up after the weekend, but by Tuesday, I’m usually better able to concentrate on extending employment offers.
Following Tuesday, you’re probably most likely to get that offer on a Thursday.
This is because I’m looking to make offers before the weekend begins, and people are thinking more about weekend activities. It also allows the candidate to take the weekend off from work or other obligations to examine the offer and make an informed decision.
Most of my offers will go out on the mornings of Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday
Traditionally speaking, most of my offers will go out on the mornings of Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
- Providing an offer mid-week also gives the candidate a few business days to connect with the recruiter (with questions) as well as the weekend (to talk with family members).
- From my personal experience, I will intentionally block off a few hours Tuesday-Thursday morning and extend as many offers as needed during those times, and then I can reserve the latter half of the days for emails/office hours/addressing candidate questions.
Mondays and Fridays are the slowest for offers for a couple of reasons:
- Most PTO days are going to be close to the weekend, meaning approvals are more likely to be impacted by one of those days.
- On the flip side, candidates tend to be more inaccessible on Mondays/Fridays due to personal obligations.
Patrick Casey
Director of Growth Marketing, Felix Health
You’re more likely to receive a job offer on a Thursday
Job offers tend to come later in the week. Hiring managers have massive to-do lists to work through – especially in larger companies. As a result, they tend to wait until their schedule fully opens up before they start issuing job offers.
Mondays can be difficult for hiring managers, as they’re usually catching up with a backlog of tasks before they can focus on hiring.
For this reason, you’re more likely to receive a job offer on a Thursday.
This gives candidates a weekend to evaluate the offer they’ve received and to subsequently make a well-informed decision. With this logic in mind, you may be wondering why offers tend to come on a Thursday and not a Friday.
Hiring managers tend not to extend job offers on Fridays because people are usually winding down for the week and focusing more on their weekend plans. Therefore, Thursday is the optimal day of the week to send and receive an offer.
Goal: Tuesday to Thursday; Reality: Friday morning
While it’s the most common to contact a candidate with a job offer from Tuesday to Thursday, it’s not always the case.
Monday is usually the busiest day for HR teams to catch up on work from the weekend and complete any urgent administrative tasks. The middle of the week is usually the best time to reach out to the candidates. However, sometimes there is simply too much to do during the week.
As recruiting managers want to contact the candidate before the weekend to give them enough time to think about the job offer, in hectic times, it sometimes happens that job offers are made on Friday morning.
At LiveCareer, we also consider Friday a great day to spread some good news before the weekend. Candidates are happy to hear that we want them on board and have plenty of time to rethink their decision or simply celebrate their success with some good wine and friends.
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FAQs
What time of day do most job offers come? ›
Times to expect a job offer call
For a 9 to 5 office, you may expect a call at around 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. By this time, hiring managers will expect you to be awake and prepared to discuss the position.
You can justifiably take about a week if you want, but the employer might expect you to respond sooner (as in a situation where they think they've offered you a really good position). Generally, you can wait up to three work days without hurting any feelings if there's not a hard deadline.
What is the best time of day to ask for a job? ›But it's not all bad news — adjusting your timing can also improve your chances. The analysis found that the best time to apply for a job was between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Doing so could make you five times more likely to score an interview.
Can I ask for a day to think about a job offer? ›Usually, most people request between 48 and 72 hours, or two to three days, to consider a job offer. However, it can vary depending on the employer, so be sure to ask questions and confirm a deadline when you're unsure of what would be appropriate.
Are job offers made by phone or email? ›It's not uncommon to receive job offers over the phone or by email, because historically, verbal contracts were the norm. While the law now requires employers to provide a written contract, it's normal to first receive an informal offer by phone or email before the company sends out this hard copy.
What things do interviewers say that let you know you won t get an offer? ›Although you are qualified for the position, we've decided to select another candidate. This is a nice way of telling you that you're not the right person for the job. We have decided to move in another direction. Another nice way of saying that you don't have the qualifications the hiring manager is seeking.
Can you ask for more time to respond to a job offer? ›Always reply to the offer immediately, even if it is to ask for more time to consider a job offer. Stick to the deadline they give you. You don't know the company's time pressures so don't risk going over the deadline. They could withdraw the offer and give the job to another candidate.
Is it OK to not accept a job offer immediately? ›You don't have to accept a job offer right away. If a firm likes you enough to make an offer, they should be more than happy to give you the opportunity to deliberate. Don't forget, options are good, that's why you applied for more than one job in the first place!
How long is too long to wait for a job response? ›As a rule of thumb, following up within a week is perfectly acceptable. If you don't hear back after an additional week, you can reach out again. However, if you don't hear anything after a second week, it's better to stay radio silent. Some companies have a long hiring process.
Are job offers given on Fridays? ›Hiring managers tend not to extend job offers on Fridays because people are usually winding down for the week and focusing more on their weekend plans. Therefore, Thursday is the optimal day of the week to send and receive an offer.
How do you know you will get a job offer? ›
- The Company Sells Themselves To You Before You Leave. ...
- You Get Asked Back Again During The Interview. ...
- You Get Asked Personal Questions. ...
- They Use “You Will” Instead Of “You Would” ...
- You Get An Office Tour. ...
- The Right Body Language.
Even if you have a good understanding of the job and the company, asking for more time helps you ensure that you're ready to commit to the position. The extra time lets you do enough research, while also allowing you to consider what it'd be like to work for the company and the compensation package you were offered.
Can I accept a job offer the same day? ›After getting a job offer, you can immediately accept, immediately deny or you can negotiate. “What I recommend doing is asking the hiring manager or whoever you get your offer from for a day or two so that you can review the offer.”
Can you lose a job offer by negotiating salary? ›It is possible to lose a job offer while negotiating a salary, but Appiah said it only happens in certain contexts. The job offer tends only to be rescinded if the candidate is “negotiating for the sake of negotiating” or the number they are proposing is unreasonable.
Does a job offer come from HR or the hiring manager? ›Hiring managers and recruiters work closely together to hire for open positions. The hiring manager will be your direct supervisor if you are hired. They are the final decision maker on job offers. Your earliest interviews (after the recruiter screening) will likely be with the hiring manager.
What does HR do before job offer? ›In addition to employment verification and a background check, HR might even do a salary verification to ensure that the candidate's salary history is consistent with information he provided during the interview process or to help your company determine any difference between the candidate's previous earnings and the ...
Should I counter a job offer over the phone? ›Negotiating salary expectations over the phone is more likely to be successful than email because you get the chance to have a real-time conversation.
What are some red flags in a job offer? ›- A Lack of Consistency In the Hiring Process. ...
- Missing Specifics In the Job Description. ...
- Evidence of Poor Team Dynamics. ...
- Poor Company Culture. ...
- The Job Doesn't Offer Growth Potential.
- You didn't do your homework at all.
- You didn't research the company at all.
- You lied on your resume.
- You didn't answer basic technical questions correctly.
- You dressed inappropriately.
- You behaved rudely.
- The discussion extends beyond what you had anticipated. ...
- They're not at all distracted. ...
- Your interviewer asks you questions about your long-term objectives. ...
- The interviewer speaks specifically about salary and other compensation. ...
- At the end of the interview, the hiring manager offers positive information about the next step.
Should I reply to all when accepting a job offer? ›
After you have concluded negotiations and made your decision, you need to respond to the job offer by formally accepting or declining. You can send a letter, but if you were offered the job in an email, you should respond by email also.
Is it OK to hold multiple job offers? ›Be aware of the time limit. When you have multiple job offers, it is best to find out the time frame each recruiter is offering you to revert with an answer. This is an important question to ask your recruiter so you can look over the factors of each job offer thoroughly before arriving at a decision.
How long does it take for HR to approve a job offer? ›On average, the job offer process takes five to seven days. In rare cases, an employer could leave you waiting for multiple weeks before you get a job offer. There's almost always more than one person involved in hiring decisions for an employer, which can lead to additional delays.
Should you accept first salary offer? ›It really depends. Some people feel you should take the first offer if you're happy with it. Never negotiate just for the sake of negotiating. Other people disagree with that position and believe anytime you're given the chance to negotiate, you should.
What should you not do when waiting for a job offer? ›- Follow up. ...
- Don't be aggressive. ...
- Notify your references. ...
- Update your voicemail. ...
- Don't lie about job offers. ...
- Don't tell your boss. ...
- Keep looking. ...
- Don't ghost the hiring manager.
An exploding offer is one with a time limit, which you'll often find in the job market as employers are looking to hire quickly and may also not want to be your second choice while you wait for another offer to come in first.
When should you assume you didn't get the job? ›Should I just assume I didn't get the job? If you've received no response after a job interview (and you didn't hear back even after you followed up on your job application), it's safe to assume that you didn't get the position and should keep interviewing with other companies.
What are the signs that you will be hired after an interview? ›- They discuss the next steps. ...
- They ask when you can start. ...
- Their body language is positive. ...
- They contact your references. ...
- You meet the team. ...
- You discuss perks and benefits. ...
- You receive a positive follow-up response. ...
- You're invited to connect on LinkedIn.
Though many employers notify you when they fill a position, not all do. A follow-up letter gives you the chance to thank the hiring manager for their time, while also providing them with an easy way to contact you about updates.
What day of the week are job offers made? ›Hiring managers tend not to extend job offers on Fridays because people are usually winding down for the week and focusing more on their weekend plans. Therefore, Thursday is the optimal day of the week to send and receive an offer.
How quickly do companies make offers? ›
On average, the job offer process takes five to seven days. In rare cases, an employer could leave you waiting for multiple weeks before you get a job offer. There's almost always more than one person involved in hiring decisions for an employer, which can lead to additional delays.
How long should an offer letter take? ›The average time it takes for candidates to hear back about a job offer is between 20 and 40 days after an interview, according to Glassdoor. Yet, top talent is usually gone within ten days. The actual length will vary depending on your industry, location and local regulations.
When should I expect to hear about a job offer? ›The average time to get a job offer after an interview is 10 to 14 days. However, this can extend to over a month or even six to eight weeks, depending on the position.
What makes you the most qualified candidate? ›What Skills Can You Bring to the Job? Examples of skills that could bring to the job include: Hard skills or technical skills, like expertise with a software suite, or sales or budgeting experience. Soft skills, like excellent oral and written communication skills, customer service skills, or organization skills.
How do you tell if a candidate really wants a job? ›The best way to know if a candidate wants the job or not is to see how responsive they are and if they ask a lot of questions. Candidates that are responsive and respond quickly are most likely interested in the position and the company.
How do interviewers rank candidates? ›When using an interview rating sheet, the interviewer gives the candidate a score based on how well they answer a question. Each question addresses a specific skill or qualification of the candidate. If their answer addresses that skill in the way the interviewer is looking for, the candidate receives a high rating.
How late is too late to decline a job offer? ›It's never too late to rescind a job offer. It's never too late to decline a job offer, either. You can quit a job on your first day. You can tell a new employee it's not working out on their first day if indeed, it's not working out.
How many times should you counter a job offer? ›Countering a job offer multiple times may not be the best approach. Instead, prepare your salary expectations based on the value of your skillset and experience in the current market. Don't drag on the salary negotiation too long. Depending on the situation, two times is the most I would recommend.
How long can you sit on a job offer? ›If you're like many job candidates, you might be wondering, “How much time do I have to make a decision?” According to multiple hiring managers, requesting 48 to 72 hours is perfectly reasonable.
Is it illegal to accept two job offers? ›While it may be considered the ethical choice to stick with your the original job offer, you have every right to take back your acceptance if you're hired as an at-will employee.
Can a job give you an offer and then take it back? ›
Once an employer offers you a job, you have a period of time to decide if you want to accept the offer. Sometimes, though, employers choose to rescind job offers during that time frame.
What are some good signs you got the job? ›- They discuss the next steps. ...
- They ask when you can start. ...
- Their body language is positive. ...
- They contact your references. ...
- You meet the team. ...
- You discuss perks and benefits. ...
- You receive a positive follow-up response.
The average time it takes for candidates to hear back about a job offer is between 20 and 40 days after an interview, according to Glassdoor. Yet, top talent is usually gone within ten days. The actual length will vary depending on your industry, location and local regulations.