Here’s How to Ask for More Time to Consider a Job Offer (With Examples)

After a long time of waiting for positive feedback from a potential employer, it’s always exciting to get an offer. Most often, talent acquisition managers expect you to answer in the shortest possible time. However, it’s not the easiest decision to make. You need to weigh all the strong and weak sides. If you have multiple offers, it’s even more difficult to make up your mind.

Thus, it makes sense to request more time for you to figure out what the best decision will be. If you ignore answering, no one will be waiting for you forever. So, it would be wise to politely ask the HR person to give you some time to think. But how do you do that? The words you use play a crucial part in your communication with a company’s hiring manager.

We’ll cover the most appropriate methods and tactics so that you can assess your situation and get on well with recruiters.

How Much Time Do You Usually Have?

There are no average time limits for accepting or refusing a company’s offer. However, on the stage when you undergo an interview with a talent acquisition consultant, you should ask about when they expect to have a new team member. A specialist can tell you about this even without your asking. Thus, you’ll have a clear picture in your head about the time limits. Even if a company expects to welcome you onboard in the shortest possible time, it doesn’t mean you can’t have some time to consider. However, you should make a decision as fast as you can.

Reasons for Asking for an Extension

Weigh All the Options You Have

When you start your job-searching adventure, it’s unlikely that you focus on one company and one position. There are so many opportunities and it’s unwise to wait for one company’s offer. They do not come in bulk. If other positions are more appealing to you, you might need some time to wait for other replies. It might be that you applied for your dream job yesterday, and sent your perfect resume with your greatest photo that you chose from professional-like generated AI headshots. Who knows, maybe something great is awaiting you just around the corner. Thus, a couple of free days to make up your mind wouldn’t hurt.

Ask for More Details

Before you accept this or that position, you need to understand every little detail about your career path. It’s possible that while on an interview, you might have forgotten to ask something essential to you. In this case, you should ask the questions you need answers to. Therefore, you’ll have a bright picture of what’s going to happen.

Big Changes are Inevitable

Nothing’s ever perfect. You can get a dream job offer, but the new job requires you to make some radical changes in your life. It can be that you need to move to another city or country. Maybe it’s about working at night all the time and your life will change greatly. If there are such challenges, you should take more time to understand whether you’re ready to change your lifestyle.

What’s the Reasonable Amount of Time to Ask for?

Certainly, we’re not talking weeks: that’s way too much. If you ask for a couple of weeks, a hiring manager will have the impression that you’re not that much interested in what they offer. Most likely, you’re not the only candidate for the position. If you think unreasonably long, this offer will go to another candidate.

Not more than a week is commonly accepted. Although it’d be more beneficial if you say you need one, two or three days to make a final decision. The more time you think, the more negative thoughts your potential employer will have.

How to Ask for More Time to Process an Offer?

1. Say Thank You

It’ll be devastating if you ask for more time right from the start. Say, just after your resume with a great headline has been considered. First and foremost, your good manners are crucial. Whether you get a phone call or an email, your response should start with the words of gratitude. If a hiring manager understands that this offer is valuable for you, you likely get a few extra days to mull over everything. Thus, except for the thank you words, tell a manager what a great opportunity it is.

2. Ask If There Is a Deadline

You might already have an immediate answer to this question if you discussed it during your interview. However, if you don’t have a clue, you should ask about when they expect to welcome a new team member. Even before you ask for an extension, you’ll get an understanding of how much time you can ask them.

3. Explain Your Reasons

Honesty is key to trust-based relationships. If there’s a specific reason why more time is crucial to you, you should tell a company’s representative about it most politely. However, remember that if you say that you’re open to other opportunities, it might seem a little rude.

4. Say You Need a Couple More Days

If the reason why you need an extension is that you have additional questions about their job offer, then don’t miss out on a chance to ask about everything you need to know. After that, it’s appropriate to say that you need to mull over everything and that a couple of days will be enough for you.

Good Examples for a Hiring Manager

• “Thank you very much for this incredible opportunity.”
• “I’m very grateful for such a career opportunity.”
• “This offer is so exciting, thank you very much.”
• “Do you have a specific timeline you need to get a response from me?”
• “How soon do you plan to hire a new team member?”
• “I’d like to thoroughly study what you offer me to give you a response.”
• “Since I need to work at night, I’d like to have more time to discuss it with my family.”
• “Currently, I’m considering two more options, will it be possible to have a couple of more days to give you a response?”

Bad Examples

• “I’m not sure this is the professional path that I want to pursue. I’ll get back to you in a few days.”
• “I’m not sure I’m still enthusiastic about this position. I’ll consider that and get back to you.”
• “I had hoped for a higher wage. I need more time to consider it.”

Thoroughly Choose Your Career Path

When you get multiple job offers that are quite exciting, no wonder you need more time to make a final decision. It’s not so challenging to ask for more time since there’s much to weigh. However, you need to be as honest and polite as you can. Get a few extra days and make up your mind about whether you get the best deal.