How to ask for more time to consider a job offer
Ask for a specific new decision date before the original deadline. Includes a short email and what to do if the employer says no.
Ghosted editorialPublished 12 min read
On this page
- Ask for a new date
- Your reason, and your questions
- Asking for time is part of taking an offer seriously
- Ask for what you need, and no more
- The four parts of the request
- If you’re waiting on another company
- Get the offer and the deadline in writing
- Five things to decide before you write
- If they say yes, or no
- The mistakes people make most often
- A checklist before you send
- What to do with the time
- Questions people ask about offer deadlines
The email
Ask for a new date
SubjectDecision date for the Support Engineer offer
Hi Jo,
Thank you for the offer. I’m excited about the support team and the work we discussed. Would it be possible to give you my answer by Friday 15 May instead of Wednesday 13 May? I’d like a little more time to review the schedule with my family.
Thanks, Alex
Four sentences: thanks, a line about why you’re interested, the new date next to the old one, and a reason you’re happy to share. If the offer came by email, reply in that thread. If it came by phone, a new email with a subject like this one gives you both the date in writing.
Ask early, not on the day
Send it as soon as you know you’ll need longer. A request two days ahead gives the recruiter time to check with the hiring manager. One sent on the morning of the deadline puts everyone on the spot.
With a question
Your reason, and your questions
Use a reason you’re happy to share, or simply say you’d like time to review the offer. If something in the offer is unclear, ask the specific question now. “How often is weekend coverage expected?” is easier for the team to answer than “Can you tell me more?”
SubjectRe: their thread
Hi Jo,
Thanks again for the offer. Before I decide, could you tell me how often weekend coverage is expected on the support team? Once I know, I’d like to give you my answer by Friday 15 May, if that works for you.
Thanks, Alex
The question and the date go in one email, so it takes one round of replies, not two. If the answer changes things, you have the time to think. If it doesn’t, you can answer early.
Start here
Asking for time is part of taking an offer seriously
An offer deadline is a plan, not a test. The team wants the role filled, and may have a start date to keep or another candidate waiting to hear. A short, specific request fits inside that plan. An open-ended one doesn’t, and neither does silence until the deadline. A good request does three things.
It shows you’re keen
Thank them and say what you liked. A request that opens with interest reads as care, not doubt.
It names a date
“By Friday 15 May” is something they can say yes to and plan around. “A bit more time” only starts a second round of emails.
It gives a reason, or doesn’t need one
Family, a question about the hours, reading the contract properly. Any true reason works, and “I’d like a little more time to review the offer” is a reason too.
About 14 days
Close to 14 days: the average time students had to respond to a job offer, in NACE’s 2024 survey of US employers, and roughly where it’s been since 2019. That’s US graduate hiring, so your deadline may well differ, but it shows two weeks is not an unusual window there.
How long
Ask for what you need, and no more
Work out what has to happen before you can decide, then ask for the day it’ll be done by. A request tied to something concrete is easier to say yes to than a round number.
| What you’re waiting for | What to ask for |
|---|---|
| A conversation at home | A few extra days, past the weekend if that’s when you’ll talk |
| An answer to a question about the offer | A day or two after they answer |
| The written offer or contract | A few days after it arrives, to read it properly |
| Another company’s decision | The date that company gave you, if it’s close |
| Nothing in particular | No extension: answer on time |
The email at the top asks for two more days: Friday instead of Wednesday. That’s a small, easy ask. Asking for three more weeks is a bigger conversation, so expect questions, and have your reason ready.
Line by line
The four parts of the request
Thanks, and one line of interest
“Thank you for the offer. I’m excited about the support team and the work we discussed.” It tells them the delay isn’t a no in disguise.
Both dates
“By Friday 15 May instead of Wednesday 13 May.” Naming the original shows you know it, and makes the change easy to check against their calendar.
A reason you’re happy to share
“I’d like a little more time to review the schedule with my family.” Honest and short. You don’t owe them the details.
A question, if you have one
Specific enough to answer in a line. Put it in the same email, so the extra days aren’t spent waiting for a second reply.
Ask, don’t announce
“Would it be possible to give you my answer by Friday?” leaves them room to say yes. “I’ll let you know by Friday” makes the decision for them, and some teams take that badly.
Another offer
If you’re waiting on another company
This is one of the most common reasons to need more time, and it’s fine to say so. Be honest about where the other process is. You don’t have to name the company or its numbers.
SubjectRe: their thread
Hi Jo,
Thank you for the offer. I’m excited about the support team. I’m also in the final stage of another process and expect to hear by Thursday 14 May. Would it be possible to give you my answer by Friday 15 May? I’d like to decide with everything in front of me.
Thanks, Alex
You can also go the other way: tell the company you’re still waiting on that you have an offer with a deadline, and ask whether they can decide sooner. Some teams can move faster for a candidate they want. The worst answer is that they can’t, and then you know.
SubjectTiming on my application | Alex Reed
Hi Sam,
I wanted to let you know that I’ve received a job offer, and I’ve been asked to answer by Wednesday 13 May. I’m still very interested in your role. Is there any chance of hearing about next steps before then?
Thanks, Alex
Nearly 60%
Of the employers in Indeed’s 2019 ghosting survey, nearly 60% reported candidates accepting a verbal offer only to disappear. Asking openly for time is the honest alternative to saying yes and backing out later.
Source: Indeed, The Ghosting Guide (2019 survey of nearly 900 employers)
Offer by phone
Get the offer and the deadline in writing
Many offers arrive on a call. Thank them, ask when they need an answer, and ask for the offer in writing. Then send a short email the same day, so you both have the same date. The written offer is often what you need the time for: the salary, the start date, and anything the offer depends on, such as references or checks.
SubjectRe: their thread
Hi Jo,
Thanks for calling with the offer today. I’m really pleased. Just to confirm, you’d like my answer by Wednesday 13 May. Could you send the written offer when it’s ready?
Thanks, Alex
If the written offer arrives late, that’s a fair reason to ask for a later date on its own: “The offer letter came through this morning. Could I give you my answer by Friday, so I can read it properly?”
Before you ask
Five things to decide before you write
What would change your answer
If nothing you’re waiting for could change your mind, you don’t need more time. Say yes or no now; they’ll be glad of the early answer.
A date you’ll keep
Ask only for a date you can answer by, with a little room for the unexpected. Work back from what you’re waiting for, not forward from what feels polite.
What you’ll do if they say no
Decide now, while you’re calm: would you accept by the original date, or let it go? Then their answer can’t catch you out.
Whether you have it in writing
If the offer came by phone, ask for the written version first. Many employers send one, and its terms and conditions are part of what you’re deciding on.
Whether you also want to negotiate
If you want to discuss pay or terms, say so plainly, in its own message or on a call. Folded into a request for time, both get harder to answer.
Their answer
If they say yes, or no
If they say yes, save the new date and confirm it in writing. If they say no, decide using the original deadline. Until they agree to an extension, keep the original reminder.
SubjectRe: their thread
Hi Jo,
Thank you, that’s really helpful. I’ll give you my answer by Friday 15 May.
Alex
They say yes
- Confirm the new date in one line, in writing
- Move your reminder to the new date
- Answer on or before it, even if the answer is no
They offer less
- “We can do Thursday” is a yes, just a smaller one
- Take it graciously and work to that date
- Don’t ask again unless something new happens
They say no
- Decide by the original deadline
- If a question is still open, ask it today
- It’s about their schedule, not you: a start date or another candidate may be waiting
What goes wrong
The mistakes people make most often
Not using the time
You asked for two days to talk it over at home, then spent them on something else. Book the conversation, or send the question, the day you ask.
“A bit more time”
A vague request gets a vague answer, then a second round of emails. Name the day.
Saying yes to buy time
Accepting, then backing out when something better comes, leaves a team with no hire and a role to reopen. Ask for time instead; it’s what the request is for.
Going quiet past the date
No answer by the deadline reads as a no, or as not caring either way. If you’re still unsure on the day, write anyway.
Asking twice
A second extension is a much harder ask than the first. Ask once, for enough.
Answer even if it’s no
If you decide against it, say so by the date, in a few lines: thank them, say you won’t be accepting, and wish the team well. A clear no on time is remembered better than a late maybe.
Last look
A checklist before you send
After you ask
What to do with the time
Write down what would make it a yes before the answers come in: the hours you can work, the pay you need, what the other company would have to offer. Then you’re judging the offer, not your mood on the day. If it’s settled early, answer early; nobody minds hearing sooner.
Then answer by the date. If it’s yes, reply in the thread and ask what happens next. If it’s no, decline in a few lines; the withdrawal email has words you can adapt. And if the offer depends on references, now is the time to ask your references and brief them.
Questions
Questions people ask about offer deadlines
Is it rude to ask for more time to consider a job offer?
No. A short request that thanks them, names a date and arrives before the deadline is a normal part of taking an offer seriously. What goes badly is silence, or a vague “can I have a bit longer?”
How much extra time can I ask for?
Enough to do the thing you’re waiting for, and no more. A few extra days is a small ask. Several weeks is a big one: expect questions, and have a reason ready.
Can they withdraw the offer because I asked for more time?
An employer can say no to an extension, and some can’t wait at all. A short, polite request with a specific date is the version least likely to cause a problem. If losing the offer would upset you, ask for less time, and decide in advance what you’ll do if they say no. Your written offer may also say how long it stays open.
Should I tell them I have another offer?
You can, if it’s true, and you don’t have to name the company or the numbers. “I’m in the final stage of another process” is honest and enough. Never invent an offer or a deadline.
What if the offer was made over the phone?
Thank them on the call, ask when they need an answer, and ask for the offer in writing. Then send a short email confirming the deadline, so you both have the same date.
What if they don’t reply before the deadline?
Keep to the original date until they agree to a new one. If the day arrives with no reply, send a short note saying you’re still keen and asking whether the later date works. Don’t treat silence as a yes.
Can I ask for more time twice?
You can, but the second ask is much harder than the first. Ask once, for a date you’re sure of. If something genuinely new comes up, explain it plainly.
Keep the offer and its deadline in view.
Keep every application, its interviews and its dates in one place.