What Time of Day You Should Expect a Job Offer Call

After a successful interview, it's common to wonder when you can expect to hear back from your potential employer with a job offer. While some employers send job offers and rejections over email, phone calls are an extremely common method for updating applicants. Being prepared for a job offer call at the right times can help you manage the anxiety and uncertainty of waiting for that final call.

While each employer has their own strategies they use to send out job offer calls, there are some best practices you can employ to anticipate when they might contact you. In this article, we discuss the theories behind the best time of day to send a job offer and how that can impact you during your job search.

What is the best time of day for a job offer call?

The best time of day for employers to send out job offer calls varies based on the company, the structure of their standard workday and their onboarding process. When employers make a job offer, they consider two main factors: the hiring manager's schedule and the applicant's schedule. Hiring managers may be trying to fill multiple roles at once, and often send out job offer calls whenever they have a free moment. Some employers have applicants provide them with a window of time that they can be available to have a phone call.

Related: How To Navigate a Verbal Job Offer (With Examples)

Times to expect a job offer call

As long as the hiring manager schedules enough time to respond to any questions about the job offer during the call, any time of day can be appropriate for them to reach out about a job offer. Here are some of the common time frames when you could expect to receive a call about a job offer:

Mid-morning

A hiring manager may call you mid-morning after they complete their initial tasks for the day like responding to urgent emails and managing job postings. 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.

Afternoon

Some hiring managers send out job offer calls during lunch hours around 12 p.m. or 1 p.m., especially when contacting applicants who already have a job and may not be able to answer the phone in the morning or later afternoon. This gives the hiring manager time to prepare your official written job offer the same day if you choose to accept the role on-the-spot.

End of the workday

Many hiring managers call job applicants at the end of the day to give them an informal job offer over the phone as a way to finish the workday on a positive note. Calls at the end of the workday around 4 p.m. gives you plenty of time to consider the offer and allow the hiring manager to update hiring materials first thing the next day.

Evening

It's not uncommon for hiring managers to send out job offer calls in the evening, especially for candidates who already have a full-time job. Professional hiring managers who call in the evening will reach out between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to give you time to get home from work while avoiding calling too late.

Related: The Typical Interview Timeline and What You Can Expect

What days of the week do employers make job offer calls?

While employers can call with a job offer any day of the week, Tuesday is statistically the most popular day to send out offers, closely followed by Thursday. This is likely for the same reason that hiring managers don't usually call with a job offer right at 9 a.m. They need to spend the first portion of the day catching up on work from the weekend, making Monday a busy day for administrative tasks. Tuesday may be more relaxed, giving the hiring manager plenty of time to reach out.

Thursday is another popular day, likely because the hiring manager wants to reach out before the weekend but doesn't want to wait until the next week. Thursday job offer calls give the candidate plenty of time to consider the offer over the weekend instead of potentially wasting business hours.

Tips to use when waiting for a job offer

Waiting for a call about a job offer can be a stressful situation, but you can stay calm, focused and productive by using these tips:

Set expectations after the interview

The best way to know when an employer might call is to establish clear expectations about your availability at the end of the interview. Ask the interviewer when you might expect to hear back and if there is a time frame that you should be available. If you have a strict schedule, let the interviewer know what times you will be free to accept a call. This opens the line of communication and helps you anticipate when they might reach out.

Look up the employer's business hours

Avoid assuming that your potential employer has standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours. Look up their business hours to get an idea of when the hiring manager might be working and making phone calls. If you're applying for a remote job, be sure to check what time zone they use to set schedules. If you are located in a different time zone than the business headquarters, you may have to prepare for a call early in the morning or late at night.

Prepare your response

Keep yourself busy while you wait by preparing your response to the job offer call. It's wise to thank the hiring manager and explain that you want to take time to consider the terms of the job offer or look at the offer in writing before accepting. Preparing a script ahead of time may help prevent you from excitedly accepting a job offer without understanding the pay rate or benefits.

Related: How To Reply to a Job Offer

Adjust your phone's notification settings

After the interview, turn on your phone's ringtone to make sure you don't miss any calls. If you usually keep your phone on vibrate or silent, you may miss a call and end up inadvertently delaying the job offer.

Pick up all calls

The job offer call may come from the business's registered number or the hiring manager's phone, so pick up any incoming calls instead of relying on caller ID screening. This may be frustrating if your number regularly gets spam calls, but it can avoid a missed connection and show that you are eager about the position. Keep your phone nearby and prepare to answer the phone politely and professionally.

Update and check your voicemail

Make sure that you have your voicemail box set up with a professional greeting so the hiring manager can leave a message if you happen to be unavailable at the time of their call. If you have a default greeting that mentions your number only, update it to include your name so the hiring manager is sure that they reached the correct candidate. Check your messages regularly to make sure the hiring manager hasn't called. If you have a message from the employer, call them back promptly during business hours.

Keep looking for jobs

While you wait, continue your job search. Even if you felt the interview went extremely well, there is always a chance that they decided to move forward with another candidate. Stay busy and channel your energy in a productive way by refining your resume, searching job boards and sending out applications.

How long to wait before following up about a job

If you haven't heard back from an employer after a week or two, you may want to follow up with the hiring manager. Following up can demonstrate your dedication and interest in the role. It can take hiring managers a significant amount of time to process all applications, host interviews, conduct background checks, contact references and prepare official job offer paperwork. Wait a minimum of a week after an interview before reaching out and consider giving them additional time for popular positions.

If the hiring manager gives you a time frame for when you can hear back, respect the timeline by waiting for the upper limit they provided. For example, if the hiring manager says they will reach out by the end of the week, wait until the following Monday to reach out about an update. Consider sending an email instead of calling to respectfully remind them you are excited about the position without coming off as pushy.