How long after an interview is a job offer made?

There’s no single rule for determining how long after an interview to extend a job offer. However, there are typical timelines, extended timelines and expedited timelines. Here’s what to expect during the hiring process.

1. Typical timeline

Many employers extend a job offer within a few days to two weeks after the final interview. The exact timeline often depends on several factors:

• Type of interview. In some cases, a single interviewer meets with every candidate and makes a hiring decision on their own. Some companies prefer to use panel interviews, which involve multiple interviewers. You can expect a job offer to take longer if your company uses panel interviews, as the interviewers will need to discuss their impressions and come to a consensus.

• Number of openings. If you’re focused on filling a single job, you may be able to extend an offer faster than someone who is responsible for hiring 10 or 20 people at a time.

• Size and structure of your HR team. It may take longer to extend an offer if you have a small HR team or a single HR generalist in charge of recruitment, payroll and other HR functions.

Here’s a general breakdown of timelines:

• 1–2 business days: Quick turnarounds are common for high-priority or hard-to-fill roles.

• 3–5 business days: Standard for many roles, allowing time for internal discussions and reference checks.

• 1–2 weeks: Typical for larger companies or roles requiring multiple rounds of approval or background screening.

If you expect to follow a typical timeline, let candidates know that they should hear from you within a specified number of days. If you reach the end of that period without making a decision, send an email to each interviewee to let them know about the delay.

Consider this template to update candidates on the status of their potential job offer after an interview:

Dear [Name]:

It was a pleasure meeting with you on [interview date]. I’m writing to let you know that we’re still evaluating candidates. I appreciate your patience as our hiring team finalizes our decision.

Thank you again for your interest in the [job title] position. I’ll provide an update as soon as possible. I expect to be in touch within three to five business days.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

2. Extended timeline

An extended timeline makes sense if you’re filling a key position within your company. For example, if you’re hiring a chief financial officer, they’ll have access to your budget, profit-and-loss statements and other important documents. The CFO also makes major financing decisions. Due to this role’s involvement with confidential information, it may require further steps for approval before extending an offer.

You may also have to extend your timeline if you have an unusual number of open positions at the same time. Following an extended timeline gives your HR team more time to evaluate candidates and find the right fit.

If you plan to follow this strategy, set the candidate’s expectations at the end of the interview. Let them know it may take you several weeks to extend an offer to the selected candidate.

If you need more time, use this template to communicate with the job seeker:

Dear [Name]:

Thank you for meeting with me on [interview date]. I enjoyed learning about your background as a [job title] and discussing how your skills would benefit [company name]. When we met, I told you that we expected to make a decision within two weeks. However, we need more time to evaluate candidates.

I will contact you within 10 business days to let you know our decision.

Best regards,

[Your name]

3. Expedited timeline

You may need to use an expedited timeline if you have a critical position to fill. For example, if you own a veterinary clinic, you may have to reduce your business hours if one of the veterinarians leaves. This situation requires a quick time-to-fill to resume normal business operations. Following an expedited timeline would help you get the business back to capacity much faster than a typical timeline or an extended timeline.

How long after the final interview until the offer varies, but it may take several hours or days. The faster you make the offer, the faster you can begin the onboarding process. Generally, you don’t need to email candidates on this timeline, as you’ll be making a decision quickly and extending an offer within a matter of days.

If you want to follow-up after the interview and remind the writer of your urgency to fill the position, you might use this template:

Dear [Name]:

Thank you for meeting with me on [interview date]. I enjoyed learning about your background as a [job title] and discussing how your skills would benefit [company name].

As discussed during the interview, I aim to fill this position quickly. I intend to reach out within the next few days with a decision.

Best regards,

[Your name]