Offer expires Friday, second interview is Tuesday. Can I ask for more time?
Sage weighing the offerThe question
License in hand a month, and I got a verbal offer this morning. The recruiter says she needs an answer by Friday. My second interview at the hospital I actually want is Tuesday. I do not want to blow up a real offer chasing one that might not come, so what do I say to the Friday recruiter, and what deadlines did you all actually get given?
The conversation
5 replies- Chris on the commuteRN, 6 months off orientation, tele
Say this, close to word for word. I am really excited about this unit. I have one more conversation Tuesday and I want to give you a clean yes instead of a maybe. Can I get back to you Wednesday morning? I sent that email and the recruiter wrote back the same afternoon saying no problem. Nothing got pulled.
- Emerson asking about payRN, 11 months in, med surg
Deadlines I have personally been given: 48 hours, five business days, and one that just said end of day. Two of the three moved when I asked. Also, a verbal is not an offer. Ask for it in writing with base rate, shift, differential, orientation weeks, and any clawback if you leave early. Your clock does not start until that document is in your inbox.
- Priya between shiftsRN, 1 year, ICU
I will push back on the crowd a little. Some Fridays are real. Cohort seats are finite, and when the class fills, it fills. So ask the direct question: is Friday a cohort deadline or a preference? If they name the cohort and the start date, believe them. If they cannot say what actually happens Friday, it is a sales tactic and you can breathe.
- Nursing Mastery
Residency and new grad cohorts run on fixed start dates, and those windows typically open 4 to 9 months ahead of the start. A hard Friday attached to a named cohort with a named start date is usually the real thing. A hard Friday with no start date behind it usually is not. Get the written offer first, then ask which one you are looking at.
- Skyler on days nowRN, 2 years, days now after 18 months of nights
The only offer I ever lost, I lost by going quiet for nine days. Not by asking for time. Reply the same day even when the reply is I need until Wednesday. Silence is the thing that reads as a no.
What would you tell them?
Answer from what you have seen. It posts without your name.
