okay so nobody talks about the actual mechanics of the offer timeline and i keep seeing the same panicked questions. writing this so i can link to it.
you get a verbal offer. congrats. now what.
the recruiter says "we'll send the written offer by end of week." it is now the following wednesday and nothing has arrived. is this normal? yes, almost always. HR teams are slow. offers get routed through comp reviews, legal, sometimes a vp sign-off. "end of week" often means "end of next week."
if 5 business days have passed with no written offer and no communication: send one short email. something like: "hey, just checking on timing for the written offer, i want to make sure i'm working with accurate info as i finalize my decision." that's it. no apology. no urgency spiral.
the deadline for your decision. otherwise known as the exploding offer. this is when companies get cute.
some companies set 48-72 hour deadlines. that's aggressive. most legit companies will give you at least 5-7 business days if you ask. the script: "i'm very excited about this role. to make a responsible decision, i'd appreciate a little more time, ideally until [date 7-10 days out]. is that possible?"
almost always: yes. if they say no and hold firm to 48 hours, that tells you something about how they operate.
you're in the middle of other processes. you have a final round at another company in 10 days. you can tell the company that made the offer: "i have another process that should conclude by [date]. i'd appreciate the ability to wait until then."
they might speed up the other company. they might hold your deadline. they might withdraw. assess the risk by how much you want this one vs the maybe.
what you should NOT do: ghost the recruiter while you think tell them you have an offer you don't have accept verbally to buy time and then decline later (this will follow you)
the whole thing is more negotiable than the recruitment process implies. you just have to ask.