An offer accepted verbally can already bind both sides, so ask for the terms in writing before you accept. Ask once for the date the written offer will be sent, and what is still in approval. A verbal yes is not the letter. Don't resign, and don't drop the other processes, on that sentence.
The gap runs from the moment someone says you have the job until an email you can read. If they want the yes on the call, before any letter exists, see our guide on what to say when you're asked to accept on the spot. If the letter is already in your inbox and it names a date, the deadline starts in our guide on how long you have to accept a job offer. The wait is the stretch before that date exists.
A verbal yes is not the letter
The call can be warm and specific. They can name the role, a salary range, a start month. None of that is the letter. The letter is the document with the terms you would be accepting: pay, start date, who you'd report to, and what is still conditional. Until it arrives, you have a sentence.
If you already said "I accept" on the call, the next hour is a different problem. Our guide on accepting on the spot says what to email the same day. If you have not accepted terms you have not seen, the next step is the date of the letter.
Ask once for the date the letter will exist
Ask the person who told you yes, in the same conversation if you can.
Words you can adapt:
Thank you. I'm glad to hear it. When will you send the written offer, and is anything still in approval? I'll read it the day it arrives.
If they say "it's in approval" and stop:
What still needs approval, and what date are you working toward for the letter?
That is the ask. Once. Write down their words and the day you asked. If they named a date, wait for it. If that date passes with no letter, send one short note that repeats the date they gave you and asks where the letter stands. If they named no date, the note asks for one. A check every morning spends the ask again.
Don't trade a number on this call. You have not seen the terms.
What a delay can mean
Silence is not a cause. You cannot tell a slow step from a role that is being reconsidered until you ask. These are the questions, and the answer is the only reading you have:
- Who still has to approve the terms, and by when?
- Is a check still open, such as references, a background check, or a visa, or is the offer itself not approved yet?
- Is the role still open, or is someone else still in process for the same seat?
"In approval" means a person who was not on the call still has to agree before anyone can send the letter. Until they do, the offer can still change. A date, and the name of the step, is how you tell a slow approval from a role that may be closing. If they will not name either, that is information about this conversation. It is not a start date, and it is not a reason to invent one. In the US, withdrawing an offer because of a protected trait is illegal under EEOC-enforced law.
Made-up example. On Tuesday they say you have the role, the team that signs off on pay still has to approve it, and the letter should go out this week. You keep Thursday's interview. You do not tell your manager. On Friday, if nothing has arrived, you send: "Checking on the written offer. You mentioned it would go out this week."
Do not resign, and do not drop the other processes
Your job, if you have one, is still your job. Telling your employer now spends something you cannot take back, for a letter you cannot show them. Accept the offer before you tell your current employer is the order once the writing exists and its conditions are cleared. Before that, telling them is the early version of that step.
If the call feels like the exit and you want to quit anyway, quitting without another job lined up is a separate decision. This call is not the other job.
Keep the other processes. Another company's interview is not a second offer, and it is not something to cancel because a letter was promised. If they ask where you stand, you can say you are waiting on a written offer elsewhere and you do not have it yet. Don't say you accepted. Cancelling to be polite hands back a conversation you still have, for a document that is not in your inbox.
When the letter exists, the deadline starts
The deadline is the date in the offer letter, or in the recruiter's message that comes with it. For a later date, and for a no, see our guide on how long you have to accept a job offer. Should I accept the job offer? is the comparison once you can read the terms. How to negotiate a job offer comes after the writing, with a number you can explain.
Once the letter is in hand, the question is whether to accept, what to negotiate, or how long you have. That is what Job offer or counter-offer is for.
The position you're deciding from
During the wait, you may be counting the call as the offer because the search has been long, or because the person sounded certain. The relief is real. It is not the same fact as terms you can read.
A Position Audit reads your career the way an investor reads a position. It asks what you really have, what you might be overestimating, what's working against you, and what you can still change before you move. You get a clearer view of what you can count on, where you're exposed, and what to check or improve before you act.
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FAQ
How do I ask when I can expect to receive the offer letter?
Thank them, and ask once when they will send the written offer and whether anything is still in approval. If they name a date, read the letter that day. If that date passes with no letter, send one short note that repeats the date they gave you. If they named no date, the note asks for one. A check every morning is another ask.
Is a verbal yes the offer letter?
No. A verbal yes is not the letter, but an offer accepted verbally can already bind both sides, so ask for the terms in writing before you accept. If they want you to accept on the call, that is a different minute. See our guide on being asked to accept a job offer on the spot.
What does it mean if the offer is still in approval?
Someone who was not on the call still has to agree before the letter can be sent. Ask what is being approved and the date they are working toward. Without that, a slow approval and a role being reconsidered can sound the same. Don't treat the phrase as a start date.
Should I resign or stop other interviews while I wait for the offer letter?
Don't resign, and don't drop the other processes, on a verbal yes. Your current job and the other conversations are still yours. Telling your employer waits until the offer is in writing. GOV.UK advises waiting for an unconditional offer before you resign. See our guide on accepting before you tell your employer. Quitting with nothing else lined up is a separate decision.
QuickInsight is informational only. It is not legal, financial, or other regulated advice. If you are in crisis, get human help first. For what a spoken yes created where you work, talk to an employment lawyer.