Client says to me, “Hey I like Bill and want to make him a job offer but it’s going to take some time to pull it together. He knows we’re busy and he’s working now, so he won’t mind waiting a week, right?”
No, Bill won’t mind a bit. He’ll just have a week longer to get a promotion in his current job, or to get another offer from one of your competitors. So as long as you don’t mind losing him, take all the time you need….
And hey, when you do get around to making Bill that job offer, you won’t mind waiting around for a week or so until he gets back to you, right? (Hmmm, suddenly that week feels like quite a long time doesn’t it?)
Time passes very quickly when you are in control and someone else is waiting for you. A week passes and it feels like a day. But when you are not in control, and you are waiting for someone else, every day feels like a week.
Remember, at job offer time, every day they wait is pure agony for your new hire.
For more perspective on making job offers see, How to Make a Job Offer and Negotiate Salary for a New Hire.