You have made an offer to a senior engineer you really want. They said thanks, they need to think, and they are finishing interviews elsewhere. Your instinct is to add a line to the offer: "this offer expires in 48 hours." It feels like control. It is usually a mistake.
Short answer: give a senior engineer five to ten working days to decide, and say so clearly in the offer. A short "exploding" deadline of a day or two rarely makes a good candidate say yes faster; it more often makes them say no, or say yes while still looking. A reasonable deadline with a planned check-in protects your hiring plan without signalling that you are worried they will find something better.
What an exploding offer is
An exploding offer is one that expires very quickly, typically within 24 to 72 hours. They are common in some industries, especially campus recruiting and trading firms, and some startups copy the practice. University career offices discourage it; many engineering schools ask employers to give students two weeks or more to decide.
For an experienced engineer, the norm is somewhere between a few days and two weeks. Nothing forces you to set any deadline at all. But open-ended offers create their own problems, so most founders should pick one.
Why short deadlines backfire with senior engineers
It tells the candidate you think you would lose a fair comparison. A senior engineer with other options will read a 48-hour deadline as "they know the other offer is better." That is not the message you want.
It turns a yes into a provisional yes. Pressured candidates sometimes accept and keep interviewing. Then they withdraw in week two, after you have told the other finalists no. You lose more time than if you had waited.
It damages the relationship before it starts. Your first senior engineer is going to spend years arguing with you about trade-offs. Starting with a pressure tactic sets the tone.
Good candidates say no on principle. Some experienced engineers simply decline any offer with a very short deadline. You will never know how many.
The asymmetry is the point: an exploding offer might win you a few marginal candidates who would have chosen differently with more time. Those are often the ones you least want, because they were never sure.
Why you still need a deadline
Open-ended offers cause real problems for a small company:
- Your other finalists drift away. You cannot keep a second candidate warm for a month.
- Your plan slips. If the role is tied to a launch or a fundraise milestone, every week matters.
- You get used as leverage. Without a date, your offer can sit in a drawer while the candidate negotiates elsewhere. There is nothing wrong with a candidate using competing offers, but you should know when the decision lands.
So set a deadline. Just set a fair one.
How to set a fair deadline
Five to ten working days is the useful range. Long enough to finish one or two other processes, talk to family, and ask you questions. Short enough to protect your pipeline.
Ask what they need before you pick a date. "Where are you in other processes and when do you expect to decide?" Most candidates will tell you. If their timeline is twelve days and yours was seven, meet them close to theirs. You learn something either way.
Book a check-in halfway. Not to pressure, but to answer questions. "Let's talk Thursday about anything that's still open." Most offers are won or lost on unanswered questions about the role, the team, equity, or the founders, not on the deadline.
Use the time to sell, not to wait. Offer a call with your cofounder, an investor, or an advisor who knows the business. Share the roadmap for the first six months. Answer the equity questions properly. Our post on winning a senior engineer offer covers what tips close decisions, including when a counteroffer lands.
Say what happens at the deadline. "We will need an answer by the 18th because we have other candidates in process" is honest and fine. Then mean it, or do not say it.
When a short deadline is legitimate
There are real cases for a tighter window:
- The candidate asked for it. Some engineers want a fast decision and say so.
- You have one seat and two finalists. Tell both. A fair, short window is better than leaving the second person waiting indefinitely.
- A start date that genuinely cannot move, such as a funded project with a fixed kickoff. Explain why.
In each case, the difference from an exploding offer is that the reason is real and you say it out loud.
What to do if they ask for more time
Grant reasonable extensions. A request for three more days usually means a real comparison is happening. Ask what would help them decide, and whether there is anything in your offer that is not competitive. Their answer often tells you more than the decision itself.
If the request is for weeks, ask directly what is going on. Sometimes the honest answer is that they are waiting for an offer they would prefer. Then you decide whether to wait, and your hiring timeline, covered in how long hiring your first engineer should take, tells you how much slack you have.
What it says about your offer
If you find yourself reaching for an exploding deadline, ask why. Often it is because you suspect the offer is not competitive: pay is below market, the equity explanation is weak, or the role is vague. A deadline does not fix any of that. Fix the offer instead. If you are not sure what competitive looks like, our guide to what to pay your first engineer is a starting point.
FAQ
Is 48 hours ever reasonable for an engineer offer?
Only if the candidate asked for a quick decision or there is a real, explained constraint. As a default for senior engineers, no.
Should the deadline be in the written offer?
Yes. Put the date in the offer letter so there is no ambiguity, and repeat it in your conversation.
Can we withdraw the offer after the deadline?
You can. Most founders extend once if the candidate is engaged and asks. Do not withdraw silently; send a short note either way.
What if they accept, then back out?
It happens. Keep your second-choice candidate warm until the start date, especially for your first senior hire.
If you are about to make your first senior engineering offer and want a second opinion on the package and the process, book a call or look at how a short fractional engagement is priced.