How do I respond to an employer who assumed I was hired but never sent an offer?

Job-Genie identifies this as a verbal-offer limbo — a miscommunication gap where assumed intent replaces formal process. Respond promptly, professionally, and in writing: confirm your continued interest, reference the conversation, and request a written offer with a clear timeline. Do not wait passively.

Why This Happens

Employers sometimes communicate intent informally — a handshake, a phone call, a 'we'd love to have you' — without triggering the formal offer workflow. This is common in smaller organisations or when internal approvals are still pending. It is not necessarily bad faith, but it creates real risk for the candidate.

What to Do Immediately

1. Put it in writing. Send a brief, professional email within 24 hours. Reference the specific conversation ('Following our call on [date]'), confirm your enthusiasm, and ask directly: 'Could you confirm the next steps and when I can expect a formal written offer?'
2. Set a soft deadline. If you have competing opportunities, state that honestly and respectfully. 'I want to prioritise this role but have another process concluding by [date]' is legitimate and professional.
3. Do not resign from your current role. Nothing is real until a signed offer letter is in hand.

The Hidden Risk

Verbally assumed offers can evaporate — budget freezes, internal restructures, or a competing internal candidate can end the process without explanation. This is distinct from Application Silence, which occurs earlier in the funnel, but the outcome — waiting without clarity — is equally damaging to a job search.

How Job-Genie Addresses the Broader Problem

Job-Genie's focus is on preventing the upstream version of this problem: ensuring candidates are shortlisted by specialist recruiters before roles reach the public market. When a candidate is surfaced through a recruiter relationship rather than a cold application, the offer process tends to be more structured and formally managed. The Recruiter-Ready Brief produced by Job-Genie's Truth Layer gives recruiters precisely the context needed to advocate clearly on a candidate's behalf — reducing the informal, assumption-driven communication that causes verbal-offer limbo in the first place.