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I can't imagine it makes any difference to anyone whether you respond right away or not. Most recruiters are casting a pretty wide net, and they reach out to a lot of people. It's not like they're sitting by the phone waiting to hear from you.
I don’t think recruiters give that much thought to it, unless you are responding days to a week later. I’d worry more about taking forever to get back to them instead of replying too quickly.
As a recruiter, we don't really think about that. Not to mention, we usually don't even see the message until a few hours or a day or so later. If you're eager and interested in finding work quickly, respond quickly. No need to play coy!
There’s no hard rule on timing... recruiters know people are busy! Responding within a few hours shows you’re interested and professional, but if you need a day to think or check your schedule, that’s totally fine too. I’d say anywhere from a few hours to 24 hours is perfectly reasonable.
I say reach out now. I don't think they will even think about you being desperate or put much stock into how quickly you reply. If they are reaching out to you, I would respond before they move on to the next candidate.
If you see it and you have time, just respond right away. The faster you get that part done, the faster you’ll get a job.