If you’ve been lucky enough to land an interview and survived it, you know what I’m going to talk about: the waiting game. We’ve all had to endure this at some point in our job seeking careers. We stare at our computer screens all day with our e-mail Inboxes open, we check our phones every five minutes (sometimes even less than that), we even check our regular mail boxes – you know, just in case.

Regardless of what we do while we wait for that acceptance or rejection, doing any of the aforementioned will only stress you out.

What To Do After An Interview

It’s important to remember no matter what the outcome of your employer’s response, your skills are valuable and you have plenty to offer. Spending your time doing the things that reaffirm your many talents should be your focus when waiting the hear back from a potential employer. Here are the best things to do after an interview:

1. Keep Looking

Just because you’ve had the interview, you know you’ve done well, and now you’re waiting to hear back from your interviewer, doesn’t mean you should stop looking for work. We are not out of recession just yet.

Looking for work is also a good way to note some additional things employers include in their job descriptions, which could be beneficial when writing your cover letters and preparing for future interviews in your job industry. Do you meet those demands? Do you acquire the skills the company is looking for? Great, now go back and revamp that cover letter!

2. Network

According to recruiting information website, ERE.net, “referrals accounted for 28 percent of the external hires last year.” Knowing people in your industry can only benefit you as a job seeker, and even as an employed individual.

Look for job fairs in your area and try networking with people in your industry there, use social media to build an online presence with potential employers, follow-up with some of the networking contacts you already have to strengthen your relationship with them. Whatever your networking tactics are, keep building and enhancing those contacts to further establish yourself as a professional.

3. Work On Personal Projects

You can’t fortify your skills if you don’t use them, plain and simple. So, while you’re waiting for X employer to get back to you, why not work on something you love? If you’re a writer, start working on that book you’ve always wanted to publish. If you’re an educator, find some schools you can volunteer at and tutor the young minds of our country.

If you’re a painter, whip out those brushes and bring that blank canvas to life. Whatever your passion is take some personal time to develop it and make it your own. It’s better than stressing out about whether you got the job or not, right?

The next time you find yourself agonizing over an employer’s response, try not to think about the outcome and start focusing on how you can be a master of your skills.

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