Interview Over: Now What? Plenty

The interview is over. Now, the long wait begins? Not if you're smart, advises Anne Fisher, career columnist in Fortune.

Currently, the time between your interview for a particular job and when an offer will be made is longer. There are several reasons for that. Employers are more cautious. They also have a larger pool of qualified applicants to choose from. And, maybe, they want to observe who among the applicants follows up most effectively. The new piece added to many job searches is the follow-up phase. Often the candidate who performs best during it, without becoming a pest, will get the offer.