The sense of relief and excitement following a job interview often gives way to the anxiety of waiting to hear back from hiring managers. Graduate professionals often have to wait days or weeks to find out whether they got their dream job or not. While many graduates are content to ride the stress of this period out and wait for news, there are a few important steps that should be taken in the post-interview period to ease anxiety.

Within two days of the interview, graduate professionals should send a thank you note to the hiring manager and interviewers for the open position. Whether it is by email or a hand written note sent by post, graduates can show their appreciation for the interviewer's time and energy in a personal way. Thank you notes not only show the appreciation of graduates but also help maintain contact with hiring managers.

Along with a thank you note, graduates should not be afraid to maintain contact with the interviewers in the days following the interview. Companies often encourage applicants to maintain contact in order to answer any questions about the decision making process or deal with concerns about the interview. Regular contact can be an email or phone call once or twice after the interview to express continued interest, ask any questions about the process, and learn if there has been a change in timing for the hiring decision.

While it may be tempting to constantly contact interviewers and others at the hiring company, graduates need to exhibit patience following the interview. Sending too many notes or asking too many questions can put off an interviewer, who has other job responsibilities. Graduates should go along with their usual daily routine, find an activity that keeps their mind off of the job, and let the process work itself out.

Graduates should not be afraid to continue their job search following the completion of an interview. While it may feel strange to continue pursuing other work opportunities after interviewing for a great job, graduates need to keep their options open. Graduates need to cast their net wide to ensure that they have more than one job option in case they don't receive their dream job. A great way of ensuring that the anxiety of the interview doesn't give away to the anxiety of not having a steady job is to work the job fair and recruiting agency circuit.