If you have been looking for a new job, you have probably heard about how important it is to be proactive in your search. However, just like with many other life challenges, it can be easy to become stagnant. No matter how tempting, don’t fall victim to the waiting game!

Don’t wait for the job to come to you. This may sound obvious, but many job hunters who search the same online job board again and again never follow up with employers and never network. They still wonder why they haven’t landed the perfect job yet. While it is not productive to obsess over finding a job, you can’t expect the job to come to you either. In today’s competitive market, do not expect to find a job sitting behind a computer all day – the more connections you make through networking, informational interviewing and attending career fairs, the better the chance of finding employment!

Don’t assume you are going to get hired because you had an interview that went well. Sure, you want to remain positive and feel confident that you made a great impression; however, the employer could have interviewed five other candidates who also made great impressions. Interviewing can be stressful, especially if you had to meet with a number of people and send multiple thank you notes! You may need to take some time to breathe when it’s all over. But if you were told they were going to be making their decision within a week and you haven’t heard back from them even after leaving a follow-up message, keep plugging away with your job search efforts. If you’ve been waiting around for them to offer you the position and you receive a rejection letter a month after your interview, that’s a whole month’s worth of work you just lost toward securing employment.

Don’t assume you are going to get hired because you know someone who works for the company. Once again, you certainly want to remain positive, and networking is definitely one of the best ways to find a position, but don’t cut back on your job search efforts because you are “waiting to see what happens.” Just because you know someone at the company does not mean that he or she has any influence over the hiring process. Even if they do, it does not mean that there are any positions available that match your qualifications and interests. Remember to stay proactive in your job hunt and avoid slipping into stagnation!