Are you interviewing?  Are you anticipating an offer?  The time it takes to receive an offer letter after a series of interviews can seem like an eternity.  And the anticipation can be excruciating.

Your potential future manager may have told you “I want you” or “We’ll get an offer to you” or some other significant buying sign.  That’s great.  But be sure not to jump the gun.  Now is not the time to be so anxious you potentially derail the prospect.  Continue to manage your job search process to the end.

Understand there is still a process to complete.  That process can take time.  Offers can take a few days to go through the approval process.  At some point you will need to go through a drug and background check.  Do not be so anxious that you rush to give notice to your current employer at least until you have a written offer from your new company.  I have seen it several times through the years that a candidate is told an offer’s coming and then immediately give their notice only to learn later there will be no offer coming.  Now they have no job or are forced to ask for their old job back. That is a situation no one wants to be in.

The business climate within a company can change quickly.  What if your offer isn’t ultimately approved?  What if their situation changes and they lose the spot?  What if an internal candidate applies at the last minute?

Until you have an offer in your hand I strongly suggest you refrain from giving your notice.  Many people choose to not give their notice until their background checks are completed.  One decision you get to make through the entire job-search process is when you give your notice.  As freeing, gratifying or significant as it may be, don’t be too quick to do it and lose an opportunity.