When you’ve been searching for a job, the words you most hope to hear are, “We would like to make you an offer.” Although it is certainly understandable that you want to share your good news with everyone and plan what to buy yourself for a congratulatory gift, you might want to hold off on the celebration just yet.

In today’s unpredictable economy, many strange and untraditional hiring practices are becoming commonplace. A week may go by and you still have not received your official new-hire paperwork. Maybe you have not even officially heard from the hiring manager. Did you really get the job? Probably about now, you start to panic just a little.

Sometimes managers make a verbal offer but then you never hear back from them and calls to their office go unanswered. Maybe you accepted a job in a certain position only later to find out that the position is not exactly what was discussed during your interview. You don’t want to seem pushy or ungrateful, but shouldn’t you be clear about what job you just accepted? If you have ever found yourself in an awkward or unclear hiring situation, here’s some advice to help you avoid such situations in the future.

Keep your options open. The old saying, “Don’t put your eggs all in one basket” certainly applies here. Until you have a written offer in hand, the job is not yours so continue your job search. In today’s job market, there are often multiple interview layers to move through. You may hear along the way that you are perfect for the job and are just what they are looking for, but there is still the possibility that you are not the one offered the job. Roy Cohen is a career coach and author of the book, “The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide.” He states, “Having multiple irons in the fire will also make you a lot more desirable and enhance the potential to negotiate in a meaningful way.” So, continue to network and interview up until the very end.

Don’t be afraid to follow up. With less staff available to conduct the hiring process, things may take a little more time these days. Often, it takes weeks or months for an official offer of employment to be completed. While your interest is only in the one job you are interviewing for, the hiring team most likely is hiring for several positions at the same time and trying to juggle many different components of the hiring process, not to mention other personnel issues. So, following up with them can be a helpful way to remind them that you are still interested and are excited to hear from them. Daniel Newell is the marketing specialist for San Jose State University’s Career Center in California. He suggests that if you do not hear back from an interview in seven to 10 days, then you should follow up. Let them know you are calling to follow up with them on a job offer that was made to you.