Phone anxiety..... is this a thing

[Firefightress1]

I'm prepared to be educated but I've been helping a friend recruit for a job in a hotel. She created a job advert and we posted it online and on social media.

It gave details about the job and she had put her phone number to call to apply or for further info. She wanted to talk to candidates as its the way she has always recruited. It might be old school, I don't know.

Anyway, She had a lot of responses on Facebook and through private messages but no calls.
I replied on the post just to say to call the phone number as its quicker and she might not monitor replies and I was met with a barrage of unkind comments.

A majority saying they cannot phone as they have phone anxiety, this is a recognised trait and I should be more understanding. The job involves answering the phone in occasion and making outgoing calls to suppliers.

I'm so confused, I've never heard of it!
Everyone has a mobile phone but does no one actually make calls anymore?
I'm only 40 so not ancient but I'm no spring chicken either.
Just wondering if I'm totally unreasonable? How can they do the a job if they can't even call to apply. I'm 😕

Reasonable adjustments not “any and all possible adjustments regardless of inconvenience to the business” - if the whole job is ringing suppliers etc, it wouldn’t be a reasonable adjustment. There are many jobs where it wouldn’t.

Its peculiar to have an application process that requires a phone call. Most jobs ask for a C.V to be emailed or have an online application..

Anyway, phone anxiety is a thing but imo a bit odd. But then I have no issues using a phone and my job involved phoning people all day every day.

My nephew is 18 and when he was looking for work he wouldnt telephone anyone. If he couldnt email or text them he wouldnt do it. Said he hates talking on the phone. When he had to make calls relating to life admin me or my Mum had to sit with him having written him a script. He isnt an anxious person AT ALL but the phone seemed a step too far..

But talking on the phone us a large part of the role hence why she wants them to call first. If they have phone anxiety how would you know until they get the job?

@Firefightress1 id make it part of the interview. That's what I have done before. E.g there is going to be a short task call this number (number of colleague) and get resolve the mock issue.
It should also be listed in the job details
Also you will find - like myself I can do it as part of my job (although I hate it!) just not for myself!

Thanks for your advice, I'll pass it on.

People have ‘anxiety’ for every little thing these days.

Feeling anxious is a perfectly normal human emotion - but some people expect never to feel it, or have to deal with it, so they completely rule out doing anything that might make them feel even vaguely anxious.

Which means they have zero resilience - and so are more likely to feel, yes, that’s right - anxious.

It’s a vicious circle.

I honestly can’t believe you’ve been given a barrage of abuse by people applying for a job!?! I mean, how to rule yourself out at the first hurdle.

And they’re obviously not too anxious to have a go at a perfect stranger, are they…?

I can talk on the phone for work, answer calls when needed and I have done a reception job in the past - absolutely no issues answering the phone in that context and taking messages/passing the call on etc.

However I would hate to have to phone in this context for ‘more info’ on a job app. It feels like cold calling so I’d be second guessing if I was calling at a convenient time. It seems a really strange way these days to go about advertising a job - I feel much more comfortable with things in writing. I would phone if I really had to hit I’d be spending a long time psyching myself up for it. It’s really not the ‘done way’ to go about things anymore.

Why does everything need a label, or made out to be a medical problem needing "reasonable adjustments". Of course there will be a tiny number of people with with a genuine medical issue, but for most of is just lack of general confidence which is not a medical condition.

'phone anxiety' 🙄 has existed forever. When I first started work in the 80s I didnt want to pick up the phone and speak to someone not knowing where the conversation was going, or able to see their face, what mood they would be in, it was terrifying - I also had presentation anxiety, meeting anxiety, overtime anxiety, oncall anxiety, email anxiety, speaking to my boss anxiety, taking minutes anxiety, going on a traing course anxiety, going to the work canteen alone anxiety, travelling to another site and meeting new people anxiety.

The call is to apply though its not for more info.

All of that information should be in the advert. And I’ve never heard of applying via phone call.

I’m sure you’re not, but if I saw an ad with minimal detail and instructions to ‘ring to apply or for more information’, I’d think it was extremely dodgy.

I have heard of it but I dont get it.

How can you possibly be anxious about speaking on the phone(hearing issues aside)

I’ve never known a job where you phone to apply other than a Saturday job many years ago. She should have requested cvs and then invited them to a telephone interview.

I absolutely hate voice calls! I would always text or email if at all possible.
However.. I find it much more anxiety inducing with personal calls.. for instance, knowing I need to call the hospital to chase up a referral will bring me days of sleepless nights before I make myself do it. But in a ‘professional’ capacity I’m less bothered (well, in my case my volunteering role) and while I don’t like it can make myself do it. I guess it’s almost like I can put on a mask or persona or something.
So I’d find the job application part harder than the job. If I wanted to apply I’d have to push through though.

Honestly with all of the scams on social media, if I saw an advert for a job that didn’t fully outline what the job was and had call xx for more information then I’d assume it was some multi level marketing or bogus business.

It has full details, including answering and making phone calls listed on the job description. I really don't think that's weird but the I'm probably ancient. I used to pop into places with my cv but I bet no one does that now. Got me every job I had until I was an adult.

Well, I am about the same age as you, OP. I didn't used to like talking on the phone much outside a social setting. Then I started working as a receptionist in the holidays when I was about 18 or so. Phone work was non-negotiable.

Honestly, a day or two on the phone and I was fine. It's just something you practice and then you overcome the anxiety.

I get that people aren't used to phoning others anymore and I do sympathise to an extent. However, I'm not convinced that making special accommodation for employees is doing them any favours in the long run.

While there may be a small minority of people with a genuine phobia, it is clear that the vast, vast majority of people can cope with the telephone. We know this because everyone used the telephone as the primary form of contact until at least the early noughties.

Sometimes people just need to push themselves outside of their comfort zone.

It says call to apply or for more info with a link to the hotel. How is that a scam?

Yes it is thing, and it is a thing you have to overcome when your job involves the phone. The people saying this would not be suitable for the role, unfortunately. I speak as someone who has it.

I dont think I've been very clear, this advert was posted on the hotels social media page not just some random Facebook page. It's a well known hotel with a lot of followers.
Why anyone viewing that would think it was a scam application is beyond me, different if its on shittyjobs.com but on an endorsed fb page?

"Hello, I am calling to apply to x job. I hope I am not disturbung you, is this a convienent time?"

They would be overthinking it to worry about it which would suggest they are not suitable for the role. The ad has invited them to call.

OP, Reword the ad to say application by calling only and ignore the rest, or say sorry the role is not suitable as will need basic telephone skills. Anyone who cannot pick up the phone does not have the skills or confidence you would need in a hotel role.

Most places now actively discourage dropping in CVs and many will simply bin them if people do. Everything is online applications now, whether that’s an email to send a CV and cover letter to, or an application form you fill in and submit online. We’re the same age, and I’d say it’s been that way for a fair while.

I live in the highlands of Scotland and would say it's more normal up here than other places. We have been hit hard with brevity and list a lot of staff so recruiting is diffic

Sorry, too early, recruitingnis very difficult up here. Hotels and restaurants are closing and have been hit hard. If someone calls up they could have a job the same day if their skills and experience match.

I think loads of people have phone anxiety because there are so many other options to contact people. Being an old gimmer the only way when I first started work to contact people quickly was via the landline. I was nervous to start with, but I soon got used to it.

If it says that making calls is part of the job then at least you can weed out the non contenders.

DD has just started working full time and is nervous on the phone, but even she has to man the phones in her job. I told her to suck it up.

Phone anxiety?

for gods sake what excuse will people dream up next

ridiculous