The guy is getting roasted in the comments too, especially about being unfair to NDs
What is NDs?
Neuro-Divergent
What does someone’s personal life have to do with their work performance? Why does he want to get to know who they are “as a person” rather than know how they are qualified for the job? This has a bunch of red flags as far as I’m concerned
Hell just thinking about myself I’m an abrasive asshole but I can still do most work just don’t put me in customer service and I won’t tell someone to drown themselves in their own piss. Just let me do my thing and the jobll be done.
Stupid sexy Landers
Look he’s managed to get a bunch of letters after his name so obviously he’s very pleased with himself. And then it turns out that this is for a consulting company. It’s like becoming super pleased with yourself because you become a shift manager at a call centre. That’s not a life achievement worth bragging about.
I used to work in a marketing company and the number of “self-made” individuals (daddy’s money had absolutely nothing to do with it, honest) spouting garbage like this was insufferable. Calm down Jeremy, you own one bed and breakfast hotel, you are not Jeff Bezos.
I do think that any time you hire an intern, the only thing you can judge them on is vibes.
I used to be in charge of an intern program, and the thing is that you can’t really select based on experience or anything, because they don’t really have that. Instead, you end up asking a bunch of personality questions and trying to get a feel for if they’d be a good fit on your team.
Now, do I think “answers the phone” is a good test of that? Probably not. But then again, we used to ask people if they’d rather be a blade of grass or a doorknob, just to see what they’d say.
I guess my point is, if this was for a “real job,” I’d be a little more judgy, but for an internship, I’ve selected people based on wilder things than “did they answer the phone.”
Do any of you honestly believe it’s unfair to call someone who applied for the job over email? They left their contact information didn’t they? If 6 people want a job and only 1 answers their dam phone…lol, lmao even
I hate answering the phone as much as anyone else but I always answer the random numbers when I’m actually expecting a call from work or a doctor.
LinkedIn is a fucking joke but anyone genuinely outraged by this is being absurd
not even a job, an internship
I agree it’s fair to expect a phone conversation, but two calls and no message is a dick move
My only gripe is not leaving a voicemail. Canadidates are not receptionists, so making assumptions of people based on not answering two random calls through the day is not really a good way to recruit talent.
I’m not that old but I’ll answer every call when I can, I’ll call back if you leave your number to my VM, I make it a point to follow up if you reach out,. However I might be on the train, driving, in the shower and can’t answer. Or, I could be having real life fun or doing real life work where I don’t have to constantly be monitoring my phone or looking at LinkedIn HR-AI slop.
Scheduling a phone call is fine. Leaving a message is fine. Doing neither and getting upset that the candidate may have simply not been available when you called is not.
Scheduling a phone call is fine.
Since when phone calls need “scheduling”? It is a fucking phone call, not a dinner with your grandparents.
To ensure you can reach the person at a time when they are available. If you call unannounced and they don’t/can’t pick up, you’re not allowed to get upset.
they don’t/can’t pick up, you’re not allowed to get upset
Agreed, although I would expect a person applying for a job to be reasonably responsive. I personally would try few times and perhaps send an email saying I tried to ring. But to expect phone call to be “scheduled” is just daft - phone call is the quickest method of contact.
No, you can’t expect someone to be responsive at any random time out of the blue. Every phone interview I’ve had was first scheduled via text or email.
Yes, you can expect someone who applied for the job to pick up the phone if you ring few times at different times.
No one is available 24/7, it is not reasonable to expect them to be. If you need to be absolutely sure that someone will definitely be available at a given time, you schedule it.
Or, you leave a goddamn message like a reasonable person. You know that voicemail was invented for a reason, right?
since marketers and scammers have turned phone calls in to time sucks and security threats, i’d suppose.
my phone doesn’t even ring unless you are in my contact list. my voice mail says “please do not record a message, please text me.”
Since it is between 2 random people who have never seen each other. Which could just as well be a scam.
Ironically if it was your grandparents, it wouldn’t be an issue if they called unscheduled.
Since it is between 2 random people
This is simply not true. A applied for a job to B and B is ringing him about the application A made.
And just how exactly do you know that it’s B calling you? Do you know every prefix and number range that company can be calling from? Could it be a recruiters personal cell, or maybe a 3rd party VoIP system.
So now you don’t know what number it’s from. Maybe it’s a scam then, or maybe you’re working on other things, like being in the middle of class (since it said intern). Do you step out to take every call that may come in and waste your time since there’s no message being left?
And just how exactly do you know that it’s B calling you?
This is not the point. You applied for a job and you are expected to pick up the fucking phone as much as you are expected to read and reply to an email.
The only issue with this guy post is him not either leaving a message or sending a quick email saying he tried to contact them, that’s all.
So now you don’t know what number it’s from. Maybe it’s a scam
You are ludicrous.
Yeah, he gives them a second chance too, and does acknowledge it being a bit unfair. I don’t find this too bad, really.
In actually professional interview settings, phone calls are scheduled in advance via email. Additionally, while it is ok but kind of weird for the person to call unscheduled, it is
- Weird and unprofessional to not leave a voicemail
- Completely out of touch to expect people to answer unknown numbers when they’re not expecting some weirdo to call without scheduling when the norm is to schedule
- Completely out of touch to assume they have nothing going on and can even answer the phone the 2 random points in time you decide to call
- I agree, but he does call twice and for all I know the job involves a lot calling at all times of day and he wants to know that you answer your phone. But he absolutely sounds like an unpleasant person to work for.
2 and 3. I disagree, they are in fact expecting an unknown number to call them because they’ve applied for a job. You really probably aren’t doing anything so important that you can’t take a call while literally expecting prospective jobs to call you.
I’ve taken calls at work, during school, on the train. That’s life and if you think you just don’t have to ever answer your phone except on your perfect terms then it’s you who is out of touch.
they are in fact expecting an unknown number to call them because they’ve applied for a job
I don’t know why you think this is the case. It is not normal for professional jobs to call without scheduling and not leave a voicemail. It is in fact completely unprofessional.
You really probably aren’t doing anything so important
You literally have no way of knowing this. There are tons of scenarios where it is reasonable for someone not to answer their phone even of they are expecting a call.
- There are jobs where people are straight up not allowed to keep their phone on them.
- If you are working customer service and in the middle of a customer interaction (which is a very common job for people trying to get internships in their chosen field)
- Taking an exam at school, working in something like a chemistry lab at school where you can’t interrupt the task, etc
- In the shower, on the toilet, changing a diaper, or any other myriad reasons to be temporarily indisposed.
Like it’s really not hard a concept. Why defend this power tripping weirdo who refuses to follow social norms
Pssst, it’s because they’re a powertripping weirdo who wants to excuse the petty powerplays they use… Notice how they started with, “well I answer my phone in all of these situations where it’s impolite”.
Dude’s an asshole finding excuses to remain that way.
You really probably aren’t doing anything so important that you can’t take a call while literally expecting prospective jobs to call you.
Except when I moved across the country on a deadline, I have always had a job when applying for jobs. I’m not just waiting around for calls to interview.
Since he’s looking for an intern, the chances are very very high that they could also be in class. While my college (maybe just my degree program) was generally lax about things like attendance and going in and out of classes, I’m not loosing out on my education to answer a phone call that may only potentially be for a job.
Does this guy not understand that 99% of calls from unknown numbers are spam? If he picks the person who always answers, he’s gonna be disappointed when they’re spending more time answering spam calls than doing intern work.
He’s ripe for phone scams.
Since hiring Bob the amount of phishing has gone up. Bro clicks on everything
How many spam calls are y’all getting? I get maybe 2-3 per year and that’s only if you count telemarketers from phone companies, who I deliberately answer because that’s the only way to get cheap phone service in this fucked up economic system.
I literally cannot remember the last time I got an actual spam call from some robot call center pushing a scam.
For me, it’s a weekly occurrence. I loathe it, but for practical and personal reasons I have to pick up all calls. Lately, there are calls where you hear, oddly loudly, a keyboard clicking away. Spam call 100%
Stay on the phone until you get a person, talk to them for a couple minutes, when they ask for some piece of information say “hang on I need to go grab it” and place the phone down. Waste their fucking time.
These people call hundreds of people every day. If each of these people waste 3-5 minutes of their time that’s going to waste their entire day.
i got 3 today alone
Lucky you… :/
Bro, you’re in Finland? We have these things called “rights” and “regulations” in the EU. Spam calls in the US are nuts. I got calls about lowering my mortgage when I was still a minor.
I don’t know how you achieved this magic, but I’m envious. Just checked and I had seven spam calls yesterday and nine the day before. iOS finally adding call screening has legit changed my life
Might be a local difference since I’m in Finland. There was a period a few years ago where robot spam calls from foreign numbers were pretty common (as in, maybe one every couple of months), but the phone companies implemented some new system to block those and they haven’t really been a problem since.
They don’t show up as foreign numbers in the US, just random US numbers. I don’t answer any numbers I don’t recognize anymore.
One of the biggest fails in phone service was the ability to spoof caller ID. Spammers will use prefixes from known cell phone blocks or the same prefix you’re on to make it look more legitimate. The carriers should have also included source number checking too as they shouldn’t be getting an external call from a number that they own.
phone companies could fix this tomorrow
they don’t because money
Can we change it so we run things well instead of profitable?
Back when I had a Pixel 2 Google would look up the numbers that would call and if the number was associated with a business in their database then they’d show the business name with the caller ID (because cellphones in the US for some reason don’t show the names that would appear if calling a landline). My wife owned a successful bakery at the time and one day I got a call that showed up as being from one of her competitors. Curious, I answered the call, but it was just another scammer. This was fairly early in the days of scammers, so I called the number back and connected to the bakery, so I told them they should call their phone company.
I’m pretty sure the scammers just make up numbers, not caring if they’re active or not. There’s a fundamental flaw with the design of the phone system that they don’t require authentication. It’s absurd to me that this has been widely abused for close to a decade now and they haven’t changed the system to prevent this. It seems like it should be fairly straightforward to have a system that authenticates that a call comes from someone authorized to use a number.
This is one of the ways I identify spam calls. My cell phone number is from a long way away from where I live now. As far as I know I have no remaining associations with any businesses in the area - certainly none that wouldn’t have cause to leave a voicemail - and I know the numbers of my friends and family in the area.
Therefore, if I get a call from an unknown number in that area code and they don’t leave a voicemail, they were nearly certainly spam callers. Often even if they do leave a voicemail.
A little while ago I got a call from a number in that area code and they did leave a voicemail, but I haven’t been able to figure out what the point was. For the purposes of this anecdote, let’s pretend my name is John Smith. The voicemail consisted of the following:
“[Long silence] John? [Another long pause] John … [One more long pause] Smmmmmiiiiiiiiiiiiiitthhhhh … [Final long pause, then disconnect]”They haven’t called back, so I have no idea what they wanted. For the two times saying my first name, I figured they were just a recruiter who thought I had picked up, rather than my voicemail; but the way they stretched out my last name (and said nothing further) was honestly creepy as hell.
We had three categories of spam calls here here: spoofed numbers that appeared local (usually originating from outside the EU), numbers from other EU countries and numbers from third countries.
I believe they fixed spam calls from the spoofed numbers by some kind of technical improvement, the out-of-the-EU calls with blacklists, and the calls from inside the EU (and adjacent countries) by doing a few high profile police raids at the illegal call centers that were doing it and clamping down on the companies that provided service to them. https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/operation-pandora-shuts-down-12-phone-fraud-call-centres
Oh…. Yeah I’m in the US and we’re not about anything that would actually help people
No he really doesn’t. He has little people to handle the phone for him.
It’s almost always a spoofed number with my same area code from an Indian call center trying to scam me with car or senior health insurance. I’m not even close to 40 yet these assholes all seem to have the idea I’m a senile old man willing to empty out my wallet for them. Hell no I’ll never answer my phone.
If you don’t leave a voicemail, I didn’t want to talk to you anyway.
Leave a message, asshole!
Ok Grandpa, let’s get you into retirement.
Ok, here’s a thing about “me” I don’t enjoy your completely disrespectful attitude and your entitled view of MY time to be garbage. I’m glad I could help you explore getting to know me more. Enjoy the answering machine.
Crisis averted to those who did not answer.
Someone of his age and in his position should already know and demonstrate proper decorum, even with “modern technology” like … voicemail? And acceptable procedure, like scheduling important calls. And having a bit of grace. Or a smidgen of empathy. Uh, how is he qualified to be President and CEO when he lacks anything necessary to be a leader?
Even in the best of interpretations, this is someone enormously out of touch. Even with the apology posted below, there’s no way I could or would have confidence in this person’s leadership. It’s one thing to make a mistake, it’s another to be so woefully out of touch with reality for so long that you literally didn’t know that leaving voicemail is a normal thing people do and giving folks a heads up so they expect your call and can make themselves available for it is just good manners at a minimum.
The man has a point about interviewing for an intern based on personality, instead of experience or company bootlicking.
But the rest comes straight out of the looney bin.
It seems to me that looking for a job in the pre-internet days was a fairer process that gave more unemployed an equal chance. Nowadays with these “corporate” job apps it just seems like your screaming into the wind.
I don’t think this is that bad.
A bit unorthodox, and old school, but unorthodox interviews aren’t bad and neither are phone interviews.
The problem is that he didn’t provide a number for people to add to their safe-callers list, so that they know it isn’t spam when he calls.
Also, depending on the position, he needs to make sure that the call is not going to be in the middle of important meetings. He presumably doesn’t want to hire people who take calls in the middle of client negotiations
Yeah, it’s old fashioned, I think, but still in the domain of expected practice. Job hunting, selling something, expecting a visitor, etc are all reasons to actively expect a phone call during reasonable hours.
When it takes ten thousand applications and many months to be available 16/7 for a call then it isn’t really reasonable anymore.
It’s not like you gave out 4 handshakes and are expecting 3 offers in the next week.
The man in OP said he leaves and message and calls again to be sure. That’s reasonable. The 16/7 thing you added so you could be more angry about it.
deleted by creator
Ah you’re right, I misread it. I thought he was leaving messages. Not leaving messages is unreasonable.
I downvoted you because I think it is “that bad” but then you made some good points at the end so I removed my downvote.
That’s fair lol
haha thanks for the reasonable reply! no snark? no rage? no name calling? shit, i didn’t think that existed on the internet anymore. you got that upvote for being this cool about it 😄
