3 tips to reduce phone anxiety for job-hunting students

You’re looking for a summer job. School’s almost out. That means handing out resumes and the anxiety of an incoming call from an unknown number.

You’re not alone. Telephone phobia is more common than you think. It’s a type of social anxiety. You can even access counseling services for anxiety at NAIT.

I spent a year living your personal nightmare. I made cold calls eight hours a day for work. It wasn’t fun, but I came up with some tricks to make it easier.

Remember you’re not as memorable as you think

Okay, that was mean but hear me out. Think back to the last time you got a call from your phone or internet provider and ask yourself these questions.

• What did they offer you?
• How long was the call?
• What was their name?

You probably don’t remember, especially not in detail. The person on the other side will forget too unless your call is a special kind of good or bad.

Hang up if it starts going off the rails

You can always pull the chute. The geniuses who invented your cellphone were kind enough to add an “end call” button. It’s there, but try not to use it.

You’re not cornered on a phone call. You can bail. Remembering that makes the whole experience a lot less scary.

Picture the other person smiling and nodding

Not being able to read the other person’s body language can make you nervous on the phone. Are they smiling or frowning? Are they leaning in or away?

It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone roll their eyes while you’re talking. That’s not a problem on the phone. You can even picture the other person smiling and nodding. You’re in charge of how they appear in your head.

Phone calls are scary but they don’t have to be. Try these tips next time your internet provider calls you. Ask a friend to do a roleplay over the phone if you can’t wait. Talking on the phone is a skill. Mastering it takes practice.

Next time you answer the phone you might hang up with the perfect summer job.

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