Gen Z's Phone Anxiety Hinders Job Opportunities

Gen Z's reluctance to answer phone calls is becoming a significant barrier to employment opportunities. This phenomenon, known as telephobia, is causing many young job seekers to miss out on potential job offers and career advancements.

Rohit Prasad, a prominent figure at Amazon, credits a random phone call he received in 2013 for his career breakthrough. The call led to his involvement in building Alexa and eventually to his current role as the head of Amazon's AI team. Similarly, Jeroen Temmerman, the boss at GHD, and Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney, both received unexpected phone calls that significantly impacted their careers.

However, for Gen Z, the situation is different. Their phone anxiety is so severe that a significant percentage of under-34-year-olds are avoiding work calls altogether. This aversion is partly due to the association of phone calls with high-stakes situations or the delivery of bad news.

Maxted Neal, a psychology and management professor, explains that phone calls today are often reserved for important occasions where a text won't suffice. This builds an association with phone calls being high-stakes or for the delivery of bad news, leading to an aversion to picking up the phone.

To overcome this anxiety, experts suggest starting small. Voice notes, which Gen Z is already comfortable using, can serve as a good starting point. Practicing tone, message, and getting comfortable with the instant nature of spoken conversation can help build confidence.

Career coach Kyle Elliott agrees, emphasizing the importance of practicing phone calls with friends and family to get used to speaking on the phone. Developing a habit of calling rather than texting can help build confidence over time.

In an AI-driven world, the ability to pick up the phone and speak like a real person could be crucial for employability. For the millions of currently unemployed Gen Zers who have a reputation for ghosting employers, facing their phone anxiety is the first step towards securing a job.

Employers still hold phone interviews to test for this very skill, and job seekers must tailor their communication style to employers' preferences. This is especially true in the current employer-driven job market, where other job seekers aren't afraid to pick up the phone to check in with a recruiter or hiring manager about the status of their application.