Ring a Ding Ding

This week I've been focusing on human resource issues.  The big focus the past few days has been doing pre-screening interviews for a position.  What it usually involves is a lot of phone tag.  Because of this delight, I get to experience a lot of different voice mail options people choose.

1.  Just the phone digits as the intro.  Good points:  simple, to the point, factual.  Bad points:  I'm constantly stammering because I'm double checking the number to make sure I got the right residence.  Result:  people thinking I'm stupid, inarticulate, and wouldn't want to work for me.

2.  The phone tree.  Haven't people figured out how annoying these things are when they are trying to reach customer service, let alone, an individual?  When I'm trying to call my bank or a doctors office I suffer through them, but I refuse to go through the pain for other reasons.  Result:  I think they are people avoidant or hyper-organizational (aka obcessive compulsive) and wouldn't want them working for me.

3.  Honesty.  Ok, I have to admit, I have this one but I haven't encountered it yet on my recent quest.  I am so tired of people leaving message after message when it is clear I have not called them back so therefore I don't want to talk to them (huh, maybe I should have a phone tree.)  So, after listening to my girlfriends message, I followed suit.  "Hi, you've reached me.  I'm either not home or I'm screening my phone calls.  Leave a message."  Isn't that what we're doing anyway?  I run to the caller ID everytime and decide by the third ring if I have enough energy to talk with this person...usually I do.  However,  I also realize this is not a professional message therefore if I'm looking for a job they get my cell number not my home.

4.  The baby.  Unless your name is Grandma, NO ONE THINKS THIS IS CUTE.  I want to throw up everytime I hear some stupid toddler repeating their ever so proud parents prompting of "leave a message," which usually sounds more like, "weave messsge."  I write this as a plead to all of those stay at home moms writing blogs about their newborns to please, PLEASE resist the temptation of putting little Suzie on the voice mail.  I work for a pediatric facility and even I do not think this is cute!!!  You will forever alienate your single friends or set up some strange mommy neighborhood competition to see who's child is more developed to actually enunciate the words!!!  Don't do it.