Did the Phone Ring Today?

“Back in the day” (yes, I’m old) answering the phone was seen as an exciting activity. When the phone rang you never knew who was there, and the potential for hearing from someone you wanted to talk to was pretty high. What happened when you weren’t home? You missed the call because it rang and rang and nobody (not even a machine) picked it up. You had no chance of knowing that someone called. What’s more, if you were already talking to someone, the caller got an annoying buzz — called a “busy signal.”

Of course, now all of that’s changed. Rather than a welcome respite from the day, the phone can be an annoyance. I can’t remember the last time I got a busy signal because voicemail always picks up the call. And most important, many people that I know are reluctant to answer a phone personally if they don’t recognize the number on caller ID.

How is this a career lesson? Simple. To get the job you have to answer the call.

Your professional network is the circuit to your career, like the network of fiber, copper, and coax is what links our phones. Just like that vast mess of wires strung from poles and buried underground, you can’t get the call unless you’re plugged in. And even then, you need to pick up the call personally when you hear the ring. Yeah, these days you may not be getting a lot of “How would you like this new job?” calls, but if you always let those who call go to voicemail, after a few “Sorry, I can’t come to the phone right now” messages, your circuit will go dead.