Not really unexpected, but the employer may be calling to do an unexpected on-the-spot phone interview, which should really be scheduled. If employers expect me to research them, in depth, before I apply to the job, then they aren’t really living in reality.

I returned a call to an employer and left a voice mail…

I agree with the article. This I learned the hard way when I picked up the phone from an unknown number and the person on the other line started asking me "so what do you know about our company?" It was kind of awkward being caught off guard like that. But for her, it was just a lazy (unfair) way to filter out the…

I never answer a call from an unknown number. If it's important, whoever it is will leave a message. If they don't leave a message, then it can't be that important. The only time I ever answer the phone is a) if I'm expecting it or b) it's from a friend or family member who's number shows on the screen to say it's…

I will take this advice, because I have noticed that when recruiters call, they want to do a phone interview right away, at the moment of the call. If you answer the phone, you could say that you have a meeting in 5 min at work, so you can do the interview another time.

So you would rather someone take your call while they're doing 60 on the freeway? Or if they're in the middle of another interview? Or at a doctors appointment? Nowadays when you submit a resume you have no idea if you'll receive any acknowledgement of it whatsoever. You must be a joy to work for, considering that you…

Yeah because there is absolutely no legitimate reason why an extremely qualified candidate wouldn't take your call the minute you make it. I mean that person would never be driving, in the middle of a current-job-related conversation or even on the toilet. Obviously anyone applying for a job who is worth having puts…

The point is, if the caller is not in your contact list, don't answer it when you cannot provide your full attention. I let these calls go to Google VM and read through the email of the message to determine if I need to call back right away or not.

....actually now that I think about it scratch that, because that would mean you don't want any job anywhere. Because fuck HR people.

If the HR person working for the company is a moron, you don't want to work there anyway.

HR departments. Specializing at pain and misery. Thanks for being so human Sydney and everyone else who has your job.

Once again, hiring managers playing God. "We have something you want, so be at our beck and call or to hell with you."

Definitely not true—they're giving recruiters and HR drones way too much credit. I've missed out on at least three interviews for jobs I wanted because the HR person who called me wasn't on top of things: they would called me wanting to schedule a phone interview for the next day, and then apparently disappeared from…

Even better are the knuckleheads that insist on doing the interview from where ever they are even when offered a call back number and it is clear they are not in a place to do a phone interview. "No this is a great time. I am driving 90 mph, the police are chasing me and my kids are screaming in the back seat. I…

who makes phone calls?

Yup, I never answer a call from a number I don't know, and if they don't leave a voicemail, then it probably wasn't that important of a call..