Candidates: Please Start a Fight Club or Something

I really cannot throw stones about being grumpy as I live in a glass house called: Writes a Blog Dedicated to Complaining.

But Candidates, how can I put this nicely? Well, some of you are a little high-strung. You seem a little on edge.

Here's how it goes.

I make a lot of phone calls. To people who applied directly for a job, to people whose resumes I found online, etc. I will generally make one call per week to a person (my company would probably prefer more but I think that most people prefer to not be harassed and that it's actually more effective if I am not all up in their business about it). If the person isn't there, I leave a voicemail. Because I have taken to heart my own advice about leaving voicemails and because I have a crappy headset, I generally try to listen to it to make sure it's audible, etc.

So then some time passes. And I get these calls back:

Me: Hello, this is Ill-Suit.

Nameless Person: (barking, staccato) Hello. I got a call from this number.

Me: Oh, okay, sure, what is your name?

Nameless Person: (shouting over the sound of their own veins throbbing) WELL YOU CALLED ME SHOULDN'T YOU KNOW?

Of course, but I also called about thirty other people today and there is no name on the caller id and I actually didn't commit your number to memory.

So then I try to gently explain to the individual who I am and why I might have called, and the caller than has to make the ever-so-awkward transition from Phone Rage Dickwad to Cheerful Applicant. It's a tough one to pull off.

What I don't understand is that I KNOW I left you a voicemail, I know I sent it correctly and it was audible...if you are so irate at the possibility that someone you don't know (presumably a telemarketer, etc.) is calling you, why would you first call back the number blind instead of listening to the message?

I think some of these people must just feel really trodden upon or something and are looking to get their righteous indignation on. I totally understand: the Man has got me down too, but I am not the Man, folks.

Anyhoodle, my dad is great and all, but he also suffers from Phone Rage on occasion, so I try to not hold it against the candidates as I know it might just be an isolated weak spot.

But for reals, Candidates, I think you need to take a martial arts class or go chop wood or (again, I can't recommend it highly enough) start a complaining blog. Whatever. Just relax.