You’re on the phone, trying to impress a recruiter, when suddenly you realize there’s nobody at the other end any more. You call back. Voicemail. So you hang up, because maybe they’re trying to call you . . . and you wait, and sweat, and wonder: Who should call back when a call is dropped?
Is there an etiquette about this?
Recently when this happened to me, I finally realized I should look it up online (duh!). I found various answers, some better than others.
Words of Wisdom (?) from the Internet:
“In all cases, both should try . . . This is not a situation that should have some formal protocol.”
This struck me as a non-solution. Next I found a more elaborate version of this plan, which I’ll call “blunder onward, but it may take a while.”
“It doesn’t really matter . . . The biggest issue is, of course, calling each other back at the same time and hitting a deadlock. In that case, wait 5 minutes or so and then call back.”
Five minutes? In Recruiter Time, that’s a long stretch.
Come on, really, who should call back?
The most popular solution–endorsed by such notables as etiquette maven Margaret Page and the Chicago Tribune’s Mr. Manners–was (drum roll): the caller calls back. It makes sense, because the caller has the recipient’s number loaded up and can get things going with just a couple of smartphone taps.
And if they don’t, how long should you wait? Recruiters are busy bees, so I wouldn’t wait longer than a minute.
You’re welcome. Now that you know who should call back when a call is dropped, you might also appreciate a more substantial (and less snarky) post, “5 Tips to Ace a Surprise Phone Screen Interview.”
