I have mild phone-fear. My phone fear used to be much greater, especially back when I used to stutter.

It always surprises me that the people with phone fear are often some of the most articulate people I know.

Yup on phone fear, but fortunately primarily with outgoing calls. It'd be even worse to work in a call center with incoming phone fear.

For all women are supposed to be inveterate chatterers, I wonder why phone fear is so prevalent? My reasoning is I hate to think I'm interrupting or imposing. Hubby is a chatterbox and gets/makes far more calls than I do.

Kristen, I worked in the OCR office at Columbia Housing for a Rob L. Ring any bells?

I'm the person in my group who doesn't have a phone phobia, or at least, I get the best results out of phone contacts. Considering how much the job consists of having to deal with state employees whose helpfullness can be iffy, at best, it's a challenge to get info sometimes, but I like to schmooze them, and it usually works.

Non-fulltime jobs I've had:

Ponderosa waitress
dorm cafeteria: dishroom, then cook's ass(istant), then front desk checking of student IDs
coordinator of campus escort service (volunteers walked people from campus to dorm/apartment, a good idea in downtown Milwaukee)
circulation desk at main campus library
summer job of cataloging biology prof's backlog of journal articles, crossreferenced on index cards (pre-widespread computer use)
TCBY
a/v and reserves desk at library
grocery store bagger
Michaels craft store--cash register and then floral counter (I can still make big fancy bows, so not a complete waste)
Blockbuster video (never ever work here--save your sanity)
Clothes store
Book store

I've gotten by on only one job for nearly three years now, and the relief of having my weekends off is immense.

Anderson Cooper Needs a Hug.

I'll volunteer. He's verra cute.

Summer jobs...

Nannying when I was 14
Burger King when I was 15
Small Mom & Pop grocery store when I was 16
Same factory every summer from 18-22

College jobs:

Dining service
Residence Hall desk
Student secretary
Lowes contract sales desk

I've also waitressed, briefly. Worked in a flower shop, various factories, a liquor store, a pharmacy, a newspaper, a magazine printing shop and an apple orchard (my favorite job. ever).

I also have the phone fear. For me, it's because I dislike awkward pauses in phone conversations much more than in face-to-face conversations, because there's nothing else to fill them. (I also hate when people call when they don't really have anything to say. Call to chat, fine, especially if I haven't seen you in a while. But don't call just to hold a half-assed convo while watching TV or doing dishes.)

I don't tend to want to call people, but I have no real phone issues. As demonstrated by the couple of weeks I spent one summer being a receptionist during the day and telemarketing at night.

The thing with both of those jobs, though, is that you don't have to know anything -- as a temp, you just say, "Sorry, I'm a temp. Let me transfer you," and telemarketing, you have a script.

Hey, I just realized I could technically get teacher certification right now!

But since I think I'd have to pay another $100 to get it upgraded once I finish my program, guess I'll hold off. Still, it was a startling realization.

Like Connie-- I have phone fear for outgoing calls. Since I have answered the main phone for every job since I was 16 until now, incoming phone fear would be incapacitating. or possibly, have kept me out of shit jobs.

I don't have phone fear if I am calling for someone else or on business, for some reason-- for example-- I can;t order a pizza on the phone for me, but if I need to order several pizzas, for work, with tax exempt status to come at a certain time-- I am fine.