You're too comfortable

There are people who are just too comfortable with certain things.

Things that might make others uncomfortable.

Things that might prompt a 'WTF is wrong with you? Have you no manners or shame or anything?'

One example that comes to mind is when people are on their phones in bathrooms. Specifically, public bathrooms. It is all kinds of weird to me when someone is just chatting away on the phone in the next stall over. Maybe they're trying to cover up the sounds of what happens in the bathroom. Maybe they just don't give a flying fig that the person on the other end of the phone hears what's going on. I do. I don’t want to be the person the next stall over listening to what should be a private conversation, and I also wouldn’t want to be the person on the other end of the line listening to the unique sounds that accompany any bathroom excursion.

What you should never do is take that level of comfort with you to a phone interview. It's never great when you're talking to someone about the application they submitted yesterday and trying to get through why they're interested in the job when you hear the very obvious sound of urinating while you're on the phone with them. Perhaps they just couldn't hold it anymore. Highly unfortunate for them, but then they should do an 'excuse me for a moment' and mute the call so the person on the other end doesn't need to hear it.

Trust me. We don't want to hear it.

I don't care if you're that comfortable with bodily functions that it doesn't bother you to pee while you're talking on the phone. I’m a bit saddened that I need to spell it out, but here goes: it is highly unprofessional. I don't care if we're discussing a part-time custodial position for minimum wage. Pull some kind of manners and professionality out of your backside and pretend you're a respectable adult for the ten minutes you're on the phone with me.

In my eight years of recruiting experience, I can guarantee I have not hired a single person who I knew was going to the bathroom while we were on the phone. I've had people excuse themselves because of an emergency and call me back ten minutes later with an apology (and no details, thank goodness). That's fine. I get it. We are all humans.

But if I know you're just doing your business while we're chatting, I already know you're not the type of person I want working for me or any of my clients. You're too comfortable. Pull it back.

At least while you're doing an interview, for crying out loud.