Cell Phone Etiquette

Today, over a billion people around the world view the planet as their personal phone booth. According to The Wireless Association more than 11 million new cell phone users came on line in just the latest six-month reporting period. Cell phones have become a way of life…but they could also become a way out the front door. A few cell phone etiquette tips that could help save your job.

Date: April 17, 2007

Category: Marketing Yourself

Practical Considerations to Keep Your Cell Phone From Ruining Your Career

How did we ever live without cell phones?
A recent CBS poll showed that eight out of ten people say cell phones make their lives better. However, six in ten view cell phones in public places as a major irritation.
Now there’s a new twist: improper use of a cell phone can impact your job. As NetEffects consultants are naturally tech savvy, we can easily forget that something so natural to us like using our cell phones, can be a hazard to our jobs.
A recent column in The Sideroad on business cell phone etiquette made a critical point we all need to hear: “Poor cell phone etiquette can ruin a career.”
Author Kate Zabriskie notes that, “Somehow cell phone ownership seems to affect common sense.” She makes some important, and critical, points:


Annoying or Cutesy Rings
Have mercy on the public when picking a cell phone ring. Sexy "Ooh, baby, baby" may be funny to your friends, but it's a credibility wrecker at the office.

Holding Court
"We just landed, and I'm waiting to get off the plane." In the midst of all the benign information that follows, remember, if there is nowhere for the rest of us to go, think about whether you really need to have that conversation.

We Can Hear You
For whatever reason, many people talk at top volume when they are on a cell phone. Microphones are sensitive. The person you are calling can hear you. We don't need to.

Taking a Call When in a Meeting
A scheduled meeting is not the time for cell phone calls. The rings alone are intrusive; answering them is an even worse breach of etiquette. The message received by those at the meeting is that they are less important than the disembodied voice coming through the cell. Unless your intention is to make others feel insignificant (definitely not a cool move if your boss is waiting for you to get off the phone), then don't answer, turn it off, and get it out of sight. If it’s a critical call, tell people in advance that it’s coming and then step outside to talk.

Are You Talking to Me?
With the invention of hand-free cell phones came the double-edged sword of convenience and mistaken identity. Who among us has not been taken aback by the presence of another human trawling the aisles while actively engaged in what seems to be an animated discussion with himself or herself? At the risk of being mistaken for a pop singer or air traffic controller who has wandered away from work, leave the headset in the car.

Too Much Information
Discussing anything of a private nature that others within earshot might be able to hear is unwise on a number of counts. Unless you want to raise a lot of questions and eyebrows, take calls from those who probably have unpleasant, upsetting, or incriminating information when you have total privacy.

You Have it, Use it
Voice mail and caller ID are two services that help cell phone etiquette: caller ID lets you know who's calling so you can determine if it's urgent or not, and with voice mail, you don't have to worry about a missed call. If you must take a call, ask the people with you: "Do you mind if I make take a call?" They will appreciate your consideration. Finally, "short text messages" are a great way to communicate in silence.

On a very serious note, too much information given over a cell phone while others are in your presence could cost you dearly. A friend recently shared with me his experience of standing behind a woman talking on her cell to a repairman who was coming to her home to do some work while she wasn't going to be there. By the end of the call, my friend had learned the woman's name, address, neighborhood (complete with directions on how to get there), and the location of the spare key she had left for the repairman to gain entry to her house. Had he been so inclined, he could have reached the woman's place before the repairman and cleaned her out -- or worse.