quote:
I realize this may sound ridiculous, but it's very real to me and I'm not sure what to do.

I've started my first professional job. Everything is going great so far, people have been very complimentary of my work. My particular strengths are writing, editing, and research.

Sorry if this is vague, but I don't want to reveal too much. As part of a project I'm on now, we have to call members of certain industries to try and arrange a phone interview regarding their opinion on a source used in the making of their products. Right now, it's cold calling companies off a list and asking around to see if we can find the particular person we need to talk to and if they would be willing to answer our phone survey.

Here's the issue: I'm absolutely terrified to make these calls. This is not simply not liking cold-calling, which I figure is pretty standard. This is an anxiety that is consuming me 24 hours a day, shaking, trouble breathing, dizziness. I've made a few calls and they haven't gone too terribly, but it's an anticipatory anxiety that is literally making me ill.

What can I do? I know the simple answer is "suck it up." This is the type of anxiety that pretty much fits the ADA definition of a covered mental illness.

I'm so embarrassed by this and I don't want it to derail my life.

This is a tough one. The majority of my first few "real," jobs were all related to being on the phone. I started out in the collections biz for a mortgage company way back when.

They were sub-prime to start off with and then they were late on their house-note, so you heard all kinda sh!t on the phone when they picked up (late 90's; before the widespread use of caller ID and smartphones). By the time I left there I was actually still in college at LSU but I'd been battle-hardened.

Went on to do stints as a 20-something in several CSR positions in a cube-farm environment before getting into commissioned sales. The thing I'd keep in mind is that at the end of the day, you'll never be perfect. Especially to start off. But if you don't start and go through the process, you'll never overcome your fear. But you'll also have zero chance to get better at it.

This is a skill that you obviously need to improve. It's no different than things you learned in school to get you where you are. It's just that this is a "soft skill," that isn't exactly something you're taught in a classroom.

You've got to learn by doing. The first few calls will suck. But you'll get acclimated and over time your delivery, confidence and comfort on the phone will begin to appear.

But the longer you put off just starting it and failing forward, the longer you'll deal with your issues.

Good luck.

ETA: I'm a big extrovert, though. I actually enjoy bullsh!tting with people and I'm okay with complete strangers. I think some of that is how I'm wired. Some of it comes from my experience on the phones and in person with people over the course of time.

As always, YMMV

This post was edited on 3/8/17 at 10:23 am