Job seeker considers skipping phone interview because she doesn't have enough money to pay her phone bill: 'I desperately need a job.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Apr 16, 2026 8:30 PM EDT

You need money to go to the job interview, and the only way to get money is to have a job.

It's no fun that literally everything in life costs money. The bare necessities like food, shelter, utilities, and transportation usually account for more than half of our money spent every month, if not more. A lot of older people think millennials struggle financially because they spend too much on luxuries, but that's only half true. Back in the day, necessities were cheap, and luxuries were expensive. Now, necessities are expensive, and luxuries are cheap, so it's no surprise that young people are spending money on things that they really don't need, because they can't afford to save for a house. 

If you want to live a bare bones life and prioritize saving at all costs, there are still some bills you can't eliminate. You don't need to be subscribed to Spotify Premium, but by and large, you do need a smartphone to function in society. Unless you've memorized all of the roads in your city or you feel comfortable using a paper map, you need a smartphone to get around. You need it to communicate with people while you're on the go, because even if you have a landline, you can't take it to work. If you can't afford your smartphone, you might be in a pretty devastating place financially. The job seeker in this story desperately needs a new job because she's out of money and can't afford her phone bill. The question remains: How do you attend a phone interview if you can't pay your phone bill?

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  • A woman sitting at a table with her hands on her face
    via Ahmet Kurt (Unsplash+)

    A young unemployed woman is stressed about her phone bills because she needs to pay them to attend a phone interview.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • An employer wants to set up a phone interview with me, but I can’t afford my phone bill. What do I say?

    i've been sitting here for 2 hours unsure what to do or say. i don't have the money to pay my phone bill but if i say that i'm worried it'll make me look bad and ruin my chance. of getting the job. they
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • emailed me to tell me they called to set up a phone interview and got a message that i'm not receiving calls. i don't know what to tell them and how to say it. i desperately need a job.
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • i don't have anyone i can ask for help or talk to. i tried talking to my sister and her only response was "dang" and obviously that's not helpful in any way. i need advice.
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • eta: i also need advice on what to say if i find a way to do the interview and they ask why i've been unemployed for so long.
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • saying i was too mentally ill to work is not a good look and nobody will hire me if i say that. I'm really frking out about this situation.
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • Immediate Paint4226 You apparently have Internet service. Just have the employer set up a zoom call. You dont need phone service for that.
    via u/Immediate_Paint4226
  • Limp_Leg7129 OP i set up google voice to be wifi only instead of my phone carrier so now i'm actually able to make and receive calls on it. I'm waiting for an email back for the exact day and time she wants to do the interview. i hope what i said sounds professional and doesn't make me look like the idiot i am.
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • GlowInTheDarkSpaces Don't call yourself an idiot. You just solved a problem, that was smart. Now go get the job!
    via u/GlowInTheDarkSpaces
  • Flounderkind8267 Just ask if you could do one in person instead because you're having issues with your phone plan at the moment. The employer will not care if you're struggling to pay a bill because you're unemployed.
    via u/Flounderkind8267
  • Limp Leg7129 OP i did consider that but i don't drive (terrible vision) so if i leave home i can't use data for the bus app or gps to walk. if i was confident i knew how to get there on foot i would do that even though it's a 2 hour walk.
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • A woman walking to her job interview on the side of the road.
    via Katherine St-Pierre

    A woman walking to her job interview on the side of the road.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Outrageous_Light8950 How do you plan on getting there if getting there if you do get hired?
    via u/Outrageous_Light8950
  • Limp_Leg7129 OP the plan was to take the bus to whichever job i get but i need to pay my phone bill to do that.
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • A person sitting on a bus
    via Michael Fousert

    A woman taking the bus to a job interview

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • SpiritedBug6942 So in theory, just take the bus to the interview in person.
    via u/SpiritedBug6942
  • Smart-Coyote8495 I No offence or anything but how are you currently getting by? Because it seems like you have problems every step of the way. Not trying to sound like a and its great you want a job, but I don't think you are thinking any of this through. Like you are saying you don't even know where the place is or how to get there, and won't be able to navigate on foot because you don't trust yourself in other comments. You also
    via u/Smart-Coyote8495
  • say you have been unemployed for a long time, so I assume you have other means of survival. Once again, I am not trying to discourage you from getting a job but some practical advice since you are asking for it, you are wasting potential employers time when you don't have these sorts of things figured out, and that is a sure fire way to get them to not try you again later down the line when you might be well enough or mature enough to maintain an actual full time workload. Goodluck with all of t
    via u/Smart-Coyote8495
  • Limp_Leg7129 OP no, you're right. i've just gotten too comfortable avoiding anything uncomfortable and i made my anxiety significantly worse. I'm trying to push myself to do things and not make excuses to avoid anything anxiety inducing. when i filled out a ton of applications i did not think about how i'd get there on foot cause i still had phone service and assumed i'd just use the bus to get there cause the app shows me exactly how to. i don't
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • have to memorize the route. it will tell me when to get on, when it's almost my stop, when to get off, etc. when i am going to fill out an application i check first to make sure there is a bus to get there and back. for as for how i get by, mostly donating pl essentials. i try to avoid asking either of my parents but sometimes they would help. they won't anymore and i don't blame them at all. it's not their problem. i have to do things myself.
    via u/Limp_Leg7129
  • i have emailed them back with a google voice number so i can do the phone interview. i'm much more calm now, i was just frking out and couldn't think straight to find a solution. any time i've had an interview or started a new job im overwhelmed with anxiety but i get used to the job, the routine, getting to and from work and then it goes back to my typical level of anxiety. i have also debated just starting part time before trying for a full time job.
    via u/Limp_Leg7129

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commute internet phone job seeker advice bills job interview money unemployed anxiety
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