The Phone Center seemed like a good alternative. Less-brainless-than-usual work, steady part-time hours that meshed well with the bartending, and a casual dress code. The basics of the job were simple: We screened job applicants for companies that didn't feel like doing it themselves. The applicant would see an ad and call a number, thinking they were calling Company X but really getting us. I answered the phone according to whichever company name popped up on the display: "Thank you for calling Company X, may I have your extension number, please?" (The Phone Center higher-ups always claimed that as of that moment I legally worked for Company X, but I never quite believed them.) Then I used the extension number to pop up a script in my computer about the position. The lucky applicants who met the company's standards were sent on to interviews with people who actually worked for Company X, as opposed to just on a per-call basis.

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