I was spontaneously coaching a teenager the other day who is seeking his first job.

He was calling the restaurant where he wants to become a bus boy for the summer. After submitting an application, they told him to follow-up around the middle of the month.

Right on time, he rang them up, but the general manager, with whom he chatted, has been elusive.

So, while he was phoning in again, possibly for the fourth time, I prompted him; or at least I tried.