Wanted: Mommies and Daddies on Job Interviews?
Finally, a place where I can put my helicopter-parenting to good use.
According to a story at smartplanet.com, "Parents are becoming common fixtures at some U.S. companies, with employers going out of their way to include them in everything from meet-and-greets to job interviews in a bid to attract and hold onto millennials."
Oops. I read that wrong. The companies don't want the parents. They want their kids.
Now even I, a helicopter parent when we were just soccer moms, think that's a little weird. Mommy and Daddy come on job interviews with you?
This is frightening. "A 2012 Michigan State University study found 31 percent of the more than 700 employers surveyed said parents had submitted resumes on their child’s behalf," Kristen Korosec writes. One quarter reported hearing from parents who urged the employer to hire their child for the position. Four percent of respondents said a parent showed up for the candidate’s job interview, she notes.
OMG.
Companies that once scoffed at so-called helicopter parents—who manage every aspect of their now adult-childrens’ lives—are now changing their ways, inviting parents on job interviews, allowing them to ask questions, and sometimes -- oh, this makes me gag -- management visits parents at home.
What have we come to? Will Mommy and Daddy go on the honeymoon, too? Oh wait, they already do.
Even Google is picking up on the theme. I guess it makes sense. If your parents run your life, maybe they should run your job, too. But what are we really teaching our kids?
What about independence and self-reliance? We can't live their lives for them, though some of us really try to. I struggle with letting my 12-year-old go. Fortunately, he's not one who likes to hang out at the mall, or do loop-de-loops when skateboarding. But even so, I worry endlessly about him. (I just started letting him cross the street by himself.)
Could I wind up like one of these parents? The thought scares me more than laughing at it. I have to confess I finished a short story for him because I didn't like his ending. It was only two sentences, but still. So, clearly, I have it in me.
My peers and I like to joke about how our parents sent us off to bus stops a half-mile away, never thinking twice, even in secluded suburban spots. The only interaction my parents had with my teachers was signing my report card, though I don't think they did that back then.
So who's really the one benefitting here? I have a sneaking suspicion it's not the kids. I hate to shame my whole generation, but it's the last of the Baby Boomers, I'm willing to bet.
According to a story at smartplanet.com, "Parents are becoming common fixtures at some U.S. companies, with employers going out of their way to include them in everything from meet-and-greets to job interviews in a bid to attract and hold onto millennials."
Oops. I read that wrong. The companies don't want the parents. They want their kids.
Now even I, a helicopter parent when we were just soccer moms, think that's a little weird. Mommy and Daddy come on job interviews with you?
This is frightening. "A 2012 Michigan State University study found 31 percent of the more than 700 employers surveyed said parents had submitted resumes on their child’s behalf," Kristen Korosec writes. One quarter reported hearing from parents who urged the employer to hire their child for the position. Four percent of respondents said a parent showed up for the candidate’s job interview, she notes.
OMG.
Companies that once scoffed at so-called helicopter parents—who manage every aspect of their now adult-childrens’ lives—are now changing their ways, inviting parents on job interviews, allowing them to ask questions, and sometimes -- oh, this makes me gag -- management visits parents at home.
What have we come to? Will Mommy and Daddy go on the honeymoon, too? Oh wait, they already do.
Even Google is picking up on the theme. I guess it makes sense. If your parents run your life, maybe they should run your job, too. But what are we really teaching our kids?
What about independence and self-reliance? We can't live their lives for them, though some of us really try to. I struggle with letting my 12-year-old go. Fortunately, he's not one who likes to hang out at the mall, or do loop-de-loops when skateboarding. But even so, I worry endlessly about him. (I just started letting him cross the street by himself.)
Could I wind up like one of these parents? The thought scares me more than laughing at it. I have to confess I finished a short story for him because I didn't like his ending. It was only two sentences, but still. So, clearly, I have it in me.
My peers and I like to joke about how our parents sent us off to bus stops a half-mile away, never thinking twice, even in secluded suburban spots. The only interaction my parents had with my teachers was signing my report card, though I don't think they did that back then.
So who's really the one benefitting here? I have a sneaking suspicion it's not the kids. I hate to shame my whole generation, but it's the last of the Baby Boomers, I'm willing to bet.
This blog is a good one! My parents didn't always see my report card. As a budding graphic designer, by the time I was in 5th or 6th grade, I was able to convincingly sign both my parent's names. Today, my two college graduate millennials are enjoying successful lives living on their own. I was involved as could be, but knew their education had surpassed mine early on. It was great to sit back and watch them prosper. I don't know if my kids are the except to the rule, but I'm one proud parent. And didn't have to work too hard to brag, nor hover much.
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