<p>This article from today's Philadelphia Inquirer discusses how involved many parents are in finding jobs for their kids and negotiating with prospective employers. It says that the hiring offices of many large companies are marketing themselves to the parents as well as the kids. </p>
<p>Personally, I find this very hard to believe and understand. It is fine for a child to ask a parent to proofread his/her resume or cover letters or to ask for advice about a potential job, but I would think that any direct involvement of the parent with the employer would result in an immediate rejection of that candidate. Weird!!</p>
<p>I agree. I would only want an employee that was adult and mature enough to make his/her choices (that's not to say that they might not discuss things with their parents), but if I had to contact parents, please, that's high school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Taking advantage of family/professional connections during the job application process seems absolutely appropriate to me but actually making phone calls and doing the work for your child?.....nutty.</p>
<p>Although I agree that, in this day and age, parental connections and networking are certainly acceptable methods for young people to land jobs, and the young people who are expected to go out and find jobs "on their own" can be at a huge disadvantage. Parental advice and connections are just as important as career counselors or employment agencies, or other resources that college grads rely on to FIND jobs. I understand that employers would want to tap into any new avenue to recruit new employees but to use the parents to this extreme, as if they were the student's agents who have legal rights to act on the student's behalf is very concerning to me. It seems that one of the consequences of this will be to perpetuate a cycle of neediness among our young people that has already been put into motion, largely due to parental overinvolvment. Not to mention that this feels more like we are suddenly treating young adults as chattels or goods that up for sale to the highest bidder....</p>
<p>I know one set of parents who are literally doing 90% of their son's college work, including each and every one of his papers. They do all his reading and outlining, and then spoonfeed him information.</p>
<p>Even if this kid manages to get a college degree, and negotiate a job for him, do they expect to do this job for him in the future?</p>
<p>At some point, this all becomes beyond ridiculous.</p>
<p>My son is working in a field that I knew absolutely nothing about (investment banking). I didn't even know what an investment banker was before he took his job. And my daughter is studying Chinese and hopes to eventually get a job using her knowledge of this language!!! We would be in big trouble if they depended on ME for help with their schoolwork or jobs!!!</p>
<p>Next: Mom and dad coming along on the honeymoon?? </p>
<p>Personally I'd be very wary hiring a kid whose parent makes any contact at all with the employer. Even if the parent is wacky, the kid has to be able to control him or her when it's appropriate.</p>
<p>My mother did that one time while I was in college, sort of. She found a job she thought I would like so she called them and was asking all these questions while I was in class and then decided she would send in my resume for me. I refused to go on the interview after I found out she had called them! </p>
<p>She's constantly looking on job websites for EVERYONE. If I had a dollar for every e-mailed job she has sent me, I'd be rich. She even sends them to me for my boyfriend, also sends them to my dad, to my aunts, to my uncles, cousins, etc. I guess she thinks she's trying to help everyone. She read an article somewhere that says you should always be on the lookout for a new job because you never know what will happen or what you could find. I wouldn't mind it every once and awhile, but when I get five e-mails for me per day and five for my boyfriend sent to my e-mail because she doesn't know his, I get annoyed. At least she isn't calling them anymore or sending in my resume!</p>
<p>paying3tuitions said "I'd hate to see the meeting if the kid gets fired..."</p>
<p>There was a very funny episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where the mother went to bat with the boss for her son the cop. First she got him fired, then tries like crazy to get him rehired.</p>
<p>Doris Roberts (the actress who plays the mother) has helicopter parenting down pat!</p>