<p>
[quote]
Hiring Becomes Family Affair
Recruiters of Students
Court Parents Who Act
As Career Advisers
By ERIN WHITE
March 5, 2007; Page B4</p>
<p>To recruit daddy's little girl, some employers in the U.S. are courting daddy.</p>
<p>Companies are reaching out to parents to woo a generation of college students raised by ever-more-involved parents. Merrill Lynch & Co. invited interns' parents to visit company offices. Ernst & Young LLP is packaging company information for parents. Vanguard Group Inc. sends letters to recruits' parents and has advertised on the parents sections of college Web sites. Deloitte & Touche and other big recruiters are weighing similar moves.</p>
<p>Companies are reacting to the rise of so-called helicopter parents, who take an active interest in their children's postcollege plans. In addition, recruiters say, college students and recent graduates rely more on parents for career advice than their predecessors did. Technology helps too. Cellphones and email facilitate constant contact. So employers want to sell parents on their children's job offers and pre-empt parent phone calls about salary negotiations, benefit details and ways to apply for a job.
<p>(Of course, Army recruiters have known for years that it's often critical to sell the parents as well as the prospective recruit, but they are typically dealing with high school kids, not college students.)</p>
<p>Back when I was young there were so many baby boomers in competition for jobs that involved a college degree. There were grunt jobs available but those involving having an education always were competitive. It was sad to have the qualifications but then have to compete on grounds that didn't really matter, like personal looks or saying the right thing at the right time. It really was a nightmare if you were in a specialty field or had your mind set on one place to work. Now that entire generation are employers and have created more businesses and more specialities and kids today have SO MANY CHOICES and options. It's really great. And the kids today have more confidence, more mobility and more friends in more places due to the internet. It's just SO obvious that firms are feeling the employment pinch that they have to resort to courting parents of their employees! But then again, if they are going to court folks because they have a day care center on site then they may as well court the best and brightest, too. Even if that means satisfying nosy parents!</p>
<p>But personally, I think a generous SIGNING BONUS is the BEST MOTIVATION!</p>