The College Fix

‘A much deeper reliance on and involvement by parents than we have seen in previous generations’

Two experts are sounding the alarm on a recent survey that found one in four Gen Zers brought their parents to a job interview.

“[I]t’s becoming clear that constant adult supervision and intervention are hurting young people. This over-assistance is undermining their self-confidence and competence,” Lenore Skenazy, president of Let Grow and founder of the Free-Range Kids movement, told The College Fix.

Human Capital Advisor Jesse Meschuk told The College Fix those survey results are not necessarily surprising, it’s acceptable for young people to seek some help from their parents.

But the survey also found 25 percent of Gen Zers brought their parents to interviews and 16 percent said their parents submitted job applications for them. “[T]hat is a much deeper reliance on and involvement by parents than we have seen in previous generations,” Meschuk said.

The survey revealed that a quarter of Generation Z in the job market has relied upon parental support at job interviews: 70 percent had asked their parents for help in the job search process, and of those who found a job, 83 percent credited the success to parents.

Of those 25 percent whose parents accompanied them to the interview, the survey found that 31 percent went to the in-person interview while 29 percent sat in on the virtual interview.

“For those who had a parent come to an in-person interview, 37% say that their parent accompanied them to the office, 26% say their parent physically sat in the interview room, and 18% say their parent introduced themselves to the manager. Additionally, 7% say their parents answered questions,” according to ResumeTemplates, which conducted the survey in the spring.

It questioned 1,428 American Gen Zers ages 18 to 27 who had looked for a job within the past year. As for the parents who sat in on virtual interviews, 71 percent remained off-camera and 29 percent were on-camera; 85 percent of those on camera spoke to the manager and helped their child answer the questions, according to the survey results.

Reasons cited for parents submitting the resumes included mental health, no motivation, unsure how to address the manager, or simply trusting their parents’ work more.

Other findings from the survey included that 36 percent of parents communicated with the hiring managers.

Meschuk credits the trend to two things: the economy and social environment in the past years.

“This could be due to broader social and macroeconomic factors, such as a more difficult job environment for new graduates, increased costs/inflation making living on one’s own more difficult – and as a result more of Gen Z is continuing to live with their parents into their 20s, which could as a by product result in more involvement from their parents in their job search,” he said.

Another reason could simply be that parents are increasingly more involved with their child’s wellbeing and livelihood, he said.

Skenazy told The Fix that a recent Yale study revealed that parents intervene half as much when told that doing things independently is educational.

Meschuk said there is nothing wrong with seeking help and guidance from parents, but added that hiring managers do not want to hire the parents and it “likely does not reflect well to have parents in the interviews.”

He said he encourages students to utilize the resources available through universities and platforms such as LinkedIn to learn the skills necessary for the job search.

“[E]mployers are looking for an early career candidate to show drive and independence, so submitting an application that reflects their perspective is most important – if they get the job, a company will expect that person to come day in, day out. Parents can be a good resource, but use them to gather and inform perspective, but take the initiative from there,” he said.

Skenazy agreed.

“All parents want to raise capable young people,” she said via email. “So the key is simply to step back and let the kids step up. When we do that, everyone wins — including the employers.”

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