...
By Suzanne Blake
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
While Gen Z has long been described as a bit unorthodox in the workplace, a new trend is emerging among younger job seekers: they’re bringing their parents to the interview.
Based on a new survey conducted by Zety using Pollfish of roughly 1,000 Gen Z workers, 20 percent said a parent has joined them during a job interview.
That included 15 percent who said this happened in person and 5 percent virtually.
Read More on Work
Why It Matters
The data that one in five Gen Z workers say a parent has joined a job interview could signal a shift in how adulthood and professionalism are being negotiated at the start of careers.
Because interviews have traditionally been a hard boundary between family life and professional life, hiring managers may have to rethink applicants’ judgment and readiness to operate without supervision in the younger generation.
...
What To Know
Parents are getting involved with Gen Z’s career prospects far beyond actually showing up to job interviews.
The Zety report also found that 44 percent of Gen Z workers had parents help write or edit their resumes, and one in five said a parent had contacted a potential employer or recruiter on their behalf.
“Some in Gen Z feel having parental involvement when looking and applying for jobs is important, and I would certainly advocate for taking advice from parents and other mentors who have experience gaining employment,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek.
“However, there are limits to this engagement, and they almost always end poorly for the applicant."
Even once they have a job, 28 percent of Gen Z professionals said parents helped with pay or benefits negotiations, and 32 percent said parents were their main influence on career decisions.
“There’s a lingering distrust between workers and corporations. While it’s not widespread, some Gen Z candidates are leaning on their parents for interview support—presentation, tone, even responses,” Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek.
“A lot of that comes down to inexperience with professional settings and discomfort with contract language and expectations.”
HR consultant Bryan Driscoll said the long-term risk for Gen Z is that they never develop self-advocacy in the workforce, which they’ll need when negotiating raises and pushing back on bad managers.
“You want leverage in the job market? Learn your rights, know your worth, and build collective power with your coworkers,” Driscoll said. “That'll do a lot more for your career than having mom as your co-interviewee.”
What People Are Saying
Drew Powers, the founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group, told Newsweek: “Some of these findings seem completely normal. Of course a parent might help with writing a resume, offering advice for negotiating salary and benefits, and even influencing career choices and paths. These seem like the normal, expected role parents might play in this process. Directly engaging with employers and recruiters, directly negotiating salary, or actually joining an interview, whether in-person or virtually, seems way over the line.”
Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “Long term, this likely corrects itself. The market doesn’t reward dependency. If you show up lacking confidence or independence, companies will move on.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “Many employers who see applicants show up with their parents who sit with them in interviews feel the action signals over-dependency and probable issues down the line when that potential hire is asked to do tasks on their own. Again, there's nothing wrong with seeking assistance from your parents to help polish a resume and practice interview questions, but when you involve them in the formal process, it sends the wrong idea.”
What Happens Next
Powers said parents directly getting involved in the hiring process for Gen Z is likely a major red flag for employers.
“Parents who are inserting themselves or acquiescing to requests to join in these activities are likely doing their children a great disservice,” Powers said. “At some point even a baby bird gets pushed out of the nest.”
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines