It’s that time of year. College seniors
from around the world are graduating, and they are hitting the career
world looking for a job. And the interesting thing is that most are not
doing it alone. Many parents are by their Gen Y’s side and not just for
support and to be a sounding board. If you are a helicopter parent who
is hovering over your adult child’s job hunt and interview process, you
may be hurting your child’s professional development and their chances
to land the job.

Helicopter parents have not only been bombarding college campuses,
they are now flying way too close to the workplace. Parents are now
involved in the hiring and interview process and calling HR departments
to negotiate terms for their children or to berate them for not giving
their sons or daughters an offer. Parents believe they are doing their
child a favor, but this behavior can actually stunt a child’s adult
development and hamper their ability to think and survive on their own.
The hovering is also hurting the young adult’s chances to land the job,
as employers roll their eyes and pull their hair out over the barage of
phone calls from parents making demands, negotiating salaries and
grilling them about benefits.

Don’t get me wrong…I do believe that parents have their place in the
interview process, but this hovering and coddling has to stop, and most
Gen Y’s are begging for their independence.

If you are a parent, here are a few ways you can help:

1) Become an outside advisor to your child to help him or her
understand the total compensation package. Talk needs, values and
future goals and discuss the package in relationship to those desires.

2) Practice interviews with your child. Allow your adult child to
role play both the interview candidate and the interviewer. Ask tough
questions and give feedback to help strengthen your child’s interview
skills.

3) Resist the urge to contact your child’s potential employer (this
can actually hurt his or her chances of landing the job.) Let your
adult child be the one to follow up with the recruiter and the hiring
leader. This will help him or her develop the independence and
confidence needed to navigate the business world.

4) Serve as a sounding board only during the interview process. Allow your child to talk, ask questions and “vent” if needed.

5) Take your young adult on a shopping day to advise on an interview
wardrobe. Your adult child will have questions about what to wear for
the interview (I am going through this right now with my 20-year old
twins.)

If you are an employer who is being challenged by helicopter parents:

1) The helicopter parent is here. If you try to fight it, you may encounter more difficulties along the way.

2) As an employer, you will need to decide if you are going
to allow helicopter parents in the door. If you decide that you do
not want to engage with the helicopter parent, you will need to enforce
privacy policies from the top to the bottom of the organization.

3) Develop a packet which includes company information and a letter
which details out your interview process. During the interview, ask
the young adult if they want company information sent to anyone.

4) Host a conference call during the hiring process with the parents
(if wanted only). Make this known upfront (that this is the one time
that parents are allowed into the hiring process and discourage other
contact in a professional way such as saying “We offer a conference
call for parents before the second interview. Due to the large volume
of interviews, we would like to request that you use this time to ask
all questions regarding your child’s future employment.”)

5) Create a specific website just for parents which includes company
information, information about interviews, dress code and a list of
FAQs. Outline in detail the hiring, review and firing process for
parents. Be specific. This will prevent misunderstandings later.

More on helicopter parents here