Several 16-31-Year-Olds Bring Mom or Dad to Their Job Interview

Generation Z, that is, those born roughly between 1995 and 2010, are often described as particularly problematic in the workplace. This involves things like a lack of work ethic and being easily triggered. Now, it turns out that they also like to bring their parents along to work.

According to a new survey from Zety among around 1,000 Generation Z employees, 20 percent say that a parent has accompanied them to a job interview. Of these, 15 percent did so for in-person interviews, and the remaining five percent virtually.

The findings, according to Newsweek, may signal a shift in how adulthood and professionalism are negotiated at the start of one’s career. Since job interviews have traditionally marked a sharp boundary between family and professional life, hiring managers may need to reconsider the judgment and readiness of younger applicants to work independently without supervision.

Parental involvement sometimes goes even further than just job interviews. Forty-four percent in the survey also report that their parents helped write or edit their CV. One in five even had a parent contact a potential employer or recruiter on their behalf.

“Some in Generation Z think it’s important for their parents to be involved when applying for a job, and I would definitely advocate for seeking advice from parents and other mentors who have job-hunting experience,” says Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, to Newsweek.

“But there are limits to this involvement, and it almost always ends badly for the applicant.”

Continued After Hiring

For nearly 30 percent, parental help continued even after the child had landed the job, with things like salary or benefits negotiations.

Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group, believes that this behavior is largely due to a lack of experience with professional environments and discomfort with contract language and expectations.

HR consultant Bryan Driscoll sees a risk that Generation Z will never develop confidence in the workforce, which they will need when negotiating raises or criticizing bad managers.

“Do you want influence in the job market? Learn your rights, know your value, and build collective strength with your colleagues. That will do much more for your career than having your mom as your co-interviewee,” says Driscoll.

Directly interacting with employers and recruiters, directly negotiating salaries, or actually participating in an interview—whether in person or virtually—goes far beyond the line. That is the opinion of Drew Powers, founder of Powers Financial Group, who also notes that parents directly involved in the hiring process for Generation Z are likely seen as a major red flag for employers.