Momagers, mom and dad to the job interview are red flags for life

If the article weren’t in The Wall Street Journal I would swear that it came from The Onion.  The title of the article, Should You Bring Mom and Dad to The Job Interview is about how Millennials are bringing their parents to the workplace.  Cue blood boiling at the headline, stupid weak Millennials, I say in my grumpy old man voice.  However, one of the stories isn’t all bad.

Read past the headline and it speaks of intern managers reaching out to parents when the interns for the company start.  That way the parents can learn about the company and know more about what their children are getting into.

One company that has been doing this has seen a 40% increase in employees meeting their sales goals since 2007.  That company is doing it right because they’re proactively reaching out to interns, retaining the good ones and making full time employees from them.

However, in a 2012 survey 500 college graduates 8% of them said that a parent accompanied them to a job interview.  It didn’t state if the companies asked for their parents to attend, but as they weren’t the ones applying for the job I assume that it didn’t.

If I were the hiring manager conducting the interview and the candidate came in with their parent I would be polite and conduct the interview.  I would also mark on their application that they came to the job interview with their parent.

As a parent I’m going to teach my children logic, observational skills and how to engage in conversation.  Then at some point they’re going to fly out on their own and get their own job.  I’ll certainly help them get an interview, but I would never, even if they asked go with them.

I’m reminded of a recent experience a friend had at the park.  A 5 YO child was playing rough with the kids on the playground.  My friend’s 4 YO child said that this child was picking on him.  Through careful deduction he realized who the parent was and went over to speak to them.

When the parent was notified, their response was that kids will be kids.  Minutes later my friend’s child came out and said that kid was still doing it.   My friend, in a louder than average voice said, “well if he keeps being mean or is a bully, you take your hand, ball it into a fist and pop him in the nose.”  It was only then that the other parent realized their child was still being a problem and called them over.

That’s the way kids work things out, but sometimes they need parental inspiration.

In other news my heart does not bleed for Kathryn Heigl.  You remember Kathryn Heigl, the actress who was on Grey’s Anatomy?  That was a couple years ago, she did some movies, earned a reputation for being very difficult to work with and is now trying to reshape her image.

Keep family and business separate.  Heigl’s reputation may or may not be totally due to her mother being her manager, but I bet it has a lot to do with it.  Heigl did just sign on to a new CIA action/drama on NBC.  It sounds like a big network version of Covert Affairs, except without everything that makes that show good.  I say in my grumpy old man voice.