Finding a job in today’s complex job market can be daunting, especially for young adults who just started their careers. It’s not uncommon for Gen Zers to seek parental guidance as this generation is often known for overdependence and limited knowledge of the real world, which may not contribute much to the workplace.
To understand how often Gen Zers ask their parents for help finding a job, ResumeTemplates conducted a comprehensive survey. The results reveal compelling insights about parental involvement in the career decisions of young adults. This study highlights the essential roles parents play in shaping the early career of Gen Zers.
Bring Parents to Job Interview
25 percent of the young adults brought their parents along to job interviews. For many Gen Zers, especially those fresh out of college, having the presence of their parents provides them emotional support and motivation during the interview. It offers them moral support and helps them negotiate terms better, as parents have more experience. However, this trend also raises questions of over-dependence and lack of professionalism, as the presence of parents does not let the interviewer evaluate the performance and confidence of the candidate.
Parents Find Jobs for Gen Zers
According to the ResumeTemplate, 70 percent of Gen Zers admitted they seek their parent’s help when finding jobs. Out of these 70 percent, 9 percent always rely on their parents, 23 percent do so very often, 44 percent only sometimes seek the help of their parents, and 24 percent do this very rarely. Another interesting finding from the survey is that mothers are more involved in their kids’ careers than fathers. Almost 76 percent of young adults turn to their mothers for help, whereas 45 percent trust their fathers with the job search process.
Parents Help in Landing a Job
The survey highlights parents’ important role in helping their children find jobs. 8 out of 10 Gen Zers credit their parents’ guidance for helping them land a job. Of those who got a job, 69 percent said they successfully secured a job after receiving parental guidance. When newly employed individuals were asked, 83 percent acknowledged that their parents’ advice helped them succeed in their careers, while 17 percent gave no credit to their parents for their success.
Additionally, out of 83 percent, 26 percent gave complete credit to their parents, but 57 percent gave partial credit.
Parents Submitted Job Application
Some Gen Zers even ask their parents to submit their job applications. According to the survey, 17 percent of the participants let their parents submit the job application. The primary reason is that 46 percent of young adults believe their parents have more experience and can do a better job. 34 percent feel they lack the communication skills needed to interact with hiring managers, 32 percent lack motivation or find the process monotonous, and 22 percent suffer from poor mental health.
Parent Complete HR Screening
Some parents’ involvement extended beyond guidance and even completed the HR screening on behalf of their child. 13 percent who sought their parent’s help, or 9 percent of all survey participants, admitted that their parents handled the HR screening. When asked why, 48 percent said their parents are more experienced and handle the call better than they do. 38 percent feel they cannot communicate with HR properly, 33 percent lack motivation, and 31 percent point to their negative mental health. This trend shows how Gen Zers are heavily dependent on their parents.
Parents Accompanying in Interview
Some parents go even further by accompanying their children to job interviews. It was found in the survey that 26 percent of those who searched for jobs in the past years brought their parents to the interview. Among these, 31 percent of parents attended an in-person interview, while 29 percent had joined the virtual interview. Additionally, of those parents who attended in-person interviews, 37 percent went to the office, 26 percent physically sat in the interview, 18 percent even introduced themselves to the manager, whereas 7 percent answered questions on behalf of their child.
Regarding the virtual interviews, the survey revealed that 71 percent of parents who joined were off-camera, while 29 percent were visible on camera. Out of those visible on camera, 85 percent communicated directly to the hiring manager.
Parents Write Resume
Parents use their personal experience and professional skills to help their young adults write stronger resumes tailored to the job specifications. In this survey, 55 percent of individuals who found a job in the past year admitted to seeking their parents’ help writing their resumes. Out of these 55 percent, almost 18 percent had their parents write the entire resume, while 57 percent received help with proofreading.
Participants gave various reasons, such as they had more faith in their parent’s work and experience; some were stressed, some didn’t know proper formatting, and some were too busy.
Parents Write Cover Letter
Some Gen Zers even ask their parents to write their cover letter. According to the resume template, almost 49 percent of Gen Zers sought help from their parents to write cover letters. Of these, 55 percent received help with proofreading, 26 percent with editing, and 13 percent had their parents write the entire cover letter.
Participants admitted that their parents have more experience and skills, which help them write a strong cover letter to impress the hiring managers. Additionally, 14 percent said they didn’t have time to write their cover letters, so they asked their parents for assistance.
Parents Communicating With HR
According to the survey, Gen Zers’ over-dependence on their parents is also evident, as 36 percent of individuals seek help from their parents to communicate directly with the hiring manager. Of these, 28 percent asked for help with editing messages, 21 percent had their parent write the entire message, and 20 percent had their parents communicate directly with HR. This raises concerns about Gen Zers lack of confidence and growing tendency toward laziness.