Helicopter Parents
10 July 2009
There have been a lot of articles written about helicopter parents. While it is great to have a parent who is involved with their children’s life, there is a fine line between being involved and being too involved. Regardless if you are a recent graduate or an experienced professional, you should utilize your network for job leads or business opportunities.
In my personal opinion, this should be limited to an introduction. Parents are generally biased and will sing praises about their children. You need to start developing your personal brand as a professional. What does it say about your professional image? Acceptable behavior include but not limited to the following:
- Introduction to contacts in the industry
- Insights into the daily life of (fill in the blank) professional
Your parent should not do the following:
- Send your resume to a recruiter unless it is to forward your resume to someone they know within the company. They should cc you so that any subsequent correspondence can be directed to you rather than your parent.
- Go into the job interview with you. It is acceptable to have a parent drop you off at the interview but they should hang out at a coffee shop or a bookstore. If there are no coffee shops or any other public spaces nearby and waiting in the car would be too much, then it may be acceptable to wait in the reception area if you live 1-2 hours or more from the interview site.
What are your thoughts?
Collective Conversation » Kaye Monty » Blog Archive » References
3 May 2010
8:06 am
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[...] First, most parents are not impartial and think that their kids really do walk on water. Second, helicopter parents can send the wrong message to potential employers. If your sole job is working for your [...]