Interviewing with Parents

IT HR · December 2007

My aunt called to tell me that the Fortune 500 company she works for just starting allowing people to bring their parents in to interview with them for a position. She said the company was very excited about this new program (mostly geered toward graduating college students). She couldn't believe it and had called to see if I had heard of this before. I have heard about this. My thoughts on this are that my parents taught me to stand on my own two feet, take responsibility, etc. and that I wouldn't even have thought about bringing my parents to an interview when I graduated college.

I am curious to see what people think of this. Is this program happening at your company? Would you allow this if someone came with his/her parent(s) to a scheduled interview?

KMoore1 · December 2007

Is this real? I have heard it before, but assumed it was an HR urban myth. If it is true, it is funny and horrifying (at the same time). What have we come to? I interviewed for jobs while still in high school and it NEVER would have occurred to me to bring my parents. I say CUT THE APRON STRINGS and grow up. If I had anyone, regardless of tender age, bring a parent into an interview I would immediately assume that this was a person who was not capable of standing on their own, and someone I would not want to hire.

regdunlop · December 2007

no way this is true. is it? what next. parents coming to business dinners to cut up their kid's steak?

IT HR · December 2007

Yes this is true. Here is an article from www.thehrspecialist.com that talks about this and some other things that companies are doing. The article refers to 60 Minutes segment back in November where they talked about this.

http://www.thehrspecialist.com/hrs_articles/homepage_featured/5952/Should_you_try_to_win_over_job_candidate_s_parents__too_.hr

LadyAnn · December 2007

What a nightmare! I refuse to discuss an emloyee's information with parents or spouses. (Unless the employee is incapacitated.) Can you just see it: little Johnnie gets written up and the next thing you are having to defend your actions to the parents? No thank you!

I'm not going to start that trend by allowing the parents in on the interview. It just can only go in one direction from there (and up is not it.)

TXHRGuy · December 2007

I wonder how long it will be before someone gets sued and the Company loses because plaintiff's testimony is corroborated by their parent and the Company had no representative in the room other than the interviewer. Next, people interviwed by the same person will come out of the woodwork with me-too accusations.

GoPatsNH · December 2007

I have never heard of anything so ridiculous. Are their parents going to do their job, too??

pammcconnell · December 2007

I guess the up side is that if the employee is not performing well you can threathen to call their Mother.

4179993 · December 2007

well, for what it is worth, I interviewed with a law firm back in law school who invited us to bring our spouses/significant others/parents to the event to the first half of the interview process. It was a total, you may never see your loved one again, but look how great we are type atmosphere. My then-partner and I were so turned off that I declined the second interview.

RuthG · December 2007

Wow, are th parents going to come to work with their kids too - and handle anything that comes up that their kid can't handle? It's nt the parents that will e working for the company, it's the interviewee. And also, some great successfl parent have schlumpy kids - intervewing the parents won't help with this problem.

meyerk02 · December 2007

I've never heard of this, nor, would I ever engage in this. I could just imagine if I brought my father on an interview. He was so engaging that the person I interviewed with would probably want to hire him instead of me. In all seriousness, this idea is absolutely ridiculous.

Interviewing with Parents

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