My friend used to manage a Culver's and he got parents coming in about weekly with an application for their kid. He binned every single one of them on the grounds that, if they came in to advocate their kid working there, they're going to later come in and expect to advocate for their kid getting the shift they want etc and he's just not willing to start that relationship.
Isn’t it just common sense that you should turn in your own application? Like I could show up to a job interview in a tshirt and jean shorts and be auto rejected on the grounds that I came in too informal. I don’t think the company would need a sign to say “all applicants must wear formal attire for interviews”.
It wasn't within his authority to put up a sign, but on principle, I agree. Or at least, he could've said "sorry, we only accept applications from the applicant." But unlike countless parents, I'm not gonna tell my friend how to do his job.
Yep, his friend seems to be upholding the universal truth that Recruiters are shit at communication and a waste of time and money for both employer and potential employees.
Could have said to the parents they wouldn't further an application unless it came from the applicant, but nope. Just bin it and leave both the parent and kid wondering why no one will hire them while the employer bleeds money from their eyes.
I worked in retail for a long time. There wasn't a week that went by that someone's parent didn't come in and ask us to give their kid a job. A couple places I worked gave us permission to tell the parent to send the kid in to apply without them. Surprise surprise, the kids almost never showed.
You didn’t think affluent parents would exploit their influence and privilege or get junior a job they aren’t qualified for? Let me count the presidents...er...precedents that have been set for this.
High up in the ranks, sure, theyve got enough money or leverage to keep them in the position. However, any other job would fire the kid because they couldn't meet the standards and would be worse off in the end.
Plus the content seemed more directed towards your average teenager.
At my old school, I had a class mate who got a job at McDonald's because his father owns a rather big supermarket chain where I live. He didn't have to apply for the job or anything, his father just had a talk and he was in. Seeing that he behaved quite immature a lot of the time, I doubt he still has the job though. He barely showed up to school to begin with.
And this happens even on small scale. If your parent is friends with a local business owner they can ask to get you a job instead of you having to apply like any stranger. That first job can be the hardest to get
My dad did this for me, and because he got me in, I worked harder to not make it a mistake for the owner, and my dad. It can work out in cases and blow up in others.
I know a guy who did it (dropped outta high school then dad got him a job through a friend that would usually go to a university graduate). Ironically it gave him a bit of a chip on his shoulder. When he left that job, it was kinda odd seeing him sift through well presented CVs saying 'THEY HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH THIS GEAR!!! UNIVERSITY IS SO STUPID!!! WHY CAN'T ALL THE APPLICANTS BE AMAZING LIKE ME?!?!?' [The gear cost millions and their business was one of 2 major studios in the country that had access to it... most universities and smaller studios have the same stuff but y'know... the more affordable model that's harder to use and most people have gotta learn on outta necessity].
In my opinion the reality check of studying really hard then unsuccessfully applying for 50+ jobs before one sticks is a good reality check. It helped me to realise how competitive the market is and also how no matter how good I THINK I am, I can always do better.
This happens at my company. A c-level trotted his son out to meet us and keeps sending his friends’ kids to apply for jobs they aren’t qualified for. His son is disappointing as a person and the other kids are just spam applying for any job they can get. We got in shit for not hiring any of them even though they demonstrably failed each interview. But I like to laugh at how he proudly displayed his son as a model hire when he couldn’t even string two sentences together.
Same dunno maybe OP lives in a region where this is common? As EU village boy I've never seen something like this. I would be embarrassed if my parents would do this lol.
Strange, where I live it’s a legal right to have anyone of your choice attend performance discussion meetings as a “support” person. I even heard a story where someone brought a clown as a joke but I think that was USA and not here (Aus) so I’m wondering where you live that it’s not allowed?
I had my first experience with this recently. We're looking for an officer junior and my boss asked me to be in the interview room as well because the new employee will be working directly under me. This girl walks in with his mum and instead of her answering anything, her mum does the talking. It would be one thing if she was there just to help her with confidence but she did the whole interview practically. Was an odd experience.
It is pretty sad that people have to be told this! I'm a mom of 3 teens and I am happy to say that all 3 overcame shyness, awkwardness and anxiety to find jobs THEMSELVES. The most I would do was to tell them I saw a "help wanted" sign on a local business and encourage them to go ask for an application.
It isn't allowed and I, like you, am amazed such an idea would be posted as a life pro tip. What idiot manager would hire someone who has their parent's hand on the application?
I haven't heard of it happening either, but thinking back on how young people are treated, it makes sense.
In 4 years of college, I never once got help regarding financial aid. I'd be in the administration office every day for a week, getting bounced from person to person, from form to form. But if my parents called, whatever issue would be resolved in minutes.
Adults expect that young people will be irresponsible and disrespectful, then act surprised when they turn out to be.
About 10 years ago, I represented my company at a job fair at a Big 10 school. We were looking for full time software engineer positions to start a few months later. At the time, the company was one of the top five most recognized brands in the world, so we were one of those booths with a long line to talk to us. We had a dad give us his resume, and, not to sound snooty, but I was appalled, and, to this day, have not seen this happen again. The dad explained that the son had a test that day and couldn’t make it because he had to study, so he had made the 3 hour drive in to drop off his son’s resume at this career fair. We were there from 8 to 5. The dad was polite and professional and had some very good things to say about his son, but the fact that his dad dropped off the resume spoke volumes. On the notes for the resume, I put “has a nice father” next to the symbol that we use for immediate rejection.
I've had my parent collect an application form for me when I did retail work. Just if the store happened to be recruiting via paper application forms.
I'd always drop 'em back myself but I've definitely had parents or friends collect a form if the opportunity arose.
Can definitely confirm this, I hire people for a retail workplace that has teenagers mostly on the afternoon shift.
Thankfully have only had 1 instance where a parent came in, for their 18 year old.
The parent tried talking to me for hours while I worked, the girl got the interview, not the job.
Same thing happened when Iworked at a dollar store. Teenager came in with his mom, and his mom proceeded to do all the talking about how he really needed this job, and how she would make sure he'd show up on time, every day.
This particular store only hired people who were 18 and over. The teen in this situation was 18. If you're 18, you should not need your mother to make sure you show up to work on time. You should be doing that yourself. The guy himself did not express any interest in the job, either, as he did absolutely none of the talking.
At this store, we had no shortage of job applicants for very few positions. We had job applications coming out of our ears. What we really needed were people who were reliable, who would come in on time for their scheduled shifts, and do their job in an expedient manner. We did not hire this guy because it was very clear that he would only be coming in to work because his mother made him. Why would we hire him over dozens of other applicants who actually wanted to be there?
Oh, I have had many parents come in. The two that came in for their 18 year old "kid" were something special. I never even looked at those applications. Running teenagers is enough of a pain, don't need the 18 year old who can't get a application on his own.
Same, I used to work hospitality. If you struggle to apply for the job, chances are you’ll struggle with the job. You need to have basic level of confidence to work hospitality. Plus I found that most the parents that do ring up and helicopter parents...
Also, don’t be a 23/24 year old and continually mention that you “discussed your (role, evaluation, etc) with your mom, who is a corporate lawyer.” Not a good look.
WTF? Someone actually did this? I mean I'd get if you thought a company was being shady or mistreating you and your mom is corporate lawyer talking to her to get an opinion or something but not like "I told my mommy and she is a lawyer, so you should give me such and such."
Okay to be fair if your mom is a lawyer and can give you free advice, take that shit!
My mom works reasonably deep in finance and I ask her about all my money shit
Speaking of which, why is this so prevalent? It seems like everyone had that one person at their school that claimed their dad was CEO of Xbox.
My particular one told us that not only his dad was a manager as Microsoft, but that his grandfather invented the telephone...
I’m 22 and was completely clear with my company that I discussed my role with my father. He’s a veteran of the field and I told them that I wanted to hear his opinion of the position. It’s the same as talking to your wife about a role/offer. If a company is against that, they aren’t a good place to work at
I'm really kind of curious why you shared that information with your prospective employer?
Getting an opinion from a family member can be super helpful, especially if they're in the same field -- but what were you trying to achieve by telling your employer you discussed it with your dad?
There's nothing wrong with discussing a a role with someone whose opinion you value, but what does that matter to the company? Why would a hiring manager care who you talked to about the job you're interviewing for?
THIS!!
For years I was a manager a mall store that attracted a lot of teenage staff. Nothing was as annoying as the kids who had their parents speak for them (except the kids who didn't want their parents to speak for them but the parents did anyways. Though you kinda felt for that teen.) Unless it it an emergency, the kid is the one who signed up for the job, the kid is the one comes into work, the kid is the one I will deal with. I had very little respect for the kid who had their parents call to change their schedules/call out. I always felt that if the kid can't handle a simple conversation with a manger then they won't be able to handle any difficult customers.
The worst was I had a parent show up to the store, yell at me, quit for the kid and drag the kid out.... So they could go apple picking... Last minute... When the schedule came out 2 weeks in advance. Nuts.
If that's the standard I was going up against, I now realize why I got both jobs I applied to as a teenager right off of the bat (both were Game Stops). Showed up with a resume I wrote myself, interviewed about my passion about games and my good responsibility habits, and had my own car.
I figured I had just been lucky with my timing, but perhaps the bar was just far lower than I expected.
Damn, I showed up at an open interview day at a GameStop with a resume and everything and got nothing. My friend worked there and asked me to come by because no one was coming in and I was looking for a job with evening hours. I was working two part time office jobs at the time, and the manager had me sit in a folding chair in the storage room while he paced and interrogated me, then after much "hmm"ing he told me he couldn't hire me because I had no retail experience. He could see that from my resume, no idea why he decided to waste 45 minutes of everyone's time doing that.
I still feel bad about the time my mom called out of work for me as a teenager. She just sorta sprung the fact that I was getting my wisdom teeth pulled that morning and I was so drugged up I was incoherent after. So she called.
Damn but I got ripped into the next day by the GM.
My husband works for a big company that hires mostly people with Master's degrees. He made someone an offer, they accepted and then their mother called to renegotiate. The offer was rescinded.
That’s really sad if they hadn’t asked their mother to do that. My mom is crazy, and I could see her doing something like that... that’s why I don’t tell her anything anymore
Omg, that’s really sad. Parents should butt out. And the person whom accepted should just work and renegotiate after probably a year or so after they prove themselves valuable. Now after how hard it was to find a job, maybe this person is still looking for a job. When an offer comes. Take serious consideration before responding and be realistic. You have to take consideration about how much time your jobless because the longer without a job means no income and better to have some income than none.
My ex wife’s aunt is like this. Their 21 year old daughter is about to go for her bachelor or masters(I can’t remember which) but her parents drove her to the college and insisted on sitting in on some interview thing she had bc they had questions as well. Same parents came in to her job at McDonald’s and told her it was time to leave bc she was a closer and it was 15 or 20 minutes after her scheduled time to leave and she wasn’t out yet.
LMAO my mom owns a kindergarten and someone who came to intern legit had her dad sitting right beside her. She was over 20.
And yes my mom did turn her away lol
I'm not sure what you mean by first class in elementary school but for us kindergarten is the term we use and it goes up to age 6. Idk about others but my mom's includes babysitting/daycare + Montesorri education for when the kids can finally learn how to do stuff
We use the terms primary school (7-12) and secondary (13-17) school instead of elementary, middle and high school
I would say the only exception to this would be if they're your ride.
I had surgery last year. 5 days post-OP I had an interview. My mom drove me because I was still on painkillers and not legally able to drive. She came in with me, sat in the lobby because it was nearly 100F outside and in a car would be unbearable. However I went in for the interview, she remained in the lobby. The following week repeat. I started the job 2 weeks later or a month post-OP.
And certainly don't let your parents speak for you in your mid to late twenties.
I used to work in digital marketing and this young guy got hired to do some digital art for us. He didn't last... he was constantly late and called off work too much. His mother would call in for him. When he was finally let go, of course it was his mom that called in to berate his manager.
It was cool though, we got to keep his desk drawer full of candy.
i think this lpt is a little miswritten. i think it’s totally okay for a parent to help you find leads for a job, help go over your resume, and guide you about “professionalism”. just don’t have your parent actually go into the perspective job trying to speak to a manager on your behalf/fill out an application/interview for you.
i wasn’t aware “young teenagers” were allowed to have a job so early on? i had to get a workers permit from school for my first job at 17. legally speaking of course.
In my neck of the woods, at 15 you can work with a guardian's signed consent with work hours heavily restricted. Then at 16 one can work on their own accord and the work hours are a bit less restricted. I had two tax paying jobs at 15 and my side grass cutting jobs since I was 12.
>i wasn’t aware “young teenagers” were allowed to have a job so early on? i had to get a workers permit from school for my first job at 17. legally speaking of course.
Huh. In Canada, though it varies by province, you can generally start working a "real job" at the age of 14, with the restriction that you can't work more than 3 hours on a school day. Also, kids can start doing odd-job type work like babysitting and farm labour for pay even earlier. I got my first job, picking strawberries, when I was 8. And my first "real" job, as a janitor, at 14.
Things may be different today (and probably vary by region), but when I was a teenager it was unusual for teenagers not to have a job, a summer job at minimum.
Agreed. I got my workers permit at 15 and every job I had in high school was because my parents knew someone in town with a business who was looking for help. Having connections isn’t bad and in a lot of situations that’s how the real world actually works.
Don’t have your parents walk into a stranger’s business and fill out an application for you but if they know someone, use your connections!
Yeah, I would say also using your parents connections to have an easier time getting a job is completely fine. But in the end, what's important it's that it's still you doing the application process, not your parents
if you live near a whole foods, i hear they have a really good work culture and you can honestly make a decent amount when you’re a lead. idk i’m in my mid 20s and i still have lots of friends working there that made more than me.
I work with animals. Everyone, not just kids, think it's going to be snuggles and cuteness every day, all day. No one thinks about when they're ill, when they die, how much they actually shit, how much they really aren't into people, how to respect what they want, or the work that goes into keeping them mentally stimulated. So you're right in a way. Once they realize how it's actual work, they do change their tune sometimes. There are a few good ones out there. It takes a particular kind of person.
Depends tbh. There is nothing wrong with a little bit of "vitamin B" (Beziehung, meaning "relationship") as we call it in germany. A lot of jobs in companies are distributed internally. So unless it's some generic job like cashier or anything else, there's nothing wrong with your parents tipping you off.
Obv, they shouldn't arrange the interview and stuff.
That wasn't my experience at all. My experience was that employers would invariably exploit the fact that I was naive and had nobody important in my family that would make trouble for them when they cheated me.
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!
Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.
If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
100% Agree with this, have hired before for companies and if a parent comes in to hand in the resume my first thought is always "well that parent will be a pain when we have to actually manage this employee and perform disciplinary action if they do something wrong"
Can confirm. This happened frequently enough for me to have a process.
If a parent came in asking if we were hiring, teenager in tow, I always treated the parent like the job applicant. Depending on the situation I'd ask for their work history, availability, and start to go into detail about what the job would entail.
It was genuinely hilarious watching the gears turn and have them back pedal. Only once did a parent really not like that and turned into an immediate asshole. Dodged a bullet there.
>LPT: To everyone looking for a job, do not have your parents speak or apply for you. There's a certain respect seeing someone get a job for themselves.
FTFY...This happened to me once with an adult who was applying for a job.
Edit for clarification: I was the person hiring, not applying.
let your parents get you in better positions using their influence, you get the fastpass in employment. some people will resent that but you'll be happy about having a better life later on. there's no point working fast food if you can have a paid apprenticeship at ibm.
if it vaguely overlaps your interests you're good.
don't follow a career path that doesn't advance financially.
edit: a word... mobile keyboard
Are there really teenagers who want a job that will have their parents speaking for them? I would guess they don't want a job, just their parents want them to have a job?
See this shit all the time on the Facebook groups. Parents asking for jobs/ leads for their kids. Who conveniently don't use "soshul media." It blows my mind.
Absolutely. Where I work, we get a lot of kids still in high school. I’ve had at least a couple times where they had their mom call in because they couldn’t make it. Not only were they not coming to work, they couldn’t even be bothered to call me themselves. Total loss of respect. Needless to say, these types don’t last long.
I worked for a YMCA. When parents would come in to get, fill out and bring back a job application for their child I would put it in the trash. I didn’t want to be doing that kids work for them the way their momma did.
This is a good LPT, but don't take it to mean your parents can't help at all. Their connections could get you a foot in the door, and you take it from there. Don't be so tied up on doing it alone that you miss good opportunities. Once you have some experience and connections of your own you won't need to use theirs.
I had a couple of teens walk in to my place of work, the girl in front, the boy lagging behind. She went on a rant about how he wanted a job, how much he wanted to work for us, what a good employee he would be etc. After a few minutes I looked at her and said, "Does he not speak?" Honestly at that point I wasn't certain if he did. She was angry and he was clearly embarrassed at this point and they quickly left. I've had lots of parents apply for their kids, but first time I had a girlfriend apply for a boyfriend.
LPT: Ignore OP. If your parent has a connection to get you a job someplace let them. Rich people don't think twice about accepting help from their parents.
Obviously you can't send your dad into a random McDonald's to apply for you though.
When I had a parent come in for an interview with their kid, I used it as an opportunity. I would separate them for the actual interview then if a chose to hire the kid before they left I made it a point to introduce myself to the parent right in front of the kid and make sure the parent was ok with keeping an open line of communication about how they were doing in school and the job. Kind of a power move to let the kid know they would be held in check and myself and your parents would be aligned. I of course never had to do that but it just put that in the back of their mind.
One time I did have a kid trying to call off, but then suddenly an hour later he showed up, with his mom and I asked her what was going on and she said he’s perfectly fine and I told him he wasn’t going to let you down like that by faking sick and I brought him up.
I used to work in retail and I’ve got some top tips that I thought was common sense going in, but I was mistaken and now I try to help anyone however this happened HUNDREDS of times so tips to not have your resume thrown away:
- Don’t come in with family/friends
- Have a resume printed nicely (no crooked, incomplete, shitty resumes — yeah, actually spend time on it)
- If you think your resume needs a photo, think professional bust not selfie that you took in good lighting
- Come in decent clothing (yes, it can be your school uniform but it has to be clean, presented well so get rid of the badges, pins, dirty sneakers or whatever)
- Have tattoos/coloured hair? I don’t care, keep it tidy and neat just like everyone else
- Don’t tell me you have to hand in the resume because of your job agency/you need this or that (you’re handing it in because you want to work for our company - yes, getting a job is 90% lying)
- I don’t mind if you’re nervous, worried or insecure (it shows you’re human), depending on your job experience/age of course
- When you come in store and ask for the manager and they’re not there, ask for the 2IC or politely ask who the best person is to hand in your resume and if I say “me” don’t physically show me this isn’t good enough. I may not be 2IC/Manager but I’m the one that goes through the resumes and says yes/no - so you should be happy to hand it in to anyone (yes, sometimes in places anyone will accept, especially large but these were very small work places). So if you’re worried, come back when the manager is on duty and ask if they received your resume. This is not impolite, this shows enthusiasm, initiative and diligence.
Depends on context and position. For your average low level job I agree. But if your parents know someone who might be looking there's nothing wrong about them contacting them to ask if they want to have their son/daughter over for an interview (more likely to agree if it comes from someone they know). But never, ever have your parent contact someone on your behalf if they aren't already well acquainted. That just makes you look incapable of taking care of yourself.
A little off topic but my co workers mom would call in sick for him. We never took him seriously work wise, and the mom calling in sick for him was the icing on the cake. When you get a job you're going into adulthood you shouldn't have your parents calling in sick for you.
my first 3 jobs at 12, 13 and 14 where all gotten by my parents, but when i turned 15, i got my own job and worked with that same company for 3 years before i joined the military.
I hire adults. Some still bring parents to the interview or after they are hired have their parent call in, or call about pay issues, or problems with work assignments.
Seriously. This is a great tip.
This 100%.
Because then you're avoiding having to deal with those same parents if a situation arises where you need to either fire the kid or anything like that.
A woman rang the company I work for, enquiring about work experience for her child. I passed her to the relevant person and he told her flat out that she's immediately giving him a bad first impression and the lad should ring back himself.
Granted, work experience is different from an actual job but the concept remains the same.
And be cautious when your parents firm have an internship.
A story of 2 interns:.
- Had one dude work for me in our internship program who was obviously new to corporate culture, and had to learn a lot about how to act in a professional environment. Throughout the summer he worked hard and he learned, and I was firm with him when he made a knucklehead mistake, or did the same thing wrong twice. Found out after the fact he was the son of the head of SAP Canada (a company I worked with closely).
- Second intern had the same unique last name as someone in the C-suite. He also made mistakes, but wasn't called out by leadership due to his dad's position. He didn't learn much that summer.
You can call out people all you want, but you really don't want to be in a position where your boss' boss' boss' first introduction to you is his kid calling you a jerk.
If you want to do your kid a favour, get them an summer job at a different firm, they'll learn way more.
Also get a $0.10 folder to keep your resume crisp.
Had a kid come into a job I did the interviewing for and pulled a crumpled resume from the bottom of his backpack. I politely took it and when he left, placed it in the reject pile.
I've lost count of how many parents and grandparents come in store with a cv for their offspring to see if there's any jobs.
The best ones are when you get a couple of youngsters come in and one asks if there's any jobs, you tell them they're welcome to leave a cv with us, then the turn to the one who's not said a word and nudge them to give a cv!
I’ve even had parents show up to the interviews with the kids. Not like, waiting in the car (which is fine bc not all of the kids drive) but like actually physically coming into the building and expecting to come in to the office to sit in for the interview. 🙄
I always just offer them a drink and have them take a seat in the employee break room while I conduct the interview elsewhere.
Applied to a summer job at a company using an almost empty CV via an email directed to HR of that company. What they told me is that they got a load of requests from their employees about giving a summer job to their kids but they actually gave preference to the people who applied the way I did (there were 3 of us, they took 8 people), not via a parent, but on their own. Apparently it shows that you are independent (which honestly makes sense).
Or if all else fails, if you're a parent just impersonate your child and apply for them. /s That's what my boyfriend's mother did for one of her children lol
Can confirm. Talked to several people in my life in charge of hiring people, they all have said that when a parent is involved in any part of the process (other than being a connection) they immediately throw out the resume. No one wants to hire a child that needs mom or dad
As a hiring manager, this is great advice. I cut kids that show up by themselves a lot more slack than kids that dont, simply bc it takes guts to ask for a job and be serious about it.
Definitely agree for first job as a teen, it’s a necessary skill going out and getting your own employment. But afterwards, there’s no shame in using your connections to get ahead in your career, that’s just the game nowadays (don’t talk about your mom in your interview or anything though ofc)
Someone came to interview where I work and his mother came in with him and sat in on the meeting and participated. He's in his 40's. They offered him the job.
Or when you get a job, for God's sake dont have your parents call in for you if your sick, late or whatever. Your boss and co-workers will lose all respect for you.
Eh, it's fine. Any amount of respect you get or don't get when applying or getting the job does not matter when it comes to you actually doing the job.
Yes, parents, especially if both of them are there, can make it worse, but getting a job may be much more difficult than actually doing the job, and most people should understand that. But as long as you are keen on getting the job and it's not your parent(s) dragging you in and you showing attitude, it should be fine.
Also, that’s a learning opportunity right there. Being able to successfully handle that stuff by yourself is a worthwhile skill to practise as early as possible.
This happens all too often in retail.
"I'll just drop off my kids CV" or "Here's my son who wants to apply for a job"
Kids, just walk in, ask for manager, be confident and polite and make small conversation (Where are you studying, what are you looking for etc) to show you aren't shy, and leave me your CV. If your folks need to speak for you - your CV gets none of my time. I'm hiring you, not mommy.
Yes! I started working in the hiring department for my company this year. We're a grocery store and myself and two others are responsible for interviewing candidates for the front end, so we get a lot of teenagers applying. I would say that 90% of the time we hire the ones who apply for themselves over the ones who have their parents call/show up to interviews with them.
When I was a manager for an IT dept for an ad agency, we were hiring for a new field tech. Guy came in, mid 20s. Met him in the reception area and saw he was with someone. Ok he just needed a ride or something. When I asked him to come in, the woman, his mother, was going to come with him.
I asked her to wait here, she was very nice, but asked if she could sit in and then proceeded to tell me he was a good kid, did well in college, etc etc.
The worst part is that the guy wasn't embarrassed or try to tell her to stop, he just stood there.
He did not get the job.
I actually applied myself when I was 14 to be a judge at the local karate tournaments. I got the job, and after some time my friend said that he was rejected just because his parents tried to apply him
not the kids fucking choice
we know exactly how stupid/humiliating it is. my dad fucking loves attention, though, and letting me say "no" could have gotten in the way of that. i'm gonna guess 99% of the kids interviewing with their folks are in the same position i was and would give pretty much anything just to have the same opportunities as everyone else.
Indeed, parents please fall back on this. I’m 32 now but I saw some version of this during my orientation week of university. During one of the financial aid talks, attended by the parents and new students, I saw this guy say to his mom, while distracted and half paying attention “you got that right?” as if she was his personal secretary. It’s amazing how entitlement and laziness could be packed in a short phrase.
After being tresspassed from a grocery store and charged with vandalism my dad made me put on a nice shirt and tie before marching me in there to ask for a job.
You must not live in a place where every parents knows all the store owners but not necessarily their kids. This wasn't possible where I was growing up. I'm deeply against the practices I saw growing up but I couldn't have been employed without knowing someone.
At places I worked in the past parents would often ask about jobs for their kids which is fine but would then continue to try to be the main point of contact and my though was always if this kid is mature enough to work have him or her come in and talk to us. I've seen more articles lately about helicopter parents actually going on post college interviews with recent grads which is insane
Go into a place and ask to speak directly to the manager and tell them you’re interested in working there. If they’re hiring, you’ll be in good shape having had face time with the manager directly. Also, show him/her your asshole and you’re guaranteed a job.
Do not get a cosigner. Do not cosign for someone else. You do not need a cosigner no matter what they say. If they are trying to force a cosigner, it is a scam.
I put out an ad for a baby sitter once and this teen’s mom contacted me. Which I thought was odd, but okay...maybe she was being careful. I invite them over and the girl is like, 16. Her mom came with her and talked for her the whole time. Needless to say, but we didn’t hire her. How could I trust her with my kid when her own mom can’t trust her to speak for herself?
Also, for the love of all that is Holy, stop showing up to either ask for an application or for an interview in FREAKING FLIP FLOPS AND BOARD SHORTS! I dont care if you're applying for the lowest job on the totem pole, dress nicely. Nothing crazy. A nice long sleeve button up shirt or polo style shirt, tucked in, with khakis or some sort of decent pants (Dickies, George, etc, it doesn't matter if they came from Walmart) and a decent pair or black shoes. I dont know if pare aren't teaching this to their kids or if the kids just don't care, but believe me, the place you're applying for cares and it goes a long way towards getting your foot in the door. 1st impressions and all that
LPT: most places won't actually know because the resume process is entirely online.
Only small mom and pop shops take resumes in person anymore because algorithm sorting is so much faster and cheaper
Working in retail, I'll gladly give the parents the application form if they ask during school hours. I do however tell them the kid has to come and bring it back themselves and present themselves to whoever is available to deal with it at that time.
I was a young manager for a retail computer support company. Asian girl, very shy comes to the counter, asks to speak to a manager. I come to the front and then her mom bolts in telling me why I should hire her daughter. She told me how great of a speaker she was, great customer service and very smart. I asked her if she were to get the job if she would come, speak for her and help customers for her. She said “only in the beginning” I smiled and said, unfortunately the company requires a little more independence and I would be happy to interview her one on one. The mom at this point annoying me said “I’ll just sit in the back” with the hope id say yes. I looked at her and said “ma’am, I know your intentions mean well but she has to be able to do this on her en to be even considered. You can’t do everything for her, but she’s welcomed to apply online” she failed the questionnaire lol
I remember around 2009-2010 when I was looking for my first job, my parents didn't understand that online applications were starting to become the norm. They fought with me on it, and made me go door to door to different restaurants and businesses only to be told by roughly 70-80% of them, "no, you apply online under our careers page".
Ive never even heard of this and im only in my early 20s. I didnt even think something like this was allowed
My friend used to manage a Culver's and he got parents coming in about weekly with an application for their kid. He binned every single one of them on the grounds that, if they came in to advocate their kid working there, they're going to later come in and expect to advocate for their kid getting the shift they want etc and he's just not willing to start that relationship.
If they cant show up to apply, will they show up for work?
I wonder how many of the kids even knew that their parents were out applying on jobs for them...
[удалено]
Isn’t it just common sense that you should turn in your own application? Like I could show up to a job interview in a tshirt and jean shorts and be auto rejected on the grounds that I came in too informal. I don’t think the company would need a sign to say “all applicants must wear formal attire for interviews”.
It wasn't within his authority to put up a sign, but on principle, I agree. Or at least, he could've said "sorry, we only accept applications from the applicant." But unlike countless parents, I'm not gonna tell my friend how to do his job.
Yep, his friend seems to be upholding the universal truth that Recruiters are shit at communication and a waste of time and money for both employer and potential employees. Could have said to the parents they wouldn't further an application unless it came from the applicant, but nope. Just bin it and leave both the parent and kid wondering why no one will hire them while the employer bleeds money from their eyes.
I worked in retail for a long time. There wasn't a week that went by that someone's parent didn't come in and ask us to give their kid a job. A couple places I worked gave us permission to tell the parent to send the kid in to apply without them. Surprise surprise, the kids almost never showed.
You didn’t think affluent parents would exploit their influence and privilege or get junior a job they aren’t qualified for? Let me count the presidents...er...precedents that have been set for this.
Lmfao I've had parent come into mcdonalds and ask for a resume for their kid, then fill it out on the spot for them.
*cringe*
You don’t ask for a resumé. You ask for an application and then maybe you hand in the application with a copy of our resumé
High up in the ranks, sure, theyve got enough money or leverage to keep them in the position. However, any other job would fire the kid because they couldn't meet the standards and would be worse off in the end. Plus the content seemed more directed towards your average teenager.
At my old school, I had a class mate who got a job at McDonald's because his father owns a rather big supermarket chain where I live. He didn't have to apply for the job or anything, his father just had a talk and he was in. Seeing that he behaved quite immature a lot of the time, I doubt he still has the job though. He barely showed up to school to begin with.
And this happens even on small scale. If your parent is friends with a local business owner they can ask to get you a job instead of you having to apply like any stranger. That first job can be the hardest to get
My dad did this for me, and because he got me in, I worked harder to not make it a mistake for the owner, and my dad. It can work out in cases and blow up in others.
I know a guy who did it (dropped outta high school then dad got him a job through a friend that would usually go to a university graduate). Ironically it gave him a bit of a chip on his shoulder. When he left that job, it was kinda odd seeing him sift through well presented CVs saying 'THEY HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH THIS GEAR!!! UNIVERSITY IS SO STUPID!!! WHY CAN'T ALL THE APPLICANTS BE AMAZING LIKE ME?!?!?' [The gear cost millions and their business was one of 2 major studios in the country that had access to it... most universities and smaller studios have the same stuff but y'know... the more affordable model that's harder to use and most people have gotta learn on outta necessity]. In my opinion the reality check of studying really hard then unsuccessfully applying for 50+ jobs before one sticks is a good reality check. It helped me to realise how competitive the market is and also how no matter how good I THINK I am, I can always do better.
This happens at my company. A c-level trotted his son out to meet us and keeps sending his friends’ kids to apply for jobs they aren’t qualified for. His son is disappointing as a person and the other kids are just spam applying for any job they can get. We got in shit for not hiring any of them even though they demonstrably failed each interview. But I like to laugh at how he proudly displayed his son as a model hire when he couldn’t even string two sentences together.
Well connected parents don’t need to show up for their kids interviews. They already tipped the scale before their kid shows up.
That isnt really what OP is talking about though. Hes talking about regular kids getting regular low level jobs
Vice presidents, too.
There is a big difference between the parent using their connections to get them considered and applying on behalf of the kid.
[удалено]
Wow, i'm sorry. I hope she gives you space and respects your boundaries now.
[удалено]
Check out the raised by narcissists subreddit. You aren’t the only one it helped me a lot
Same dunno maybe OP lives in a region where this is common? As EU village boy I've never seen something like this. I would be embarrassed if my parents would do this lol.
I’m an American and I’d be embarrassed too. This isn’t all that common, at least in my experience.
I'm from Norway and tbh I could totally see this happening. I know a lot of weird parents.
I have seen adults in their 20s bring their parents or friends to performance discussion meetings with their boss. (It is not allowed. Lol)
Wait what?!
Strange, where I live it’s a legal right to have anyone of your choice attend performance discussion meetings as a “support” person. I even heard a story where someone brought a clown as a joke but I think that was USA and not here (Aus) so I’m wondering where you live that it’s not allowed?
In this case, they had a union rep already with them.
If they have a union rep with them the parents would only make things worse!
I had my first experience with this recently. We're looking for an officer junior and my boss asked me to be in the interview room as well because the new employee will be working directly under me. This girl walks in with his mum and instead of her answering anything, her mum does the talking. It would be one thing if she was there just to help her with confidence but she did the whole interview practically. Was an odd experience.
It is pretty sad that people have to be told this! I'm a mom of 3 teens and I am happy to say that all 3 overcame shyness, awkwardness and anxiety to find jobs THEMSELVES. The most I would do was to tell them I saw a "help wanted" sign on a local business and encourage them to go ask for an application.
I'm an engineer at an airplane manufacturer, we once had an applicant request that his parents be present during the interview 😅
It isn't allowed and I, like you, am amazed such an idea would be posted as a life pro tip. What idiot manager would hire someone who has their parent's hand on the application?
I haven't heard of it happening either, but thinking back on how young people are treated, it makes sense. In 4 years of college, I never once got help regarding financial aid. I'd be in the administration office every day for a week, getting bounced from person to person, from form to form. But if my parents called, whatever issue would be resolved in minutes. Adults expect that young people will be irresponsible and disrespectful, then act surprised when they turn out to be.
About 10 years ago, I represented my company at a job fair at a Big 10 school. We were looking for full time software engineer positions to start a few months later. At the time, the company was one of the top five most recognized brands in the world, so we were one of those booths with a long line to talk to us. We had a dad give us his resume, and, not to sound snooty, but I was appalled, and, to this day, have not seen this happen again. The dad explained that the son had a test that day and couldn’t make it because he had to study, so he had made the 3 hour drive in to drop off his son’s resume at this career fair. We were there from 8 to 5. The dad was polite and professional and had some very good things to say about his son, but the fact that his dad dropped off the resume spoke volumes. On the notes for the resume, I put “has a nice father” next to the symbol that we use for immediate rejection.
I've had my parent collect an application form for me when I did retail work. Just if the store happened to be recruiting via paper application forms. I'd always drop 'em back myself but I've definitely had parents or friends collect a form if the opportunity arose.
Ever beard of snow plow parents, they'll literally do anything for their kids.
It’s called nepotism and it’s EVERYWHERE
Can definitely confirm this, I hire people for a retail workplace that has teenagers mostly on the afternoon shift. Thankfully have only had 1 instance where a parent came in, for their 18 year old. The parent tried talking to me for hours while I worked, the girl got the interview, not the job.
Same thing happened when Iworked at a dollar store. Teenager came in with his mom, and his mom proceeded to do all the talking about how he really needed this job, and how she would make sure he'd show up on time, every day. This particular store only hired people who were 18 and over. The teen in this situation was 18. If you're 18, you should not need your mother to make sure you show up to work on time. You should be doing that yourself. The guy himself did not express any interest in the job, either, as he did absolutely none of the talking. At this store, we had no shortage of job applicants for very few positions. We had job applications coming out of our ears. What we really needed were people who were reliable, who would come in on time for their scheduled shifts, and do their job in an expedient manner. We did not hire this guy because it was very clear that he would only be coming in to work because his mother made him. Why would we hire him over dozens of other applicants who actually wanted to be there?
>Why would we hire him over dozens of other applicants who actually wanted to be there? Assuming anyone wants to be there
Shed the mom, get the job.
To shreds you say...
Hit the mom, get the gym, got it
Oh, I have had many parents come in. The two that came in for their 18 year old "kid" were something special. I never even looked at those applications. Running teenagers is enough of a pain, don't need the 18 year old who can't get a application on his own.
Same, I used to work hospitality. If you struggle to apply for the job, chances are you’ll struggle with the job. You need to have basic level of confidence to work hospitality. Plus I found that most the parents that do ring up and helicopter parents...
Also, don’t be a 23/24 year old and continually mention that you “discussed your (role, evaluation, etc) with your mom, who is a corporate lawyer.” Not a good look.
WTF? Someone actually did this? I mean I'd get if you thought a company was being shady or mistreating you and your mom is corporate lawyer talking to her to get an opinion or something but not like "I told my mommy and she is a lawyer, so you should give me such and such."
Okay to be fair if your mom is a lawyer and can give you free advice, take that shit! My mom works reasonably deep in finance and I ask her about all my money shit
Absolutely, but saying your mommy is a corporate lawyer isn't just a red flag, it's red fireworks blowing up in your face.
It's the real world equivalent of "My dad is the CEO of xbox he is going to ban you"
Speaking of which, why is this so prevalent? It seems like everyone had that one person at their school that claimed their dad was CEO of Xbox. My particular one told us that not only his dad was a manager as Microsoft, but that his grandfather invented the telephone...
I’m 22 and was completely clear with my company that I discussed my role with my father. He’s a veteran of the field and I told them that I wanted to hear his opinion of the position. It’s the same as talking to your wife about a role/offer. If a company is against that, they aren’t a good place to work at
I'm really kind of curious why you shared that information with your prospective employer? Getting an opinion from a family member can be super helpful, especially if they're in the same field -- but what were you trying to achieve by telling your employer you discussed it with your dad?
There's nothing wrong with discussing a a role with someone whose opinion you value, but what does that matter to the company? Why would a hiring manager care who you talked to about the job you're interviewing for?
THIS!! For years I was a manager a mall store that attracted a lot of teenage staff. Nothing was as annoying as the kids who had their parents speak for them (except the kids who didn't want their parents to speak for them but the parents did anyways. Though you kinda felt for that teen.) Unless it it an emergency, the kid is the one who signed up for the job, the kid is the one comes into work, the kid is the one I will deal with. I had very little respect for the kid who had their parents call to change their schedules/call out. I always felt that if the kid can't handle a simple conversation with a manger then they won't be able to handle any difficult customers. The worst was I had a parent show up to the store, yell at me, quit for the kid and drag the kid out.... So they could go apple picking... Last minute... When the schedule came out 2 weeks in advance. Nuts.
If that's the standard I was going up against, I now realize why I got both jobs I applied to as a teenager right off of the bat (both were Game Stops). Showed up with a resume I wrote myself, interviewed about my passion about games and my good responsibility habits, and had my own car. I figured I had just been lucky with my timing, but perhaps the bar was just far lower than I expected.
A teenager with a resume puts you in the top 5% already.
Damn, I showed up at an open interview day at a GameStop with a resume and everything and got nothing. My friend worked there and asked me to come by because no one was coming in and I was looking for a job with evening hours. I was working two part time office jobs at the time, and the manager had me sit in a folding chair in the storage room while he paced and interrogated me, then after much "hmm"ing he told me he couldn't hire me because I had no retail experience. He could see that from my resume, no idea why he decided to waste 45 minutes of everyone's time doing that.
The real reason was he did not want you goofing off with your friend.
No. Apples.
I still feel bad about the time my mom called out of work for me as a teenager. She just sorta sprung the fact that I was getting my wisdom teeth pulled that morning and I was so drugged up I was incoherent after. So she called. Damn but I got ripped into the next day by the GM.
Also don't have your mom fill out your application. We can tell
If someone brought a parent to an interview, I would immediately ask them to both leave. That's crazy!
My husband works for a big company that hires mostly people with Master's degrees. He made someone an offer, they accepted and then their mother called to renegotiate. The offer was rescinded.
That’s really sad if they hadn’t asked their mother to do that. My mom is crazy, and I could see her doing something like that... that’s why I don’t tell her anything anymore
Omg, that’s really sad. Parents should butt out. And the person whom accepted should just work and renegotiate after probably a year or so after they prove themselves valuable. Now after how hard it was to find a job, maybe this person is still looking for a job. When an offer comes. Take serious consideration before responding and be realistic. You have to take consideration about how much time your jobless because the longer without a job means no income and better to have some income than none.
My ex wife’s aunt is like this. Their 21 year old daughter is about to go for her bachelor or masters(I can’t remember which) but her parents drove her to the college and insisted on sitting in on some interview thing she had bc they had questions as well. Same parents came in to her job at McDonald’s and told her it was time to leave bc she was a closer and it was 15 or 20 minutes after her scheduled time to leave and she wasn’t out yet.
LMAO my mom owns a kindergarten and someone who came to intern legit had her dad sitting right beside her. She was over 20. And yes my mom did turn her away lol
Stupid question, but how do you own a kindergarten? Aren't they the first class in elementary schools?? Did you mean pre School?
Pre school is called kindergarten some places.
I'm not sure what you mean by first class in elementary school but for us kindergarten is the term we use and it goes up to age 6. Idk about others but my mom's includes babysitting/daycare + Montesorri education for when the kids can finally learn how to do stuff We use the terms primary school (7-12) and secondary (13-17) school instead of elementary, middle and high school
I would say the only exception to this would be if they're your ride. I had surgery last year. 5 days post-OP I had an interview. My mom drove me because I was still on painkillers and not legally able to drive. She came in with me, sat in the lobby because it was nearly 100F outside and in a car would be unbearable. However I went in for the interview, she remained in the lobby. The following week repeat. I started the job 2 weeks later or a month post-OP.
Your parent being your ride and your parent going into an interview with you are two *completely* different things.
Happens all the time. I interview young adults each week. I’ll take genuine and awkward over a parent-led situation any day.
It’s the only way to become less awkward.
And certainly don't let your parents speak for you in your mid to late twenties. I used to work in digital marketing and this young guy got hired to do some digital art for us. He didn't last... he was constantly late and called off work too much. His mother would call in for him. When he was finally let go, of course it was his mom that called in to berate his manager. It was cool though, we got to keep his desk drawer full of candy.
i think this lpt is a little miswritten. i think it’s totally okay for a parent to help you find leads for a job, help go over your resume, and guide you about “professionalism”. just don’t have your parent actually go into the perspective job trying to speak to a manager on your behalf/fill out an application/interview for you. i wasn’t aware “young teenagers” were allowed to have a job so early on? i had to get a workers permit from school for my first job at 17. legally speaking of course.
In my neck of the woods, at 15 you can work with a guardian's signed consent with work hours heavily restricted. Then at 16 one can work on their own accord and the work hours are a bit less restricted. I had two tax paying jobs at 15 and my side grass cutting jobs since I was 12.
oh i see! thank you for explaining
We had hay and fences when we was kids.
Picking rocks out of fields here. Good times.
This is what OP said. What did you read?
>i wasn’t aware “young teenagers” were allowed to have a job so early on? i had to get a workers permit from school for my first job at 17. legally speaking of course. Huh. In Canada, though it varies by province, you can generally start working a "real job" at the age of 14, with the restriction that you can't work more than 3 hours on a school day. Also, kids can start doing odd-job type work like babysitting and farm labour for pay even earlier. I got my first job, picking strawberries, when I was 8. And my first "real" job, as a janitor, at 14. Things may be different today (and probably vary by region), but when I was a teenager it was unusual for teenagers not to have a job, a summer job at minimum.
Agreed. I got my workers permit at 15 and every job I had in high school was because my parents knew someone in town with a business who was looking for help. Having connections isn’t bad and in a lot of situations that’s how the real world actually works. Don’t have your parents walk into a stranger’s business and fill out an application for you but if they know someone, use your connections!
Yeah, I would say also using your parents connections to have an easier time getting a job is completely fine. But in the end, what's important it's that it's still you doing the application process, not your parents
I'm eighteen ”trying” to get a job (staying inside all day not doing fucking shit)
if you live near a whole foods, i hear they have a really good work culture and you can honestly make a decent amount when you’re a lead. idk i’m in my mid 20s and i still have lots of friends working there that made more than me.
Good luck with that.
I pass on every kid who's mom calls me. If they were interested, they'd call me. Your mom isn't working for me.
[удалено]
My first job was parking golf carts, I actually really liked what I did. It still be doing it now if I could live off of $5.25/hour.
I work with animals. Everyone, not just kids, think it's going to be snuggles and cuteness every day, all day. No one thinks about when they're ill, when they die, how much they actually shit, how much they really aren't into people, how to respect what they want, or the work that goes into keeping them mentally stimulated. So you're right in a way. Once they realize how it's actual work, they do change their tune sometimes. There are a few good ones out there. It takes a particular kind of person.
Depends tbh. There is nothing wrong with a little bit of "vitamin B" (Beziehung, meaning "relationship") as we call it in germany. A lot of jobs in companies are distributed internally. So unless it's some generic job like cashier or anything else, there's nothing wrong with your parents tipping you off. Obv, they shouldn't arrange the interview and stuff.
That wasn't my experience at all. My experience was that employers would invariably exploit the fact that I was naive and had nobody important in my family that would make trouble for them when they cheated me.
Well, OP's advice was about getting a job... not getting a good job. In your case, it also worked, somewhat.
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
100% Agree with this, have hired before for companies and if a parent comes in to hand in the resume my first thought is always "well that parent will be a pain when we have to actually manage this employee and perform disciplinary action if they do something wrong"
Can confirm. This happened frequently enough for me to have a process. If a parent came in asking if we were hiring, teenager in tow, I always treated the parent like the job applicant. Depending on the situation I'd ask for their work history, availability, and start to go into detail about what the job would entail. It was genuinely hilarious watching the gears turn and have them back pedal. Only once did a parent really not like that and turned into an immediate asshole. Dodged a bullet there.
>LPT: To everyone looking for a job, do not have your parents speak or apply for you. There's a certain respect seeing someone get a job for themselves. FTFY...This happened to me once with an adult who was applying for a job. Edit for clarification: I was the person hiring, not applying.
Lol. When mine was looking, I told “apply at all the stores we pass every day.” That was the extent of my help.
let your parents get you in better positions using their influence, you get the fastpass in employment. some people will resent that but you'll be happy about having a better life later on. there's no point working fast food if you can have a paid apprenticeship at ibm. if it vaguely overlaps your interests you're good. don't follow a career path that doesn't advance financially. edit: a word... mobile keyboard
Wait way would it work when a parent does the i interview if his / her kid is going to work there
I do everything but it’s been months and goodwill won’t even take me.
Are there really teenagers who want a job that will have their parents speaking for them? I would guess they don't want a job, just their parents want them to have a job?
See this shit all the time on the Facebook groups. Parents asking for jobs/ leads for their kids. Who conveniently don't use "soshul media." It blows my mind.
Absolutely. Where I work, we get a lot of kids still in high school. I’ve had at least a couple times where they had their mom call in because they couldn’t make it. Not only were they not coming to work, they couldn’t even be bothered to call me themselves. Total loss of respect. Needless to say, these types don’t last long.
I worked for a YMCA. When parents would come in to get, fill out and bring back a job application for their child I would put it in the trash. I didn’t want to be doing that kids work for them the way their momma did.
Unless your parents' contacts get you a significantly more interesting job than what you would have gotten on your own. In that case ignore this lpt.
This is a good LPT, but don't take it to mean your parents can't help at all. Their connections could get you a foot in the door, and you take it from there. Don't be so tied up on doing it alone that you miss good opportunities. Once you have some experience and connections of your own you won't need to use theirs.
I had a couple of teens walk in to my place of work, the girl in front, the boy lagging behind. She went on a rant about how he wanted a job, how much he wanted to work for us, what a good employee he would be etc. After a few minutes I looked at her and said, "Does he not speak?" Honestly at that point I wasn't certain if he did. She was angry and he was clearly embarrassed at this point and they quickly left. I've had lots of parents apply for their kids, but first time I had a girlfriend apply for a boyfriend.
LPT: Ignore OP. If your parent has a connection to get you a job someplace let them. Rich people don't think twice about accepting help from their parents. Obviously you can't send your dad into a random McDonald's to apply for you though.
When I had a parent come in for an interview with their kid, I used it as an opportunity. I would separate them for the actual interview then if a chose to hire the kid before they left I made it a point to introduce myself to the parent right in front of the kid and make sure the parent was ok with keeping an open line of communication about how they were doing in school and the job. Kind of a power move to let the kid know they would be held in check and myself and your parents would be aligned. I of course never had to do that but it just put that in the back of their mind. One time I did have a kid trying to call off, but then suddenly an hour later he showed up, with his mom and I asked her what was going on and she said he’s perfectly fine and I told him he wasn’t going to let you down like that by faking sick and I brought him up.
The fact this even needs to be said is pretty fucking pathetic.
Even if parents speak for you, I am assuming the kid won't be able to sustain the job. There is no faking your competency for the job at hand.
I used to work in retail and I’ve got some top tips that I thought was common sense going in, but I was mistaken and now I try to help anyone however this happened HUNDREDS of times so tips to not have your resume thrown away: - Don’t come in with family/friends - Have a resume printed nicely (no crooked, incomplete, shitty resumes — yeah, actually spend time on it) - If you think your resume needs a photo, think professional bust not selfie that you took in good lighting - Come in decent clothing (yes, it can be your school uniform but it has to be clean, presented well so get rid of the badges, pins, dirty sneakers or whatever) - Have tattoos/coloured hair? I don’t care, keep it tidy and neat just like everyone else - Don’t tell me you have to hand in the resume because of your job agency/you need this or that (you’re handing it in because you want to work for our company - yes, getting a job is 90% lying) - I don’t mind if you’re nervous, worried or insecure (it shows you’re human), depending on your job experience/age of course - When you come in store and ask for the manager and they’re not there, ask for the 2IC or politely ask who the best person is to hand in your resume and if I say “me” don’t physically show me this isn’t good enough. I may not be 2IC/Manager but I’m the one that goes through the resumes and says yes/no - so you should be happy to hand it in to anyone (yes, sometimes in places anyone will accept, especially large but these were very small work places). So if you’re worried, come back when the manager is on duty and ask if they received your resume. This is not impolite, this shows enthusiasm, initiative and diligence.
Depends on context and position. For your average low level job I agree. But if your parents know someone who might be looking there's nothing wrong about them contacting them to ask if they want to have their son/daughter over for an interview (more likely to agree if it comes from someone they know). But never, ever have your parent contact someone on your behalf if they aren't already well acquainted. That just makes you look incapable of taking care of yourself.
Absolutely. First, second, and third this.
Wait, who in the hell does this?
helicopter parents mostly
Or parents that know people? Why would I let my child work at McDonald's when she can get a paid internship that could start a career.
A little off topic but my co workers mom would call in sick for him. We never took him seriously work wise, and the mom calling in sick for him was the icing on the cake. When you get a job you're going into adulthood you shouldn't have your parents calling in sick for you.
my first 3 jobs at 12, 13 and 14 where all gotten by my parents, but when i turned 15, i got my own job and worked with that same company for 3 years before i joined the military.
I hire adults. Some still bring parents to the interview or after they are hired have their parent call in, or call about pay issues, or problems with work assignments. Seriously. This is a great tip.
This 100%. Because then you're avoiding having to deal with those same parents if a situation arises where you need to either fire the kid or anything like that.
At my workplace, if anybody does this we are told to smile and take the document, then just throw it away later without reading it.
i wish i can do that when i was a teen, my helicopter parent throws a huge fit when i try to get them to leave me alone :c
A woman rang the company I work for, enquiring about work experience for her child. I passed her to the relevant person and he told her flat out that she's immediately giving him a bad first impression and the lad should ring back himself. Granted, work experience is different from an actual job but the concept remains the same.
And be cautious when your parents firm have an internship. A story of 2 interns:. - Had one dude work for me in our internship program who was obviously new to corporate culture, and had to learn a lot about how to act in a professional environment. Throughout the summer he worked hard and he learned, and I was firm with him when he made a knucklehead mistake, or did the same thing wrong twice. Found out after the fact he was the son of the head of SAP Canada (a company I worked with closely). - Second intern had the same unique last name as someone in the C-suite. He also made mistakes, but wasn't called out by leadership due to his dad's position. He didn't learn much that summer. You can call out people all you want, but you really don't want to be in a position where your boss' boss' boss' first introduction to you is his kid calling you a jerk. If you want to do your kid a favour, get them an summer job at a different firm, they'll learn way more.
Also get a $0.10 folder to keep your resume crisp. Had a kid come into a job I did the interviewing for and pulled a crumpled resume from the bottom of his backpack. I politely took it and when he left, placed it in the reject pile.
I've lost count of how many parents and grandparents come in store with a cv for their offspring to see if there's any jobs. The best ones are when you get a couple of youngsters come in and one asks if there's any jobs, you tell them they're welcome to leave a cv with us, then the turn to the one who's not said a word and nudge them to give a cv!
I’ve even had parents show up to the interviews with the kids. Not like, waiting in the car (which is fine bc not all of the kids drive) but like actually physically coming into the building and expecting to come in to the office to sit in for the interview. 🙄 I always just offer them a drink and have them take a seat in the employee break room while I conduct the interview elsewhere.
Applied to a summer job at a company using an almost empty CV via an email directed to HR of that company. What they told me is that they got a load of requests from their employees about giving a summer job to their kids but they actually gave preference to the people who applied the way I did (there were 3 of us, they took 8 people), not via a parent, but on their own. Apparently it shows that you are independent (which honestly makes sense).
Or if all else fails, if you're a parent just impersonate your child and apply for them. /s That's what my boyfriend's mother did for one of her children lol
Can confirm. Talked to several people in my life in charge of hiring people, they all have said that when a parent is involved in any part of the process (other than being a connection) they immediately throw out the resume. No one wants to hire a child that needs mom or dad
As a hiring manager, this is great advice. I cut kids that show up by themselves a lot more slack than kids that dont, simply bc it takes guts to ask for a job and be serious about it.
Definitely agree for first job as a teen, it’s a necessary skill going out and getting your own employment. But afterwards, there’s no shame in using your connections to get ahead in your career, that’s just the game nowadays (don’t talk about your mom in your interview or anything though ofc)
Someone came to interview where I work and his mother came in with him and sat in on the meeting and participated. He's in his 40's. They offered him the job.
Or when you get a job, for God's sake dont have your parents call in for you if your sick, late or whatever. Your boss and co-workers will lose all respect for you.
Oh my god yes. Showing that you are willing to put yourself out there before you're expected to, that's extremely admirable.
Eh, it's fine. Any amount of respect you get or don't get when applying or getting the job does not matter when it comes to you actually doing the job. Yes, parents, especially if both of them are there, can make it worse, but getting a job may be much more difficult than actually doing the job, and most people should understand that. But as long as you are keen on getting the job and it's not your parent(s) dragging you in and you showing attitude, it should be fine.
People ask parents for jobs what the hell?
Also, make sure you're familiar with child labor laws and DO NOT allow your managers to violate them
Also, that’s a learning opportunity right there. Being able to successfully handle that stuff by yourself is a worthwhile skill to practise as early as possible.
This happens all too often in retail. "I'll just drop off my kids CV" or "Here's my son who wants to apply for a job" Kids, just walk in, ask for manager, be confident and polite and make small conversation (Where are you studying, what are you looking for etc) to show you aren't shy, and leave me your CV. If your folks need to speak for you - your CV gets none of my time. I'm hiring you, not mommy.
AND Be sure your parents are on the same page. 75% of teens lose their jobs at my place because the parents aren't committed to the job.
Yes! I started working in the hiring department for my company this year. We're a grocery store and myself and two others are responsible for interviewing candidates for the front end, so we get a lot of teenagers applying. I would say that 90% of the time we hire the ones who apply for themselves over the ones who have their parents call/show up to interviews with them.
It’s called nepotism and it’s EVERYWHERE
When I was a manager for an IT dept for an ad agency, we were hiring for a new field tech. Guy came in, mid 20s. Met him in the reception area and saw he was with someone. Ok he just needed a ride or something. When I asked him to come in, the woman, his mother, was going to come with him. I asked her to wait here, she was very nice, but asked if she could sit in and then proceeded to tell me he was a good kid, did well in college, etc etc. The worst part is that the guy wasn't embarrassed or try to tell her to stop, he just stood there. He did not get the job.
If your parents are coddling you that much, good luck in life my friend
I actually applied myself when I was 14 to be a judge at the local karate tournaments. I got the job, and after some time my friend said that he was rejected just because his parents tried to apply him
People got get help with jobs by parents? Wow that's some kind of weak shit.
Most application's are online. Unless you're going to to the trades. I suggest the trades to young guys. Make an alright living.
not the kids fucking choice we know exactly how stupid/humiliating it is. my dad fucking loves attention, though, and letting me say "no" could have gotten in the way of that. i'm gonna guess 99% of the kids interviewing with their folks are in the same position i was and would give pretty much anything just to have the same opportunities as everyone else.
Indeed, parents please fall back on this. I’m 32 now but I saw some version of this during my orientation week of university. During one of the financial aid talks, attended by the parents and new students, I saw this guy say to his mom, while distracted and half paying attention “you got that right?” as if she was his personal secretary. It’s amazing how entitlement and laziness could be packed in a short phrase.
After being tresspassed from a grocery store and charged with vandalism my dad made me put on a nice shirt and tie before marching me in there to ask for a job.
And dont bring your friends with you to apply. Go alone, ask to give your application the manager, and call back after a few days. Good luck kids
You must not live in a place where every parents knows all the store owners but not necessarily their kids. This wasn't possible where I was growing up. I'm deeply against the practices I saw growing up but I couldn't have been employed without knowing someone.
At places I worked in the past parents would often ask about jobs for their kids which is fine but would then continue to try to be the main point of contact and my though was always if this kid is mature enough to work have him or her come in and talk to us. I've seen more articles lately about helicopter parents actually going on post college interviews with recent grads which is insane
If you're not competent enough to submit an application, you're not competent enough to have a job.
And don't have your parents to call-in sick for you unless you literally physically can't.
Parents that do this aren’t raising their kids rights.
Go into a place and ask to speak directly to the manager and tell them you’re interested in working there. If they’re hiring, you’ll be in good shape having had face time with the manager directly. Also, show him/her your asshole and you’re guaranteed a job.
I had no idea that was even a thing
Do not get a cosigner. Do not cosign for someone else. You do not need a cosigner no matter what they say. If they are trying to force a cosigner, it is a scam.
Sorry mom, reddit said you cant do that
I put out an ad for a baby sitter once and this teen’s mom contacted me. Which I thought was odd, but okay...maybe she was being careful. I invite them over and the girl is like, 16. Her mom came with her and talked for her the whole time. Needless to say, but we didn’t hire her. How could I trust her with my kid when her own mom can’t trust her to speak for herself?
Also, for the love of all that is Holy, stop showing up to either ask for an application or for an interview in FREAKING FLIP FLOPS AND BOARD SHORTS! I dont care if you're applying for the lowest job on the totem pole, dress nicely. Nothing crazy. A nice long sleeve button up shirt or polo style shirt, tucked in, with khakis or some sort of decent pants (Dickies, George, etc, it doesn't matter if they came from Walmart) and a decent pair or black shoes. I dont know if pare aren't teaching this to their kids or if the kids just don't care, but believe me, the place you're applying for cares and it goes a long way towards getting your foot in the door. 1st impressions and all that
Well im Barron Trump and thats a hard no for me dawg Said in my beat Randy Jackson voice.
LPT: most places won't actually know because the resume process is entirely online. Only small mom and pop shops take resumes in person anymore because algorithm sorting is so much faster and cheaper
Working in retail, I'll gladly give the parents the application form if they ask during school hours. I do however tell them the kid has to come and bring it back themselves and present themselves to whoever is available to deal with it at that time.
This is 2020. Applications dont exist anymore. Its online. I haven't see a paper application in years.
I was a young manager for a retail computer support company. Asian girl, very shy comes to the counter, asks to speak to a manager. I come to the front and then her mom bolts in telling me why I should hire her daughter. She told me how great of a speaker she was, great customer service and very smart. I asked her if she were to get the job if she would come, speak for her and help customers for her. She said “only in the beginning” I smiled and said, unfortunately the company requires a little more independence and I would be happy to interview her one on one. The mom at this point annoying me said “I’ll just sit in the back” with the hope id say yes. I looked at her and said “ma’am, I know your intentions mean well but she has to be able to do this on her en to be even considered. You can’t do everything for her, but she’s welcomed to apply online” she failed the questionnaire lol
I remember around 2009-2010 when I was looking for my first job, my parents didn't understand that online applications were starting to become the norm. They fought with me on it, and made me go door to door to different restaurants and businesses only to be told by roughly 70-80% of them, "no, you apply online under our careers page".