how do I tell job applicants that their parents are hurting their chances?
A reader writes:
I recruit for a large company that staffs festivals, conventions, and sporting events. A lot of our applicants are young university graduates or recent high school graduates, ranging from 18-21. Our younger candidates will have their parent(s) call on their behalf, asking why an application is taking so long, why they didn’t get a particular shift, etc. Our team has been advising the parent that we can’t discuss anything about an application with a third party and saying the applicant should contact us directly.
My worry is that for a lot of these applicants, this is their first job and they don’t have an understanding of professional norms and this could hurt their chances in future jobs. Do you have a script I could potentially use to help with this?
I answer this question — and two others — over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here.
Other questions I’m answering there today include:
- My office keeps asking about my baby plans
- I share space with a coworker who throws temper tantrums
