Dive Brief:

• The helicopter parenting style made popular by Baby Boomers could carry over to the job search, but HR, recruiting and senior managers would rather mom and dad keep their distance in the hiring process, according to a recent survey from staffing firm Office Team.
• The survey found that more than one in three (35%) of senior managers interviewed said they find it annoying when helicopter parents are involved in their kids' search for work.
• Another one-third (34%) of respondents would rather that parents stay out of the way when their kids are searching for work, but would let it slide. 29% said parental guidance/interference is not a problem.

Dive Insight:

​Brandi Britton, a district president for OfficeTeam, says she understands that parents want the best for their kids, but being overly involved in their child's job search can cause more harm than good. If they help out behind the scenes, that's fine and makes perfect sense, she says. That would include things such as reviewing resumes, conducting mock interviews and offering networking contacts. Ultimately, she says, employers want talented workers who display traits such as self-sufficiency and maturity.

OfficeTeam, a division of Robert Half, also asked managers to recount the oddest or most surprising (and allegedly true) behavior they've encountered from the pushy parents of job candidates. Ranking at the top is the candidate who opened his laptop and had his mother Skype in for the interview. In another case, a parent asked to step in for her progeny because the latter had to be someplace else. Of course, in keeping with today's technology, one job candidate texted a parent during an interview, asking for answers to the questions the interviewer asked.

Easily the most motherly move was the parent who brought a cake to an interview to try and persuade the company to hire her daughter.