Don’t deliver your mother or dad to an interview with Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary in the event you had been planning on it.
On a current look on Fox Business’s Varney & Co. show, O’Leary argued that doing so—bringing dad and mom to a job interview—sends a “horrific sign” to employers, and he calls it a “massive purple flag.”
“First query I’d must the son or daughter, I’d say: ‘Would you like me to hire your mom or you? What’s she doing right here?’” O’Leary stated. “That résumé goes proper into the rubbish.”
This isn’t merely a hypothetical scenario. The info reveals a not insignificant variety of younger job seekers are involving their dad and mom all through the hiring course of to spice up their odds—even when it finally ends up backfiring in opposition to them.
In a survey carried out by Zety and Pollfish of roughly 1,000 Gen Z workers, 20% stated {that a} mum or dad had joined them throughout a job interview (15% stated this occurred in individual, and 5% just about).
About 1 in 5 Gen Z staff stated a mum or dad had additionally reached out to an employer or recruiter on their behalf, based on Zety. Over 40% of Gen Z respondents stated their dad and mom helped them draft their résumé.
O’Leary has skilled this firsthand. “It occurred to me on a Zoom name, and I simply stated, ‘This isn’t going to work. Your mother is just not gonna be a part of this dialogue,’” he instructed Fox Enterprise.
That is an alarm bell, he added. “I wish to discover out in the event you can suppose independently, make selections independently,” O’Leary stated. “It simply reveals you that this individual doesn’t have the arrogance or means to do the mandate that you just’re providing them.”
The entrepreneur additionally has some recommendation for different enterprise leaders who may discover themselves in an identical scenario. “Simply say: ‘Sorry. That’s not going to work for us,’” he stated. “It means you’ll be able to’t do that by yourself. I feel it’s a horrific sign—and I actually suppose that folks which are overbearing like this suppose that they’re going so as to add worth.”
Millennials will recall facing similar accusations of their early careers.
Moreover the Zety survey, there’s further information that implies the variety of Gen Zers who’ve tapped of their dad and mom for job interviews may very well be excessive, too. Based on a 2025 research by Resume Templates, 77% of surveyed Gen Z job seekers have introduced a mum or dad alongside to a job interview. Some have even gotten them to barter pay raises and full hiring assessments on their behalf.
However this isn’t solely a case of mollycoddling dad and mom: Solely 41% of young people said they were “highly confident” navigating the job market, based on a 2025 report from Huge Brothers Huge Sisters of America and The Harris Ballot.
This has largely to do with an absence {of professional} mentorship and a extremely aggressive job market—which implies every interview comes with elevated strain.
Regardless of O’Leary’s warnings, nonetheless, most Gen Z staff are competent, impartial staff who can ace an interview with out the assistance of Mother and Dad: 80% of respondents to Zety’s survey stated their dad and mom had no involvement throughout interviews.
As well as, over half of Gen Z respondents stated they’d really feel “embarrassed or upset” if their dad and mom reached out to their employer with out their data.
