“First question I’d have to the son or daughter, I’d say: ‘Do you want me to hire your mother or you? What’s she doing here? Because I’m not bringing her into the business,’” O’Leary told Fox Business in an interview published Feb. 28.

As shocking as it may be to hear that the young workforce is bringing their parents along for the recruitment process, it’s a very real phenomenon. O’Leary said it happened to him when he was interviewing a Gen Z candidate. 

“I just said: ‘This isn’t going to work, guys. Your mom is not going to be part of this discussion, so we’re going to have to shut her down, or you’re not going to be considered for this role,’” O’Leary recalled. 

Plus, the proof is in the pudding: A 2025 study by Resume Templates showed a staggering 77% of surveyed Gen Z job seekers have brought a parent to a job interview. They have even gotten them to negotiate pay raises and complete hiring tests on their behalf. 

O’Leary argues this is a “horrific signal” in Gen Z hiring trends. He said it shows younger professionals can’t think or make decisions on their own.

“If your dad or your mom [appears], that résumé goes right into the garbage,” O’Leary added. 

Why parents are crashing their Gen Z kids’ job interviews

A mix of economic anxiety, intensive parenting, and shifting norms around independence is pushing some Gen Z workers to involve parents in interviews and the broader job application process.

Because entry-level roles are so scarce and competitive in today’s job market, early-career interviews can feel like make-or-break events. Another 2025 report shows nearly 60% of students who graduated within the past year are still looking for their first full-time role, according to Kickresume.

So for Gen Z, having a parent involved in their job hunt feels like hedging against mistakes. But experts have echoed O’Leary’s sentiments, saying that buffer of having a parent there really isn’t as beneficial as Gen Zers may like to think.

“If you’re the parent who’s inserting yourself, you’re going to diminish the confidence that your son or daughter has walking into interviews, thinking that they can’t do it themselves,” Brandi Britton, an executive director at Robert Half, previously told Fortune.

And for some Gen Zers, parental involvement expands far beyond sitting in on interviews. Some parents are “career copiloting,” meaning Gen X and baby boomer parents are deeply involved in their kids’ education and careers—so much so they’re editing résumés, scheduling work calls, joining interviews, and negotiating job offers.

“From first applications to negotiating offers, parents are firmly in the driver’s seat for many Gen-Z workers,” according to a survey from résumé, cover letter, and job search platform Zety.

O’Leary also advised other business leaders to just cut interviews short if they see a parent in the room.

“Just say: ‘Sorry. That’s not going to work for us,’” he said. “It means you can’t do this on your own. I think it’s a horrific signal—and I really think that parents that are overbearing like this think that they’re going to add value.”

“This is just a curse on their children,” he added. “It’s a really, really bad idea.”