Congrats Grad! (Now find your own job!)
In truth, this is extra hard right now because of COVID-19. College students weren’t able to celebrate the accomplishment of their graduation like we’d originally anticipated. Then it came and went, and now we’re stuck in a very familiar, very uncomfortable spot. You moved back home with your parents and are currently applying for jobs. Correction: your parents are searching for and applying for jobs for you. If this is your life right now, or if you are that parent, you need to stop immediately.
This includes calling employers to inquire about internships or jobs. It includes filling out the job application for them. It includes not funding their living expenses (rent, food, etc.) when/if they are unemployed and not interested in living at home. And it certainly excludes calling an employer when they didn’t select your young adult for a job. If you are doing any of these things, you need to stop immediately.
Most likely, you funded their post-secondary education. If yes, hopefully during that time they took advantage of connecting with the Career Center on campus to learn about interview skills, resume writing, and how to secure a job! If they didn’t, boy did they miss an opportunity! This would be a natural consequence based on their inaction during college. And because of that, it’s not your job to help them, or fund them. There are plenty of resources for temporary employment. If they can do that to at minimum pay the bill, they need to do that.
Believe it or not, employers talk to each other. It’s embarrassing to a 21+ year-old to have their parent continue to do things for them as an adult. It’s not necessary. As much as it may feel like you’re helping, you’re actually hurting your child. You need to let them navigate this space themselves. You have to be comfortable knowing it will not be smooth sailing for them. And yet, that’s adulthood.
So, congrats again, grad! Now get out there (on your own)!
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
