Newswise — Just when you thought you'd heard it all about helicopter parents, now they are interfering with their kids' internship experiences. Many parents are calling these companies and asking employers to go easy on their children, says Diana Nash, director of Career Development and Internships at Marymount Manhattan College, who says this makes employers think twice about hiring interns in the future, a development that represents the latest example of hovering that frustrates her and colleagues nationwide.
Nash says parents often call their children on cell phones, also known by one internship director as "the long, electronic umbilical cord," during internship hours. But now, she says, parents also are calling internship directors to demand that their child be given different work, or calling the college to say they expect guarantees that their kids will land particular internships with particular companies. "It's just the latest manifestation of helicopter parenting run amuck," Nash says.
College administrators have been tackling the issue of helicopter parents for years. But Nash says a parent who meddles in an internship can destroy the student's credibility, endanger his or her ability to mature and learn and limit or eliminate the chance for employment at the organization after graduation. With competition for internships fierce, and expectations of three to five high-quality internships on student resumes, Nash advises parents to find constructive ways to help their children.
In addition to offering constructive and creative tips and advice to parents on how to help their children in the internship and job hunt process, Nash can also discuss:
How to create an internship and job hunt strategy game plan
How to turn an internship into a job
Networking with alumni to secure internships
As a member of The National Career Development Association and director of career development and internships at Marymount Manhattan College, Nash provides counseling, support and guidance on all aspects of internship and career development to prospective and current students and alumni. In addition, she is a member of the college's psychology faculty, runs a private psychology practice and offers practical expert advice on topics as diverse as careers, friendships, depression, parenting and life in general on a regional television show titled "Transitions."
SOURCE: Diana Nash, director of career development and internships at Marymount Manhattan College, New York, NY
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