Kevin O’Leary warns Gen Z: Bring your parents to an interview, resume goes ‘right into the garbage’

A growing number of hiring managers say that they are seeing a surprising new trend from Gen Z applicants: bringing a parent into the job interview process, sometimes even onto Zoom calls.

“Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary joined FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on ‘Varney & Co.’ to weigh in on the practice and what it signals to employers.

For O’Leary, the issue isn’t generational stereotypes, it’s about independence. In today’s competitive labor market, he argues, employers are looking for candidates who can think, decide and execute on their own. When a parent enters the room, he says, that independence immediately comes into question.

“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?” O’Leary said, “That resume goes right into the garbage in one of my operations.”

He said the situation recently happened to him during a virtual interview.

“It happened to me on a Zoom call, and I just said, this isn’t going to work… Your mom is not gonna be part of this discussion,” he said.

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Beyond optics, O’Leary views the move as a warning sign for employers evaluating risk.

“It means you can’t do this on your own… It’s a horrific signal,” O’Leary said, calling it “a really, really bad idea.”