Imagine the surprise of an employer as Jane Doe comes in one day to a job interview and wants to bring her mother along.

When someone is 16, 17 or 18, it might be a good idea to bring a parent along to a department store or internship interview, said Mark Scott, senior history teacher certification major.

It lets the employer know the parent will check up on the candidate, which may help to make the employer feel more comfortable, Scott said.

By the time a person is in his or her 20’s, “going into a reputable company [with a parent] can be a negative thing,” Scott said.

Though consulting with a parent may be beneficial, consulting is one thing, while bringing a parent along to a job interview is a whole other, said Cindy Henderson, associate director of campus and employer relations for Career Services.

“[It] reflects as the parents can’t let go of them, [that] their child is always going to be a minor child,” said David Douglas, director of campus and employer outreach for Career Services.

Douglas disagreed with Scott, who said he would have come along to his niece’s job interview should his niece have asked him at the age of 16.

A Wall Street Journal article published in March of this year found many college freshman are in contact with their parents more than 10 times a week. Twenty-five percent of college students with overly-involved helicopter-type parents said they were embarrassed by their parents’ involvement.

“I think it’s a good idea that a student goes to a reputable firm and see what they say. When you first take a job there’s a lot of negotiation. They will negotiate with you as far as you push it,” Scott said. “Talk with another guy. You can talk about what he’s got in his back pocket.”

Someone who can negotiate without being arrogant, with ideas and with a slightly aggressive attitude are good things when entering a job, Scott said.

“I would not [bring my dad along],” said freshman psychology major Nicole Landwehr. “He’d want me to be my own person. On the other hand, he would want to help out.”