A new report by Adecco on the state of American college graduates reveals the astonishing extent of "helicopter parenting" even into the workforce:

Nearly a third (30 percent) of recent graduates report that their parents are in some way involved in their job search process – in some cases, very involved. More than one in 10 (13 percent) recent graduates report that their parents use their personal network to find job opportunities for them and 11 percent say that their parents help them locate and/or research job listings for them...

Nearly one in 10 (8 percent) recent graduates say that a parent has accompanied them to a job interview, with 3 percent of grads saying their parents have actually joined the interview itself.

I cannot conceive how anyone involved would think that is a good idea. Sadly, Adecco didn't ask the obvious follow-up question, which is whether any graudate whose parent sat in on an interview was then hired. Probably not.

Other findings that make me weep for my generation:

• One fifth of graduates would not take a job if they weren't allowed to check personal emails on the clock.
• A similar proportion wouldn't take one where they couldn't make personal phone calls.
• 61 per cent expect to receive a "high salary".
• A majority expect to work somewhere with at least eight positive points from a list of 15, including good health benefits, good company culture, and a good relationship with their manager.
• Despite this, only a third think that they have high expectations.