Your child has worked hard for years – exams, university applications, internships – and now it’s time for their first real job. At this point, many parents feel a mix of pride and anxiety: “What if they can’t get any offers?” “Should I step in, or will that make things worse?” “Are we already behind compared to other families?” From our work at TROUVÉ EXECUTIVE in Executive Search & Selection and Student & Graduate Career Coaching, we see the same patterns again and again. W

Many parents sit in my office or on Zoom and say something like: “I want to help, but I also don’t want to take over.” They see their child sending applications with no replies, or avoiding the topic entirely. They feel anxious – but they also don’t want to become “that parent” who writes emails or fills in forms on behalf of their adult child. This tension is completely normal. In this article, I’ll share a framework for understanding healthy parental support during a child’

Parents often tell me, “His CV looks fine,” or “We used a good template online.” On the surface, the document is clean, the spelling is correct, and the education section is impressive. Yet… interviews are still not coming. The reality is that many student and graduate CVs are “good enough” as a school document, but not strong enough as a business tool. Employers are not judging a CV on how neat it looks; they are asking a simple question: “Does this convince me to interview

From “I have no idea what to do” to a concrete first step: a typical student journey A very common profile I see: Final‑year or recent graduate from a good university Reasonable grades, some activities and internships CV is “fine” but not strategic When I ask, “What roles are you targeting?” the answer is: “I’m quite open – maybe marketing, consulting… or finance?” In other words: smart and capable, but unfocused. Drawing on my combined background in head‑hunting / executive

Why high‑achieving students still struggle with their first job (and what parents can do differently) We all know a version of this story: A student with good grades, internships and activities Parents who have invested heavily in education But when graduation comes… the job search stalls CVs are sent. Silence. Interviews happen, but no offers. Everyone becomes anxious, and sometimes things get tense at home. From my experience in executive search / headhunting and career coa

Here are some additional tips to help you ace your interview: 1. Be confident, but not arrogant: Confidence is important, but be careful...