"but parents making that one phone call that gets the kid hired is hardly a new phenomenon."
That is a bit ridiculous, the applicant should be the one initiating a follow up call not the guardian or parent.
Of course. I'm just saying it's not a new phenomenon. It's more like 50,000 years old. "Hello, Og? Yeah, Grunk here. Hey, those were some wild times in the old frat, huh? Look, can you put in a good word for my kid, Gork, on that metallurgy internship? He's a bright kid, and the future is in bronze, you know."