The old parental anxiety over getting the kids into college has been followed by a new one: getting the kids a job after graduation. Facing a job market that’s downright hostile to fresh grads, parents with means are paying thousands of dollars—and in some cases tens of thousands—to pair their college-age children with career coaches years before their careers will begin.
Business is brisk for coaches like Beth Hendler-Grunt, whose New Jersey-based counseling company Next Great Step offers small-group programs and private advising to give students the polish they need to land a job. When she started more than a ...