Job Shadowing !
When you are a teenager, you have a very limited view of the responsibilities involved in some careers. If you have wondered what a person in a particular profession does, job shadowing can be a fantastic opportunity.
Job shadowing allows students to take an up-close look at what a "real job" is like and how the skills they learn in school can be put into action in the workplace. Job shadowing for high school students is especially helpful because knowing which jobs you enjoy can help you decide on a course/stream selection when you begin applying to colleges and also helps them explore the job in a risk-free way before they choose a major and begin to take college classes rather than wait until after you’ve graduated college to learn that you don’t like any of the careers your graduation prepared you for.
It’s much better to learn which jobs you like and dislike before you choose it !
So what’s Job shadowing?
What Will You Do While Job Shadowing?
What you do while job shadowing depends heavily on where your shadow takes place. In general, job shadowing involves following one worker, often called a mentor, as they go about their work day. A job shadow mostly involves listening and observing, but they often give you the chance to perform some simple job duties. For example, if you shadow a doctor at a hospital, you may be able to discuss different diseases and methods of treatment, be sent to pick up x-rays, and watch doctors interact with patients, but you won't be able to do things that require special training.
You may focus specifically on one job or observe multiple jobs within a company. You will also usually have the chance to speak to other workers and ask them questions about their jobs and career paths.
A job shadow usually lasts one day, but there are cases when they can last several days to give you a more in-depth look at a certain career or company. To set up a job shadow, you just need to find a company who is willing to host you and available when you are. This means that they can take place at any time of the year. However, because most people work Monday to Friday, it is often easier to schedule a job shadow during the summer when you are not in school during those days. You may also be able to find an opportunity over a weekend or on a school holiday, or you may get permission to miss a day of school to attend a job shadow.
What Are the Benefits of Job Shadowing?
1. Learn About Different Jobs
Usually, the biggest benefit of job shadowing is that it lets you directly observe different jobs so you can better understand what different careers entail. Shadowing a job can help you learn if it’s really something you would enjoy. For example, you may have always dreamed of being a journalist, but shadowing one may cause you to realize that you don’t enjoy all the research and editing they have to do. On the other hand, you may find a different job much more interesting than you originally thought it would be.
2. Network with Professionals.
When you job shadow, you will get the opportunity to speak with professionals in that field. You can use this opportunity to ask them about their job, what they like about it, what they dislike about it, and what advice they have for a student who wants to go into that career field. Making connections with professionals can also make it easier for you to find a job or an internship in that field down the road because you have already established a relationship with people working there. If you had a great job shadow experience at a place where you'd like to work, try to nurture the relationships you created and keep in touch with the people you met. There's a long period of time between high school and when you'll begin your job search in college, and keeping up with your relationships will help keep you fresh in their memory, so they are more likely to help you when you're looking for a job.
3. Be Introduced to the Workforce
Another benefit of job shadowing is that it lets you experience what having a job and being in the workforce is like. During your job shadow, you can get a better idea of what it’s like to go to work every day, interact with coworkers, and have a boss. This can be useful for students thinking about applying to their first job or internship because it will give them a better idea of what to expect when they begin working.
Are There Downsides to Job Shadowing?
Job shadowing can provide great experiences and teach you a lot, but if you have a negative experience or a mentor, it can turn you away from a job you had previously been really interested in. If you have a bad job shadow experience, the important thing is to remember that you only spent one day at one place, and that does not represent the entire career by any means. People can have bad days, and people with the same job title can, and often do, have completely different work experiences.
If this happens to you, you should try to set up another job shadow, either at a different location but for a similar job, or at the same place but with another mentor. Having a second job shadow can help you determine if it's really the career you dislike, or if it was the specific company or person you shadowed.
How Can You Find Job Shadowing Opportunities?
1. Check with Your School
High schools often have connections with various companies who offer job shadowing. Ask your academic adviser or someone at your school’s career office for a list of organizations you can contact. If you aren’t sure where you’d like to do your job shadow, they can talk to you about your career goals and help you choose a place that will fit your interests.
2. Contact Places Where You'd Like to Work
If you have a specific place where you may like to work in the future or want to learn more about, you can also contact them directly. Call or e-mail someone from the company’s human resources department (or if they don’t have an HR department, call or e-mail the main contact line). Say that you’re a student interested in learning more about certain careers, and you’d like an opportunity to do a job shadow with someone from the company. List some reasons as to why you chose that particular company.
3. Try Community Boards
Your community center may also offer opportunities for job shadowing. Check community boards or websites for possibilities. If you see interesting companies hiring for workers or interns, you can also contact them to see if they’d be willing to let you job shadow there.
The more effort and preparation you put into your job shadow, the more you will get out of it. Follow these tips to have an informative and useful job shadowing experience.
1. Do some research on the company?
2. Be prepared to discuss yourself and your career goals
3. Prepare some questions you’d like to ask while shadowing.
These questions can be about the job itself, the career field, or advice you’re interested in getting.
Sample questions include:
What caused you to choose this job?
What do you like about this job? What do you dislike about it?
What makes a person successful at this job?
What classes can I take to help prepare me for a job in this field?
What skills are useful for this job?
4. Send thank-you notes to the person or people you shadowed, and mention a few things you learned
5. Write up a few sentences on your job shadow experience for your own personal use. Describe what you did, what you enjoyed, what you didn’t enjoy, and what you learned. This will be useful information to have in the future when you don’t remember the details of your job shadow as clearly.
6. Store contact information and business cards in a safe place so you can reference them if you need to contact the company again for more information, ask follow-up questions, or if you end up applying for a job there.
Job shadowing allows students to take an up-close look at what a "real job" is like and how the skills they learn in school can be put into action in the workplace. Job shadowing for high school students is especially helpful because knowing which jobs you enjoy can help you decide on a course/stream selection when you begin applying to colleges and also helps them explore the job in a risk-free way before they choose a major and begin to take college classes rather than wait until after you’ve graduated college to learn that you don’t like any of the careers your graduation prepared you for.
It’s much better to learn which jobs you like and dislike before you choose it !
So what’s Job shadowing?
Job shadowing is an experience where you spend a day or a few days observing a professional on the job. While job shadowing, you can easily learn about different jobs and help decide which careers you would enjoy the most. You can follow a doctor making her rounds in the hospital, observe a teacher conducting class, look over building plans with an architect, or something completely different, depending on who you shadow.
Job shadowing is popular with students because it introduces them to different careers and helps them decide which jobs would be the best fit for them. Job shadowing for high school students is especially helpful because knowing which jobs you enjoy can help you decide on which stream/course you select when you begin applying to colleges.
What Will You Do While Job Shadowing?
What you do while job shadowing depends heavily on where your shadow takes place. In general, job shadowing involves following one worker, often called a mentor, as they go about their work day. A job shadow mostly involves listening and observing, but they often give you the chance to perform some simple job duties. For example, if you shadow a doctor at a hospital, you may be able to discuss different diseases and methods of treatment, be sent to pick up x-rays, and watch doctors interact with patients, but you won't be able to do things that require special training.
You may focus specifically on one job or observe multiple jobs within a company. You will also usually have the chance to speak to other workers and ask them questions about their jobs and career paths.
A job shadow usually lasts one day, but there are cases when they can last several days to give you a more in-depth look at a certain career or company. To set up a job shadow, you just need to find a company who is willing to host you and available when you are. This means that they can take place at any time of the year. However, because most people work Monday to Friday, it is often easier to schedule a job shadow during the summer when you are not in school during those days. You may also be able to find an opportunity over a weekend or on a school holiday, or you may get permission to miss a day of school to attend a job shadow.
What Are the Benefits of Job Shadowing?
1. Learn About Different Jobs
Usually, the biggest benefit of job shadowing is that it lets you directly observe different jobs so you can better understand what different careers entail. Shadowing a job can help you learn if it’s really something you would enjoy. For example, you may have always dreamed of being a journalist, but shadowing one may cause you to realize that you don’t enjoy all the research and editing they have to do. On the other hand, you may find a different job much more interesting than you originally thought it would be.
2. Network with Professionals.
When you job shadow, you will get the opportunity to speak with professionals in that field. You can use this opportunity to ask them about their job, what they like about it, what they dislike about it, and what advice they have for a student who wants to go into that career field. Making connections with professionals can also make it easier for you to find a job or an internship in that field down the road because you have already established a relationship with people working there. If you had a great job shadow experience at a place where you'd like to work, try to nurture the relationships you created and keep in touch with the people you met. There's a long period of time between high school and when you'll begin your job search in college, and keeping up with your relationships will help keep you fresh in their memory, so they are more likely to help you when you're looking for a job.
3. Be Introduced to the Workforce
Another benefit of job shadowing is that it lets you experience what having a job and being in the workforce is like. During your job shadow, you can get a better idea of what it’s like to go to work every day, interact with coworkers, and have a boss. This can be useful for students thinking about applying to their first job or internship because it will give them a better idea of what to expect when they begin working.
Are There Downsides to Job Shadowing?
Job shadowing can provide great experiences and teach you a lot, but if you have a negative experience or a mentor, it can turn you away from a job you had previously been really interested in. If you have a bad job shadow experience, the important thing is to remember that you only spent one day at one place, and that does not represent the entire career by any means. People can have bad days, and people with the same job title can, and often do, have completely different work experiences.
If this happens to you, you should try to set up another job shadow, either at a different location but for a similar job, or at the same place but with another mentor. Having a second job shadow can help you determine if it's really the career you dislike, or if it was the specific company or person you shadowed.
How Can You Find Job Shadowing Opportunities?
1. Check with Your School
High schools often have connections with various companies who offer job shadowing. Ask your academic adviser or someone at your school’s career office for a list of organizations you can contact. If you aren’t sure where you’d like to do your job shadow, they can talk to you about your career goals and help you choose a place that will fit your interests.
2. Contact Places Where You'd Like to Work
If you have a specific place where you may like to work in the future or want to learn more about, you can also contact them directly. Call or e-mail someone from the company’s human resources department (or if they don’t have an HR department, call or e-mail the main contact line). Say that you’re a student interested in learning more about certain careers, and you’d like an opportunity to do a job shadow with someone from the company. List some reasons as to why you chose that particular company.
3. Try Community Boards
Your community center may also offer opportunities for job shadowing. Check community boards or websites for possibilities. If you see interesting companies hiring for workers or interns, you can also contact them to see if they’d be willing to let you job shadow there.
The more effort and preparation you put into your job shadow, the more you will get out of it. Follow these tips to have an informative and useful job shadowing experience.
1. Do some research on the company?
2. Be prepared to discuss yourself and your career goals
3. Prepare some questions you’d like to ask while shadowing.
These questions can be about the job itself, the career field, or advice you’re interested in getting.
Sample questions include:
What caused you to choose this job?
What do you like about this job? What do you dislike about it?
What makes a person successful at this job?
What classes can I take to help prepare me for a job in this field?
What skills are useful for this job?
4. Send thank-you notes to the person or people you shadowed, and mention a few things you learned
5. Write up a few sentences on your job shadow experience for your own personal use. Describe what you did, what you enjoyed, what you didn’t enjoy, and what you learned. This will be useful information to have in the future when you don’t remember the details of your job shadow as clearly.
6. Store contact information and business cards in a safe place so you can reference them if you need to contact the company again for more information, ask follow-up questions, or if you end up applying for a job there.
Great article Veena. It'll definitely show the correct path to the teenagers and help them to choose the right career for them.
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