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Experiential Learning : Job Shadow Experience
General Information on the Job Shadow Program
- What is the Job Shadow Program?
- How will students benefit? Who is eligible to participate?
Eller Student Expectations
- Who can I shadow?
- Student Application Form
- Expectations during your Job Shadow
Eller College Associate Sponsor Expectations
- Why Become a Job Shadow Sponsor?
- What will you need to do as a sponsor?
- Host Suggested Activities
What Is the Job Shadow Program?
The Job Shadow Program provides students with an opportunity to
learn more about careers of interest. Through this program, students
have the opportunity to spend up to a day in a relevant work setting
in order to observe and question. Through exposure to a work setting,
students can learn more about job requirements, employer expectations,
and professionalism. In turn, students can make more informed educational
and career decisions.
The program gives job shadow sponsors an
opportunity to meet talented university students. Furthermore,
sponsors are given the opportunity to provide career guidance that
they may have wished they had received when they were starting
their career plans.
For more information, contact Sarah Thompson Diaz
at sdiaz@eller.arizona.edu to
discuss the program in greater detail.
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How Will Students Benefit?
The Job Shadow Experience lets students experience the work environment firsthand, to better understand the skills and knowledge needed for specific occupations. In the process, they apply classroom knowledge to the real-world workplace and learn about the community in which they live. It’s a great opportunity to explore potential careers or reinforce career decisions. Job shadowing can provide a real picture of what a job is like on a day-to-day basis. The experience will also allow students to see whether or not they would enjoy that particular job or industry. During the job shadow, students will spend a working day, or half a working day, with an Eller College Associate contact. Students will be able to observe the work environment, duties, etc. that come with that job.
Who is eligible to participate?All pre-business or major students are eligible to participate in the program. Students will want to think carefully about their current career goals and how they can use this experience as an opportunity to make clear career decisions and to build their career network.
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Who Can I Shadow?
Students need to think about whom they would like to shadow and why. The Eller College Associates (ECA) that have been asked to sponsor a job shadow experience are all alumni and friends of the college in the Tucson business community. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from the sponsor.
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Student Application
If interested, you may download and complete a copy of the Student Application Form.
The student application should be submitted to the front desk outside 204 attention Professional Development Center.
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Student Expectations during the Job Shadow Experience
The person you are shadowing is doing you a favor by allowing you to observe his or her workday. Observe the following guidelines to ensure this is a positive experience for everyone involved:
- Make sure all the arrangements are made well in advance. You will need to work within your schedule to avoid missing any classes or other prior obligations.
- Show up on time, dressed appropriately.
- Be prepared. Do research on the company so you understand the work that is being done and can ask informed questions.
- Be observant and take notes. Don’t be afraid to ask questions; remember, you’re there to learn.
- As much as possible, try not to interfere with the daily routine of the organization. You may need to make your own accommodations for lunch. There is no funding or expectations for lunch plans during your job shadow experience, so plan accordingly.
- If for any reason you need to cancel or to reschedule your visit, please be sure to contact your sponsor as early as possible. Always maintain professional contact, keeping in mind you are representing the Eller College.
This experience is intended to provide you with exposure to your industry of choice, however there is no guarantee that this individual can provide you with a full-time or internship opportunity. The focus of the experience should be on learning more about the industry and/or realistic career options. Discussion Items Prior to Visit
- When you connect with your Shadow Sponsor, here are some items to discuss and information to share prior to the visit to your organization.
- Decide what day during the semester works for both of you.
- Discuss the timeframe of the visit (full day, half day, etc.).
- Set clear expectations for the visit and brainstorm what kinds of experiences you would like to have and what would be most helpful to you.
- Sponsors should obtain appropriate clearance for the student's visit if necessary.
- Sponsors should set up the schedule for the day the student will be with them (See list of suggested host activities below).
- Sponsors should provide the student with directions to their offices, along with information about parking if needed
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Why Become a Job Shadow Sponsor?
With the rapidly changing face of the working world and with career and educational options becoming more competitive, today's students are faced with increasingly difficult decisions.Obtaining realistic information about a career field is important for all students, but especially important for students interested in the competitive business world. Reading about careers often does not provide the information that students need to assess the suitability of career goals, considering student's often complex patterns of strengths and weaknesses.As a professional, you can provide students with detailed, up-to-date, relevant and individualized career information that can make an important difference in the students' career planning. Allowing students access to your work environment takes away the mystery of what really happens in the workplace.Sponsoring a student for a work shadowing experience allows you to:
- Be a mentor to a student who is at the crossroads of making important career planning decisions
- Help a student to better understand the relationship between their education and the working world
- Evaluate the suitability of a potential full-time, part-time, summer, or contractual employee
- Help a student develop a more realistic picture of the stresses and challenges of their career interests
- Assist a student in developing a more suitable career development plan
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What Will You Need to Do As a Sponsor?
Job Shadow Host Goals - This is not an exhaustive list, but a starting place from which you and the student can add your own goals and objectives!
- Establish Rapport - Be certain the student clearly understands your career and why you are interested in this field or industry. This is an opportunity for you to share your career wisdom and knowledge with students who are truly interested in what you do, where you have come from, and how you have gotten to where you are today.
- Share Information About Your Field - Student will consider you, as their Job Shadow host, to be a person with whom they are establishing a professional relationship. It's a commonly held misconception that "contacts" are people who pull strings for you, who give you a job, or find one for you. This is not the case. These career-seeking students are meeting with you and others in your profession to build resources for gaining information and advice. More specifically, students are seeking knowledge about the career field you're in. They will be asking about the latest trends in this industry, what classes they should consider taking, what experiences/internships will help them get into this field, what articles and/or publications might keep them informed, future trends, and professional associations they should join.
- Giving Advice and Suggestions - Along with the questions mentioned above, your Job Shadow student will ask for feedback on their resume, assistance in polishing their interviewing skills, and suggestions about internships and work experiences that will help them with getting into your industry.
- Extend the Professional Network - The student shadower will want to continue to build their professional network by asking you and others with whom they meet, if you can recommend one or two other people whom they could contact to schedule an informational interview.
- Building your Network! - These eager students will be graduating from Eller soon, and you may just run across them in their own professional career down the road! Keep your eyes open for them!
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Job Shadow Host Suggested Activities
This is a list of suggested activities, and certainly not an exhaustive one! We hope it will get you and your student Shadow started on how to make this experience meaningful for you both.
- Take your student on a tour of your organization. Show him or her workstations, labs, computer equipment, production areas, conference/meeting rooms, etc.
- Provide your student with a set of your organization's promotional materials and general recruitment materials.
- Watch some of the organization's marketing and training videos. Review the organizational chart.
- Meet with the President, CEO, head of the department, or other individuals who can give a broad perspective of the organization, or have interesting perspectives to share.
- Visit the Human Resources department. Possibly set up a meeting with an HR representative to learn about future job and/or internship opportunities within the organization and to review the student's resume.
- Bring your student Shadow with you to some of your regular meetings so they can get a real feeling for what your job is like and what you do in a "typical" day.
- Set up a meeting with colleagues in order to informally teach the student more about the organization and provide an opportunity to network. This can also give the student a better sense of the culture of the organization and the people who work there.
- Schedule some time for your student to conduct an informational interview with you. You could also schedule some informational interviews with colleagues in different areas of the company, especially if there are other Eller alumni employed there.
- Have some unstructured time in the day for your student to simply observe your day-to-day activities.
- Schedule an informational interview for your student with a new employee to get their perspective on the work and how they got their job with your organization.
- Share any advice you have for someone wanting to get into your industry and/or your particular organization. Share your thoughts about trends affecting your industry, experiences that the student should have if they want to pursue a career in your field, etc.
- Most of all, have fun! Help us reassure our students that "working for a living" can be exciting, challenging, and a lot of fun, too!
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Information adapted from the University of Minnesota Alumni Association’s Mentor Connection’s National Groundhog Job Shadow Day Program materials.
For more information or questions contact:
For more information or questions contact:
Sarah Thompson Diaz - sdiaz@eller.arizona.edu
Undergraduate Programs Office
Eller College Professional Development Center
For more information, please contact us.
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