{"id":44697,"date":"2024-11-26T15:26:04","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T21:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/?page_id=44697"},"modified":"2024-11-26T15:26:05","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T21:26:05","slug":"job-shadowing-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/job-shadowing-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Job Shadowing"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Job shadowing is an excellent way to test your career goals by seeing \u201ca day in the life\u201d of a particular field or position. Spend a few hours, a day, or several days on-site literally \u201cshadowing\u201d a specific professional or a group of professionals within an organization. Not only can you see what the work is like from day to day, but you have a chance to talk with professionals who can give you information about related positions, about a particular organization, or about the job market in a specific industry or geographic region. You can get advice on strategies for pursuing a particular job or career path and to make connections with people to contact about potential jobs, internships, or more job shadowing!
\n<\/a><\/h4>\n
\n

<\/a>Who To Contact<\/h3>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Ask people back home (parents, friends of the family, relatives, people from your community, etc.) if\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 they know of anyone who would let you follow them for a period of time when you are on a break from\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 school.
\n\u2022\u00a0 Ask faculty here if they can recommend anyone, particularly alumni.
\n\u2022\u00a0 Use the online alumni directory<\/a> to locate alumni within ant geographical region that is most convenient for you. Search by occupational field, major, employer, and more.
\n\u2022\u00a0 Stop in the Piper Center for assistance if you are having trouble.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/a>The Approach \u2014 What To Say<\/h3>\n

You may either call, write, or email your candidate and simply say something like this:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHi, my name is _______. I am a __(class year)___ at St. Olaf College exploring career options and am interested in your career field. I found your name on the alumni directory (or was passed on to me by __(name)___) and I was hoping you might be someone I could talk with about a potential job shadowing. Is now a good time to discuss this, or should I get back to you another time?\u201d .. \u201cGreat. Thank you so much. I will be free the week of _______ and was hoping to spend a day or even just a couple of hours watching a day in the life of __(job title)___. Is that something that might work with your schedule?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

<\/a>How To Prepare<\/h3>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Research your field of interest by reviewing resources available at the Piper Center or on our website
\n\u2022\u00a0 Be prepared to answer questions about yourself that relate to your experiences, skills, interests, and goals
\n\u2022\u00a0 Think through several areas you\u2019d like to know more about and generate specific questions you may want to ask during the day<\/p>\n

\n

Some Questions You Might Want to Ask:<\/h3>\n
\n
    \n
  1. What do you do in a typical day?<\/li>\n
  2. How did you first enter this job\/career?<\/li>\n
  3. What are the career prospects of this field?<\/li>\n
  4. How would you recommend someone break into this field?<\/li>\n
  5. What kind of background is required for this type of position? What kind of background do you (the contact person) have, and did it help you in this field?<\/li>\n
  6. What kind of experience (internships?) would be advantageous in this field?<\/li>\n
  7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this field?<\/li>\n
  8. What motivated you to pursue this work, and what motivates you to stay in it?<\/li>\n
  9. What values do you find in this job environment? Are there any general characteristics that are typical of someone in this field?<\/li>\n
  10. What are the typical working conditions of this job? (Probe for specifics about workload, expectations, dress codes, degree of independence, amount of supervision, closeness of relationships, pressures, degree of cooperation or competition)<\/li>\n
  11. What kind of compensation can one expect when deciding to pursue this career (salary & benefits)?<\/li>\n
  12. What is the philosophy of the company like in terms of time share, flex time, sick leave, personal days, daycare, etc.?<\/li>\n
  13. Is there much travel involved?<\/li>\n
  14. What are the mobility possibilities in this career? From one level to another? Between companies? Between states? Outside of the country?<\/li>\n
  15. What technologies are integrated into this career?<\/li>\n
  16. What is the management style of this organization?<\/li>\n
  17. Is there something you would recommend I do to test whether this type of job is a fit for me? Is there any other information you can give me to help me understand what it might be like to work in this sort of job?<\/li>\n
  18. Who else would you recommend I contact for more information about this career track\/organization?<\/li>\n
  19. Could you recommend a person or organization that might provide an internship experience?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/blockquote>\n
    \n

    <\/a>Etiquette<\/h3>\n