CECS Job Shadow Program for Undergraduates

The CECS Center for Student Success seeks to bridge the space between undergraduate students and working professionals through the college’s Job Shadow Program offered year-round. 

A job shadow is a career exploration experience during which a student spends time with a professional, observing daily activities of a career role that interests the student. During a job shadow experience, undergraduate students follow the employee being shadowed through their workday for 2-8 hours. Students observe the duties of the job and the culture of the company. They also ask lots of questions about their potential career path and industry.  By bringing students into the workplace to learn from a professional, very real and tangible options come alive. Job shadowing provides an understanding of how academic knowledge is applied in real ways and prepares students to be mindful about what it takes to be workforce ready.

Info and Registration for Employers

Allowing students to conduct job shadows at your workplace gives both students and your company a unique advantage over the competition. Job shadows are short-term, unpaid career exploration experiences during which a student spends time with professionals, observing daily activities of a career role that interests the student and participating in workforce activities to best understand expectations. During a job shadow experience, students follow the employee being shadowed through their workday to get a firm understanding of the challenges and requirements of an organization. They also do hands-on work (real or simulated) whenever possible to get a feel for requirements of the role.

Job shadowing:

• Helps students observe careers in action and test drive a role of interest.
• Provides an environment in which they can network with professionals and identify role models.
• Demonstrates the connections between academics and the workforce, aiding students in understanding how class work is relevant work, and their majors align with career activities.
• Identifies skills, qualities, training, education, and other requirements to be successful in a career.
• Determines if the career path or organization a student is pursuing is indeed the right fit.
• Builds community partnerships between schools and businesses, while developing internal employees’ abilities to mentor, coach, and train others.
• Assists students in preparing for the transition from student to professional.
• Is NOT a job interview or a promise of one! But job shadowing can be used to help HR professionals identify candidates for internships or entry level professions if positioned correctly.

 Why Provide Job Shadowing?

Job shadowing is a way for your company to provide real-world experience to students contemplating a career in your industry. By allowing students to engage in the workplace, your company will provide an inside look into your workplace dynamic. Job shadowing is also a way to identify individuals who could become employees in the future and, in return, give them an idea of what working in the field would entail. Job shadowing may remind you of your personal career journey as well, giving you a unique perspective on your daily endeavors when viewing it through a different set of eyes. 

It is often difficult for a professor to demonstrate to students how classroom teachings transfers into the “real world.” Job shadowing gives you the opportunity to present and introduce students to the work requirements and essential skills they need to be successful in the workforce, equipping them to step up and fill the leadership roles of tomorrow and assisting them in applying academic knowledge. Finally, you would be helping to build community partnerships, making your community a better place to live and prosper by paying it forward to these students. 

Human Resources personnel should be included in the planning for all job shadows at an organization and determine ahead of time if they want to position job shadowing as a recruitment tool. HR might also use job shadows as a tool to promote development in internal employees by exposing them to responsibilities in mentoring, training, and cross-departmental collaboration. A member of the CECS Center for Student Success will be in touch with interested professionals with the contact information of students interested in connecting for a job shadow opportunity as student requests are received. 

Ready to offer job shadows at your organization?

Please Submit Your Information Here

Info and Application for Students

The CECS Center for Student Success is pleased to offer this great professional development opportunity to our undergraduate students.

Job shadowing:

• Helps students observe careers in action and test drive a role of interest.
• Provides an environment in which they can network with professionals and identify role models.
• Demonstrates the connections between academics and the workforce, aiding students in understanding how class work is relevant work.
• Identifies skills, qualities, training, education, and other requirements to be successful in a career.
• Determines if the career path a student is pursuing is indeed the right fit.
• Builds community partnerships between schools and businesses.
• Assists students in preparing for the transition from student to professional.
• Is NOT a job interview or a promise of one! However, networking within organizations where students want to explore job opportunities is a great idea. 

PLEASE NOTE: Job shadows are unpaid experiences. Students must be at least eighteen years of age to participate in the CECS Job Shadow Program and proof of age must be provided. Students complete the form below to indicate intention to participate in a job shadow. From there, a CECS Center for Student Success Representative will contact the employers who align with the student’s academic major to determine who is available for a job shadow in the coming weeks. Once we have identified the employer, the CECS Center for Student Success representative will email both the company representatives and student to make an introduction. Students will then coordinate their job shadow visit directly with the company representative(s) and the company representatives will provide any relevant information including date/time options, dress code, parking/address, and any necessary forms/info their HR internal partners may require. This is important to acknowledge – students will need to take the reins and stay in good communication with the company representatives to coordinate the visit! Students should not sign up unless they can take on that responsibility. It is also the responsibility of the student to arrange transportation to and from the job shadow and, as ambassadors of the college, ensure communication with company representatives in done a timely, respectful manner.

Interested in getting matched up with a local organization?

Fill out the Student Job Shadow Signup Form