The Employability Forum   •   September 6, 2017

J“ob shadowing is a work experience option where students learn about a job by walking through the work day as a shadow to a competent worker. The job shadowing work experience is a temporary, unpaid exposure to the workplace in an occupational area of interest to the student.

Want to be a good cricketer?

Go and be with Sachin Tendulkar or Sakib Al Hasan. Watch and learn how they work hard to play master cricket. Then work smart and be skilled by shadowing them.

Likewise, want to be an entrepreneur?

Go and learn from a successful entrepreneur in the area you are interested in.

Job shadowing is a very useful activity that allows a person to explore a career that they are interested in by spending time with a professional working in that field. It provides more insight than just reading a job description or asking an employee to describe what they do.

Job shadowing can be used as a way of “testing out” possible career options-

Let’s say you have a dream to be a marketing manager then, go and watch how a marketing manager works. Reading the job description of a marketing manager cannot give you the full idea of what it’s like to be a marketing manager. It can result in changing your potential career or loving the work more.

If you like the job then shadowing can help you to-

• Have basic job experience
• Become enthusiastic
• Gain confidence
• Build network

There are some benefits for the host as well, the host will have the opportunity to

• Build network with people from different areas
• Share their experience with others
• Learn from the visitor
• Develop mentoring skill

Job shadowing works as an on-the-job training for people who is already have a job.

In the US, they have an annual job shadow day for 8th grade students. It helps the students to identify the job they would love to do in future.

Regardless of level of education or your current job, you can always get up and take the initiative to shadow someone who is doing your dream job to find more insights.