During Job Shadowing, a student "shadows" a working person at work for one day. The so-called "Job Shadow" observes the Job Shadowing partner in his or her normal working day.
For students, Job Shadowing is an opportunity to get to know the everyday working life in a specific profession or a specific company without spending a lot of time. For companies, Job Shadowing is an uncomplicated opportunity to get to know young talents and to give them a first authentic insight into the company.
How to proceed
Here’s how you can take part:
- Start off by filling out the registration form which includes brief information about your company and the field of work/responsibilities you would like to show participating students/doctoral researchers.
- We will then publish a short profile of this information on the Career Service website excluding the contact information of the job shadowing partner.
- Interested students will then apply for a job shadowing opportunity in your company/field of work using an online form with details on their curriculum vitae (resume).
- We will then forward the application(s) to you.
- With your approval, we will then forward the contact information of the job shadowing partner to the interested student/doctoral researcher. He or she will then contact you to plan the next steps.
Here’s how job shadowing works:
- You and the participating student/doctoral researcher clarify all the relevant details.
- The job shadowing day can include the following parts:
- Welcome, introduction, formalities
- Tour of the company
- Job shadowing during everyday work
- A short discussion of the day
After the job shadowing day:
- Please send us a short email with your feedback afterwards.
What do you gain?
- You get to know students and learn from their perspectives.
- You can present your company at the university.
- You can meet prospective future employees.
- You receive direct feedback about your company and your work.
- You can pass on your experiences and give orientation.
Registration
Please register here.
Tips for a successful shadowing day
- Clarify details, expectations, the sequence of events and working hours in advance. The student or doctoral researcher visiting you should know what to expect.
- Clarify organisational requirements and company regulations.
- Your job shadow should experience a normal workday at your company. If at all possible, please avoid scheduling meetings or confidential appointments that your job shadow cannot attend.
- When you introduce yourselves, take the opportunity to clarify any questions, share your personal career path and ask the participating student/doctoral researcher about his/her expectations and motivation. At the end of the day, you can reflect on the day’s experiences together.
- Show your job shadow the company and your division.
- Plan to have lunch together, perhaps including other colleagues.