Top 4 Tips for Summer Job Shadowing

Job shadowing can be a great addition to anyone's résumé. Here's some advice on how to find job shadowing opportunities and excel at them.

Summer is officially here, and proactive college and high school students are likely looking for ways to make their time off from school more productive. Maybe you want to find a way to make your college application stand out from a crowded field or gain real-world experience. For students who can spend a few weeks investing in unpaid job shadowing, it is an excellent way to elevate your college applications and learn what future career path might be best for you.

What is job shadowing?

Job shadowing is when you spend a week, even a few weeks, observing a professional working in their day-to-day position. Through job shadowing, you’ll gain hands-on knowledge that can help you narrow down what academic field or career path you want to pursue. As a high schooler, job shadowing can be particularly beneficial. It demonstrates to colleges that you not only want to become a doctor, engineer, or architect but that you took the initiative to explore the field further. Regardless of whether you’re in college or high school though, it shows your ambition and resourcefulness to colleges and future employers.

Related: Be Productive This Summer With Job Shadowing

1. Use your network

You might think it’s hard or inconvenient to find a job shadowing experience, but that’s a misconception. Many of the best opportunities are not found on a job board but are right in front of you. For example, if you dream of becoming a physician, you could consider reaching out to your family doctor or pediatrician. You likely already have a relationship with them, and if you explain your aspirations and that you would like to learn from them, your doctor might be willing to take you under their wing.

2. Check with your school

Your school might have connections with different companies that encourage job shadowing. Ask your academic advisor, counselor, or someone in the career office for a list of willing organizations. Even if you aren’t sure where you would like to do your job shadowing, they can assist by pointing you in the right direction.

Related: 8 Reasons to Use the Career Center Before Senior Year

3. Reach out directly

If you have a dream job or organization that you know of and no connections to that community, try to reach out to the company directly. You can call or email someone in the human resources department. Mention that you’re an interested student who wants to learn more about the career and would like to job shadow. Be sure to give them specific reasons why you want to shadow at that particular company.

4. Give something in return

When reaching out to your network, emphasize the value you can help bring to the company. Perhaps you have strong skills in social media or graphic design. Let local organizations know that you can help with social media marketing or assist with new social media ideas. Try to make job shadowing mutually beneficial and form a deeper connection.

If you don’t like it…

Don’t be turned off by the career entirely if you have a poor job shadowing experience. Remember, you only spent a short time at the company, and it doesn’t represent the career as a whole. Even people with similar job titles can do completely different tasks. If this happens, try to set up another job shadowing experience to determine if the career path really isn’t right for you.

Related: Internships: Your Dream Job Diving Board

Job shadowing is an excellent way to see professionals in the workforce and decide what career could be right for you. While you’re job shadowing, you might also meet future mentors who can help guide you throughout your academic career. Make the most of this experience and help supercharge your college applications or job search.

For more information on job shadowing and interning, check out our Internships and Careers section.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Kristen Moon

Kristen Moon is an independent college counselor and founder of MoonPrep.com. Moon Prep provides one-on-one tutoring services catered to university admission. They guide students through the entire application process, including completing applications, personal statements, supplemental essays, student résumés, scholarships, and financial aid. Their specialty lies in the Ivy League, direct medical programs (BS/MD), and highly competitive universities.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Goucher College

Baltimore, MD


Jada Bohanon

Jada Bohanon

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me find scholarships for the colleges I applied to. It was very hard for me to find scholarships in the beginning that I was qualified for. My teachers recommended this website to find some, and not only did I find some scholarships but I also got to look into some schools I hadn’t heard of before. I was very happy to have discovered this website, especially with the coronavirus spreading all over as I can’t really go visit many colleges.

Amari Toussaint

Amari Toussaint

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped me narrow my school choices down from 10 schools to four and then two. It also gave me information on a school I had never heard about or thought about attending until now, which is the school I will be attending in the fall. I am thankful for CollegeXpress and its helpful tools.

Maria  Fernanda

Maria Fernanda

High School Class of 2023

CollegeXpress is always telling you with time to spare when to apply for certain scholarships, what they require, and if you’re eligible or not. They also provide helpful tips for both incoming college students and current college students, such as what to absolutely have in your dorm.

Abhishek Kumar

Abhishek Kumar

High School Class of 2022

As a high schooler, I know how hard it is to plan for college. You have to consider a lot of factors: SAT/ACT scores, college searches, scholarships, and more. CollegeXpress has been a helpful resource that solves all these problems. One can easily create a free account and search away. They help you search for scholarships and colleges, they have graduate program search, they have lists and rankings, and so much more. CX also has a lot of articles and advice to read—whether it’s financial aid, test prep, campus visits, internships/careers, or anything. Not only that, CX gives out free scholarship money to students who sign up and create a free CX account. I love CX and will continue to use it! Thank you CollegeXpress for making my college journey easier!

Kamal

Kamal

Student, University of the People

I registered with CollegeXpress and filled all my necessary and relevant information as well as the course I wished to study. A few days later, an email was sent to me with a list of schools offering the course; amongst them was the University of the People, the school I got admitted to.