WE offer many stories about career expos and how they can help people discover a career path in SunEducation, but today we want to talk about the importance of job shadowing.
When a person visits a workplace and follows one of the employees around it is called job shadowing. Literally watching and learning what the employees do so they can understand day-to-day operations.
A similar programme is the Take Your Girl Child to Work Day.
Peter Kriel, general manager of the Independent Institute of Education, said many Mzansi companies were not familiar with job shadowing while it was popular in other countries.
“Too often students must make decisions about the career and qualifications they want to pursue without really knowing what actually goes on inside the career they choose.”
Youngsters only have information they get from the media or what others guess goes on behind closed doors.
Many people find they don’t like their careers when they start working after graduating.
“Ideally, young people should job shadow in different companies in different fields.”
To job shadow can be a few days or a week. It is not the same as an internship which is when people get work experience while still studying.
Job shadowing also allows young people to identify mentors, build networks and find contacts in their field which could become useful later.
Job shadowing advice
- Investigate different companies in different sectors.
- Follow people working in positions you think you would like to experience. Find work that excites and interests you.
- Do NOT just focus on the person you shadow. Speak to other employees, look at company materials, get as much experience as possible. Try to understand the various roles and their responsibilities.
- Enquire about the qualifications needed or preferred for interesting positions within the company.
- Make sure you not only observe and talk to people but write down their impressions and understanding of the work they do.