Job Shadowing
On this page:
What is a job shadowing experience?
What do students do while job shadowing?
What academic levels may job-shadow?
When and where, geographically, does job shadowing occur?
History of shadowing | externship opportunities with Career Services
What is a job shadowing experience?
Job shadowing, also known by the term "externship," is an unpaid learning opportunity for students to spend time observing and shadowing a professional on the job for the purpose of investigating a career field and experiencing a typical day or week or other period of time in the work environment.
Student goals:
- Better understanding of work environment and career field.
- More information on which to base and clarify career goals.
- Valuable learning experience.
- Increasing your professional network (if you make a good impression!).
Employer/sponsor goals:
- Assist Virginia Tech students in exploring and/or confirming a career path.
- Expand your ties with Virginia Tech; students often learn about organizations from other students who talk about their experiences.
- Possibly identify a future intern or full-time employee.
- See your organization from fresh eyes by gathering student feedback.
What do students do when job shadowing?
This varies with the organization and the career field.
In addition to shadowing your organizational
sponsor, it could include:
- Observing the work that is conducted in one or more departments.
- Learning about rules, such as professionalism, confidentiality and others, that may apply to guest/visitors in the workplace, such as yourself in your shadowing role.
- Conducting informational interviews to learn about the jobs of different individuals in different roles within the organization.
- Assisting with basic office tasks.
- Observing interactions with customers, guests, clients, patients, etc.
- Observing meetings.
- Touring the facilities of the office and/or organization.
What academic level must students be to job-shadow?
Job shadowing can occur during high school and can be done by career-changing professionals.
Therefore any Virginia Tech student, of any major or academic level, may take initiative to seek a shadowing experience that is related to a career field of interest and is suitable for her/his background.
An employer may have preferences or requirements related to academic level or prior experience. As a student seeking shadowing experiences, you will communicate with employers regarding their preferences and requirements.
When and where, geographically, does shadowing occur?
This can vary considerably depending on the circumstances and location of the student and the workplace sponsor, and the career field. Some examples:
- A student might have a scheduled time weekly to shadow in an office/work environment over the span of a summer, a
semester, or much longer.
This could occur in summer at a location where the student lives.
This could occur during a student's enrollment at Virginia Tech if the workplace location were in commuting distance of campus. - During school breaks, the student might arrange a full work-day, or multi-day intensive shadowing experience that might span one to five days, or longer. This could be any location where the student could have access, such as your home/family location, near your campus location or elsewhere.
How do students get started?
- Attend a job shadowing workshop.
Registration is required - OR if the upcoming semester workshop schedule is TBA, complete the Information Request Form to receive notices about future workshops and other pertinent information.
How do employers express interest and get started?
Ready to sponsor: Post position in Hokies4Hire.
Need more information: Request an information packet; it will be e-mailed to you.
History of shadowing / externship opportunities with Career Services
- The Career Services formal Externship Program began in 2004.
- First five years, 2004 through 2008: externships were held in January during winter break just prior to the beginning of spring semester.
- 2009: externships occurred in May, the week between the end of spring semester and before the start of summer I.
- 2009-2010: a January 2010 session again held.
- 2010-2011: we offered a flexible-timing/informal program for winter, and a formal/scheduled May 2011 session.
- 2011-2012: we offer a flexible-timing program to teach students how to seek out shadowing opportunities, and enable employers to post those opportunties. This enables timing to be negotiable and flexible based on the employer's need and what is most suitable to the employer's industry and work environment. Students will learn search skills to exhibit professionalism in seeking out a shadowing opportunity.
Why the change to the present format?
- More flexibility for students to seek employers based on career field, location and timing. Shadowing can occur at a wide variety of times of the year suitable to the employer and compatible with student schedules.
- More realistic and involves more commitment for students to apply directly to employers and exhibit professionalism skills to be competitive.
- Employers devote considerable time to planning shadowing opportunities for students. Employers can be assured of student interest and commitment if students take initiative to contact the employer, thus the employer's preparation time and energy is a better investment of time and effort.
Job shadowing workshops for students: SCHEDULE
Below: fall semester | spring semester | how to register
Multiple sessions of the workshop are offered during fall and spring semesters. Attend one. Workshops are designed to assist you in the process of seeking a shadowing experience, teach skills to communicate with potential employers in a professional manner, and give you resources to get the most out of the shadowing experience.
Fall 2011 job shadowing workshops for students |
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Attend one session. |
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| Day | Date | Event | Location | Time |
| Thur. | Oct. 13 | CANCELLED Job shadowing | externship workshop |
3:30 - 4:15 pm | |
| Tues. | Oct. 25 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 2:00 - 2:45 pm |
| Fr. | Oct. 28 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 1:30 - 2:15 pm |
| Wed. | Nov. 2 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 11:15 am - noon |
| Thur. | Nov. 3 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 9:00 - 9:45 am |
| Tues. | Nov. 15 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 3:30 - 4:15 pm |
| Wed. | Nov. 16 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 12:15 - 1:00 pm |
Spring 2012 job shadowing workshops for students |
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Attend one session. |
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| Day | Date | Event | Location | Time |
| Fri. | Mar. 23 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 2:30 - 3:15 pm |
| Wed. | Mar. 28 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 9:00 - 9:45 am |
| Thur. | Apr. 5 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 2:00 - 2:45 pm |
| Fri. | Apr. 6 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 1:30 - 2:15 pm |
| Tues. | Apr. 10 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 2:30 - 3:15 pm |
| Wed. | Apr. 11 | Job shadowing | externship workshop | Smith Career Center Rm B | 10:00 - 10:45 am |
HOW TO REGISTER for a job shadowing workshop for students:
Login to Hokies4Hire
Your user name is your PID followed by '@vt.edu'.
NEW USERS:
Your initial password is the last four digits of your student ID number.
(After log in, change it promptly to one of your own choosing by editing your profile.)
PREVIOUS H4H USERS: Your password is the same one you used in the past.
After logging in:
To view upcoming sessions:
SELECT:
• CAREER EVENTS from the top tool bar
• ORIENTATION from the category pull down menu
• SEARCH
• The specific time of the JOB SHADOWING WORKSHOP that you wish to attend
• REGISTER FOR EVENT
To verify your registration:
SELECT:
• MY ACCOUNT
• MY ACTIVITY from the pull down menu
• EVENT REGISTRATION; you should see the orientation for which you registered
CAN'T ATTEND AFTER SIGNING UP?
Please be courteous, professional, and nice to your fellow students: use Hokies4Hire to cancel, through event registration, so someone else can have your spot.
Registration is necessary because space is limited.
Failing to attend any event for which you register / sign up / rsvp / etc., is considered discourteous and unprofessional.
THANK YOU in advance for exhibiting courteous, professional behavior!
For questions not addressed above, students and employers contact:
- Ms. Katie Steuer
Career Advisor
ksteuer@vt.edu
(540) 231-6241
Past sponsor quotes
[Shadowing / externship] provides mutual value. It provides us another way to give back to VT by providing our time in exposing future graduates to the "real world" application of their degree — benefiting the student. It also gives us the chance to begin a relationship with a student as a potential summer hire or permanent hire upon graduation — a benefit to us as an organization."
- Mark Meno of NAVAIR
"Our externship experience was great. Our student did such a great job that we offered him an internship for the following semester. This is a program we will continue to participate in."
- Nanci Hardwick, CFO of AVID LLC
"An externship is a great opportunity for both the student and the company to learn more about each other. This helps the student make more informed decisions about their future and the company knows how to better to support them. In addition it gives a leader an opportunity to positively impact a young person's life at an important time in their lives."
- Andy Bates of American Infrastructure