Planning for your Job Shadow Junior Job Shadow Planning for your Job Shadow

The Purpose of a Job Shadow The purpose of a Job Shadow is to get an up close look at your potential career and to talk to some one who is knowledgeable and experienced in that career Your Job Shadow experience can provide you with support for your Junior research paper which is further exploration into your career

How do I find some one to shadow? You may already know some one who is in the career of your choice Your parents may know some one Mrs. Gourley in the KR Career Center has contacts that may be helpful to you You MUST ask the person for the opportunity to spend some time with him/her

Preparing for a job shadow You must first complete a prior approval form which your Advisor will give you today Your parent/guardian must sign the form to approve your Job Shadow Your advisor will keep the signed prior approval form

Preparing questions You are expected to come prepared to the Job Shadow so that you make use of your time and show courtesy to your host Your advisor will give you a list of potential questions that will help guide you through your on-site visit. You are not expected to ask all of the questions—choose those that are relevant to you

Common Questions about the Job Shadow Can I shadow my parent? You may shadow some one at your parent’s workplace but it should be some one other than your parent so that you can get a different perspective If I want to be a teacher, can I shadow one of my teachers at KR? No, you should have a different perspective and arrange to shadow or interview a teacher at a different school

Asking to Job Shadow When you contact a potential Job Shadow host, introduce yourself and state that you are a student at Kentridge High School Explain that you are interested in pursuing a career in their field and ask if it would be possible to meet with them so that you can observe the workplace and ask them some questions about their career You are expected to complete this outside of the school day (after school, weekends, late start days or vacation time)

How long does this take? Your time on the visit will vary but it is not necessary to document how long you spent on your Job Shadow Generally students will spend one to two hours on-site The most important thing is that you come away with information that will help you form a better picture of what your career would look like

Do I have to take notes? As you ask the questions that you have prepared, you will want to keep your notes so that you can use the information in your research paper and to complete your Job Shadow reflection. You will not have to turn your notes in but they are still important to keep.

What if I can’t do an on-site visit? It is possible that you will have difficulty personally visiting a job site because the workplace does not allow non-employees to visit In that case, you may conduct a telephone interview. You will need to keep your interview questions and answers as documentation of your Job Interview and document electronically (see next slide)

Post Job Shadow Documentation You will document your Job Shadow one of two ways: With an electronic signature through email/eFolio With a written signature from the person you interviewed/shadowed

Post Activity Reflection In eFolio you will write your reflections in a three paragraph essay in which you will 1) Describe the business that you visited and the name of your Job Shadow host You must include the date of the shadow/interview. You will explain your rationale for choosing to shadow this person and how it relates to your career pathway

Post Activity Reflection 2) Summarize your experience on-site. Include such things as the size of the business (employees), location (urban/suburban/rural), hours of operation, employee dress requirements, information about wages and/or opportunities for advancement. If you did not do an on-site visit, include the questions and answers to your interview.

Post Activity Reflection 3) Conclude with what you have learned about yourself and your career choice as a result of this visit. What have you learned about this career that you did not know before? Have you reconsidered this field and if so, why? If you plan to continue in this career area, what changes, if any will you make to your future educational or training plans?