Job Shadowing Basics
A short period spent observing a professional at their workplace to learn about a career.
What is job shadowing?
You should research this about a company before your visit.
What is what they do / their mission?
You should silence or put away this device during your shadow.
What is a phone / cell phone?
Skills like communication and teamwork that apply to almost any job.
What are soft skills / transferable skills?
You should send this to your host to express gratitude afterward.
What is a thank-you note / email?
The person you follow and observe during a job shadow.
Who is the host / mentor?
Prepare a list of these to ask your host about their job.
What are questions?
Doing this when your host or a coworker is speaking — facing them, nodding, not interrupting — shows you're engaged.
What is active listening?
Skills specific to one job, like coding or operating a machine.
What are hard / technical skills?
Comparing what you expected the job to be like against what you actually observed helps you do this to your assumptions about the career.
What is reevaluate / test / challenge them?
Unlike an internship, in job shadowing you mostly do this rather than perform the work yourself.
What is observe / watch?
Preparing a brief, polished way to introduce yourself and explain your interests is often called this.
What is an elevator pitch?
A firm grip, direct eye contact, and your name offered clearly all combine into this critical first-impression ritual.
What is a professional greeting / handshake?)
This document summarizes your education, skills, and experience for employers.
What is a résumé?
A professional you observed may later serve as this for future jobs or applications.
What is a reference / connection?
The main goal of job shadowing: to explore whether a career is a good ____________ for you.
What is a fit / match?
This term describes the relaxed-but-still-neat dress code common in many offices — think slacks and a collared shirt, no tie.
What is business casual?
Quietly mirroring the formality, volume, and pace of the people around you — rather than imposing your own — is how a sharp observer adapts to this unspoken set of workplace norms.
What is the workplace culture?
Building relationships with professionals who can help your career.
What is networking?
Writing down what you learned and how you felt creates this kind of personal record.
What is a journal / reflection log?
Job shadowing typically lasts this general length of time, compared to an internship's weeks or months.
What is a few hours, a day or a few days?
When unsure how formal to dress, it's safest to do this relative to the workplace's everyday norm.
What is dress one level up / overdress slightly?
A canceled task, a sudden schedule change, or an unexpected stretch of downtime tests this trait that every workplace prizes.
What is adaptability / flexibility?
The ability to recognize and manage your own emotions — and read others' — is increasingly valued by employers and goes by this two-word term.
What is emotional intelligence?
Sharing what you learned with a parent, teacher, or counselor often surfaces insights you missed on your own — making this conversation a useful reflection tool.
What is a debrief?