Try Being A Shadow
by
Sondra C, TN, USA, Age 16
“I
like the soccer ball better. No, maybe we should go with the purple
volleyball”, Nancy said. She was discussing a new line of
girl’s underwear with sports designs coming out in the next
catalog. I never thought I’d be helping design underwear at
the corporate headquarters of Lands’ End. Yet there I was,
alongside photographers, fashion designers and marketing experts,
participating in a job shadow.
Your
first question is probably, job shadow? What is a job shadow? Simple!
A job shadow involves a person (like yourself) following someone
at their job to see what the position is all about. (Get it? Following
a person….as if you are their shadow.) You get the chance
to see what a veterinarian, computer programmer or rocket scientist
does. (Don’t laugh. I job shadowed a rocket scientist and
still don’t have any idea what she does because it was so
complicated.) There’s even a National Job Shadow Day on February
2 that encourages kids to find someone to shadow on that day.
Many
teenagers are asked, “What do you want to be after you graduate?”
That’s a hard question because most of us don’t know
about too many careers. Often, teens pick a career because of the
popularity of television shows. Colleges reported getting an increase
in students wanting to be doctors when ER was popular. Right now
colleges see teens wanting degrees in interior design because of
shows like Trading Spaces. I’ve had friends say, “I
want to be a forensic scientist because I like watching CSI,”
but they don’t have a real idea what the job involves.
When
I was 13, I hadthe opportunity to be homeschooled and travel around
the US. I job shadowed 50 different people in careers ranging from
Shamu’s trainer at SeaWorld, to a shoe designer at Nike to
a model designer at LegoLand. It was great fun, but I think I was
too young to appreciate my experience. I just liked spending the
day being with people who loved their jobs.
If you participate in job shadows, you’ll get a first hand
look at a number of different careers. Job shadows are especially
important to young teens that can’t get “regular”
jobs or internships. Here’s an interesting fact. So often,
after I job shadowed a person, they’d say, “Sondra,
you are so positive and energetic. If you were older I’d hire
you on the spot!” Several people told me to contact them after
I graduated from college. One TV director even said, “If you
were older, I’d create a job for you because I want people
like you working for us.” You see, job shadowing can result
in a job in the future.
Here
are seven tips on job shadowing:
1.
Think about adults you know. Is your mom’s best friend an
editor of a corporate newsletter? Maybe your uncle works at an advertising
agency that uses writers. Contact them and simply ask if you can
spend 2-3 hours watching them work. Most people are delighted to
help teens get job experiences.
2. After you’ve contacted people you know, make the leap and
call some people you don’t know. Is there a company in your
town that manufactures skis? Call up and ask if you can job shadow
one of their employees. We have a world famous chocolate company
in our town. I called up and got to help a “Master Choclatier”.
(The samples were great!)
3. Arrive at the job shadow on time. Remember, this experience could
result in a future job. The person you are shadowing still has a
job to do, so you don’t want to delay their schedule.
4. Dress up! No you don’t need to wear a tuxedo or business
suit, but you do need to look professional. Khakis and a clean shirt
or blouse are safe to wear in almost all business settings. Leave
the cut-offs and halter tops at home. There are exceptions of course.
I job shadowed a woman who was in charge of the horse management
program at the University of Michigan. Part of my job shadow experience
was mucking out stalls and collecting manure samples, so grubby
jeans and old boots were certainly appropriate.
5. Take along a notebook and pencil to jot down notes. If you do
several job shadows, you’ll appreciate having the information
to look back on.
6. Be prepared to help and get involved. I found myself helping
design shoes at NIKE, working out with a fitness instructor and
feeding lettuce to an overweight sea turtle. Even if you realize
the job would never interest you, remain positive. Don’t say,
“This job seems boring. How do you do it every day?”
7. After the job shadow, listen to your mother and write a thank
you note. It’s good training for when you go on job interviews,
plus it keeps an open communication with the person you shadowed.
