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Planning a Job Shadow Day on Your Campus

Job Shadow Day events can range from five employees who are willing to host a student to the entire campus participating. The objective is to provide students and hosts a positive learning experience.

With minimal planning you can host a Job Shadow event that will provide local students a positive experience in professional and higher education environments and provide your staff a positive volunteering experience. Listed below are guidelines for developing a Job Shadow event on your campus.

Prior to Job Shadow Day

1. Recruit employee Job Shadow Day hosts.
   Give staff basic information about Job Shadow Day - a timeline, goals, and potential work activities.  
2. Determine the age and number of students that you will host.
   Contact local schools, Junior Achievement, or School-to-Work Offices to locate interested students. Be prepared to provide information on the campus divisions and hosts that are participating. Some teachers will provide a list of student interests so you can appropriately pair students and hosts.  
3. Register your campus as an official Job Shadow Day site with the Groundhog Job Shadow Day office at www.jobshadow.org.  
4. Develop a Job Shadow Day schedule.
   Your campus Job Shadow Day schedule can include an orientation session, lunch activity and a closing session.  
5. Provide an orientation session for Job Shadow hosts.
   Provide the hosts the student’s name, age and interests (if available). Discuss potential activities the hosts can share with the student and/or questions the students might ask.  
6. Organize a Job Shadow Day orientation session for students and hosts.
   The orientation will serve as the welcoming session for the students. Be sure to cover pertinent information about the college's mission and role in the community, reason(s) the campus is involved in Job Shadow Day, department functions, an introduction of the hosts and a campus/division tour.  
7. Organize Job Shadow Day lunch activity. Lunch is another opportunity to bring all of the students and hosts together and provide information on the operations and activities of the college. Potential lunch activities include: a human resources presentation highlighting the skills and education necessary for staff and faculty or a slide or video presentation highlighting campus programs or activities.  
8. Organize a closing session activity. A closing session offers a chance to answer any remaining student questions about the college or the day's events. Discussion topics can include: what the students learned, how their view of work has changed, how the workplace will be different when the students enter the workforce, and topics the students would like to have covered during the day.

Job Shadow Day Coordinator's Activities

1. Greet the students at a designated entrance.  
2. Conduct an orientation session welcoming the students to campus and introducing them to their workplace hosts.  
3. Have the hosts and students return to the host’s workspace and share work activities.  
4. Conduct the lunch activity.  
5. Conduct a closing/reflection session.  
6. Have the workplace hosts evaluate their Job Shadow Day experience.

After Job Shadow Day

1. Review host's evaluation forms.  
2. Send information on the Job Shadow event to Kevin Christian at AACC, kchristian@aacc.nche.edu or 202/728-0200 ext. 262.

For more information on Job Shadow Day or other community service projects your college can participate in contact Kevin Christian, AACC at kchristian@aacc.nche.edu or 202/728-0200 ext. 262.