If you’re looking for a new job or have been thinking about changing titles at your company, you will need to learn the ropes of the position you’re targeting. One excellent way to do this is through job shadowing.
What is job shadowing?
A new or prospective employee accompanies a current employee while on the job to learn by doing and watching. This is a very effective form of on-the-job training that allows you to experience firsthand what it’s like to do the job you’re about to begin.
When you are shadowing someone, you will have the chance to observe the ups and downs of their day right alongside them. You’ll go to meetings, meet with customers, learn the nuances and understand the deliverables of the position, see firsthand the organization and culture of the job, and even attend training sessions.
You’ll become fluent in the language of the new position and see in granular detail what your day-to-day responsibilities will be. There’s no better way to understand a new job than to see someone doing it all day long, and job shadowing is the perfect way to do this.
Allows you to see if the position is a good fit
As you do your job shadowing, you will be making hundreds of tiny positive and negative judgments about how the job will suit your skill set and interests.
Therefore, it’s a great way to determine if the position will be right for you, and if it turns out that you aren’t as interested in the job as you thought you were, you can pivot to another position once the shadowing period ends. (A shadow period typically runs from a few days to a few months, depending on job complexity and your experience.)
For hands-on jobs, shadowing will be hands-on work
Shadowing can be especially helpful if you’re considering a job that will have you working with your hands. Examples include:
- Restaurant jobs
- Medical positions where you interact with patients or specialized machinery
- Manufacturing roles
- Programming positions
- Skilled trades like plumbing and electrical
- Secretarial or administrative work
Learning by doing is a sure way to get your feet wet and allows you to experience the hands-on nature of the job before you commit.
Expand your network
If you’re looking to optimize your career, networking is one of the most crucial steps you need to take as often as possible.
Job shadowing is a great way to do some networking — you’re in a new position, interacting one-on-one for a good period of time with a person who holds the job title you might want, and you are seeing a whole new set of job responsibilities up close.
This gives you an unrivaled opportunity to make an impression that sets you apart from others. Even if you don’t end up taking the position, you will have left your mark on that sector of the company. You will expand your network by making a positive impact during a job shadow.
The bottom line
There are almost no downsides to job shadowing, especially if you are looking to learn a new skill or move to a different department at your current company. And it can be fun! Get your hands in there, and try out something new — you might surprise yourself with what you learn.
