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It’s Your Life: Job Shadow Project Packet

A job shadow is a learning experience in which you spend part of the day with someone at his/her

workplace to learn about a specific occupation, career, or industry. During your job shadow, you will

interact one-on-one with either the business owner or an employee. This is a unique opportunity for you

to learn about a job you are interested in, have questions answered, and make professional contacts.

Assignment: For this assignment you will choose a location for your job shadow, contact the

company/business to set up a time for the job shadow, attend the job shadow and ask thoughtful

questions, complete the job shadow packet, send a follow up email/thank you letter to the company,

and share your experience with the class.

Rationale: Your job shadow project will not only allow you to hone your writing, reading, listening, and

speaking skills, but it will also give you relevant experiences that you can apply to your real life after high

school and beyond. A job shadow gives you a unique insight into a job that you may be interested in and

allows you to observe and ask questions in person. The entire process of setting up, conducting, and

following up with your job shadow requires the same skills and procedures that will be expected of you

for the rest of your academic and professional career. Good communication skills, networking, and

professional conduct will be absolutely invaluable to you in your future. Use this experience to develop

these skills, take it seriously, and have fun!

Process:

1. Choose a job shadow location/industry. What careers are you interested in? Is there a certain

job that you have always wondered about? Perhaps there is a local business or company that

you have always been interested in or had questions about. Brainstorm a few locations for your

job shadow. It’s a good idea to have 1-2 backups in case you can’t job shadow at your first

choice. You CAN NOT job shadow at your current place of employment. Also, you may not

choose any place where a family member currently works. The goal is for you to learn about a

business or company that you would not normally have the opportunity to visit. You probably

can visit at a family member’s place of employment without having an assignment to do it.

2. Fill out the Job Shadow application and turn it in for approval by Mrs. Keglovitz. This form must

be filled out and approved by NO LATER THAN _______________. Do not attempt to contact

your job shadow host until AFTER you have received approval from both your parents and your

instructors.*****

3. Set up your job shadow. It is your responsibility to PERSONALLY set up your job shadow

experience. This may require contacting the business by both phone and/or email. You may

meet with your chosen professional during the school day, but you will need to turn in a pre-

excused absence form to the office, and you will be responsible for making up any work you

missed. You must return to school as soon as possible after you have completed your job

shadow. Your job shadow contact will be filling out a survey identifying when you arrive at and

leave the job site. We advise that you set up your experience for after school or on the

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weekend if at all possible. Your job shadow appointment must be made by _______________

at the LATEST.

4. Attend your job shadow: Be on time (AKA at least a few minutes early), ask thoughtful

questions, take notes, and have a fun (educational and professional) time! Please use the

Potential Interview Questions as a guide/organizer. You will need to turn this in at the end of

your project.

5. Send a thank you letter/email: It is extremely important that you send a follow up letter and/or

email to your job shadow host. Please refer back to the lesson on email and thank you letter

etiquette. Your follow up letter should be professional and sincere. Prior to mailing this letter,

you must have it approved by one of your instructors. Please make/keep a copy of this

letter/email, as it will be a part of your portfolio and grade. *****

6. Complete the job shadow reflection questions: These questions and reflection will act as the

base of your informal presentation to the class about your job shadow experience. They will also

help you organize your thoughts and reflect on what you learned from your experience.

7. Share with the class: Once you have completed all of the above steps, we will determine a time

for you to share your experience with the class.

Checklist of Items to Turn In:

___ Job Shadow Application (Approved by _______________)

___ Potential Interview Questions and Answers (Due _______________)

___Thank you letter/email (Due _______________)

___ Job Shadow Reflection Questions and Answers (Due _______________)

***Please note: Your entire project IS DUE _______________. This means you must have completed

your job shadow and turned in all of the above on or before this date. Refer to the syllabus for the late

work policy.

How to Job Shadow: The Details

Choosing Your Business:

-Do research! Consider your likes, dislikes, aptitudes, weaknesses, interests, etc. This will also

come in handy during the actual job shadow.

-Consider the location of the business. How far away is it? Will you have transportation?

Contacting the company:

-Find a phone number and email address for the location you would like to job shadow at. This

information can often be found on a company website or in the phone book. Let us know if you

need help.

-Make the call! It is important to be both friendly and professional. Below is a conversation

guideline for you to follow:

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1. Ask for the person by name. (“Hello, may I speak to ____?”)

2. Introduce yourself and your purpose. (“Hi, my name is ___________ (first AND last name). I

am a ___ (Jr/Sr) at Lowell High School. I’m interested in going into a career in _______, and I

would like to arrange a job shadow where I can observe someone in this career for at least

two hours, with the opportunity to ask some questions before I leave. Would you be willing

to let me “shadow” you?”)

3. Let them know which days and times work best for you, but be flexible. (“What time would

be most convenient for you? Week days after 3 pm work best for me, but I am also available

during the school day.”)

4. Ask them the details. (“Where should I meet you? Where should I park? Is there anything

that I need to bring/wear?”)

5. Thank them and reaffirm the date of the meeting. (“Thank you for helping me set this up. I

look forward to meeting you on ______ (day of the week),______ (date), at _____ (time)”)

6. If you set up your appointment more than one week before the day that you will actually

shadow, you should call/email the company a day or two in advance to remind them that

you will be job shadowing on that day.

What to wear:

-You should follow any guidelines that you were given when setting up your job shadow

experience. Take into account the nature of the job you will be visiting, and dress accordingly.

-No matter what type of job you will be investigating, it is important for you to look clean and

professional.

- Do not wear anything that does not follow Lowell High School’s dress code. You are

representing Lowell even when you are outside of the school.

-Dress slacks, khakis, or dark wash, non-holey jeans and a collared shirt (polo or dress shirt) are

suggested. Sweatpants, hoodies, holey jeans, and most t-shirts are unacceptable for this

experience.

What to take:

-Take anything you were asked to when you made your job shadow appointment.

-Paper, a writing utensil, and a writing surface (i.e. clipboard, folder, notebook, etc)

- A hard copy of the employer survey (page 11)

- The job shadow reflection questions and the list of potential interview questions. These should

act as a guide to your conversation with your job shadow host.

-A current resume, if you have one. Leaving a resume with your job shadow contact is a great

way to network and to potentially acquire a job at the business you are shadowing at!

What to do:

-Arrive on time!

-Shake your host’s hand. Be sure to shake their hand firmly and look them in the eye when you

do so.

-Be polite and have a positive attitude.

-Observe, ask questions, and take notes! There is no such thing as a dumb question, but there is

such a thing as an unprofessional question. Don’t be afraid to ask what’s on your mind, but be

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sure to do so in a way that is respectful and tactful. For example, although it is appropriate to

ask what a typical salary range is at the company, it is inappropriate to ask your host their

individual salary.

-Thank your host for their time and the experience.

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Job Shadow Application – Fill out completely. –Turn this in BEFORE you make the arrangements with the company. You must have this approved by your teacher before you contact the company!

Name: ______________________________________________ Grade: _________

Address: _____________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian: ___________________________________ Phone: ____________

Occupation Requested: _________________________________________________

Information on Host and Company for Job Shadow

Name/Title: ___________________________________________________________

Company: ____________________________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________

Phone: ______________________________________________________________

Email: _______________________________________________________________

Do you have any past experiences with this person or company?

(friend of family, mom works there, my dentist, etc.) ___________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

My son/daughter has my permission to use the following means of transportation for this experience:

Drive own vehicle ( ) to the site ( ) back from the site

I will provide transportation ( ) to the site ( ) back from the site

Ride in another student’s vehicle ( ) to the site ( ) back from the site

Name of student: ________________________

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Ride in another parent’s vehicle ( ) to the site ( ) back from the site

Name of parent: ________________________

I will transport another student in my vehicle ( ) to the site ( ) back from the site

My student may transport another student in ( ) to the site ( ) back from the site

his/her vehicle.

Parent/Guardian’s Approval: _______________________________ Date: ______________

Teacher or Coordinator Approval: ___________________________ Date: ______________

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Potential Interview Questions:

1. What is your job title?

2. What responsibilities does your job entail? If you have one available, may I have a copy of your job description?

3. How do you go about these responsibilities throughout the work day?

4. What is the most rewarding part of your job? Why?

5. What do you find most challenging about your job? Is this a positive or negative challenge?

6. What do you like the most and the least about your job? Why?

7. Why did you select this type of work?

8. How much/what type of education do you need for this job? If college or trade schools are necessary, which ones have the best reputations and programs for this line of work?

9. What classes or skill sets were you most interested in during your college/vocational training?

How do these apply, either directly or indirectly, to your job?

10. Did you need more training after you were done with your education? If so, what does/did that entail?

11. What opportunities are there for advancement or promotion in this job or field?

12. What could an individual expect to earn when first starting out in this position? What could they

expect to earn after gaining promotions and seniority within this field?

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13. Do people in this career/job typically join a union? If so, what are some of the

benefits/protections?

14. Do any of your work responsibilities extend outside of the regular work day? What days and

times do you typically work?

15. What role does this business/company play in giving back to the community (i.e. do you sponsor

any sports teams, make charitable donations, offer scholarships, etc?)

16. In what ways do you use reading, writing, math, and speaking in this position?

17. Describe if you can, a situation in which a person disagreed with you and what steps you took to work it out with that person and maintain mutual respect.

18. What was the most important contribution you made at your workplace that was outside your normal job duties?

19. Tell me about the characteristics which make your favorite co-worker such a good person with whom to work.

20. What advice do you have for someone who is interested in working in this job position or career

field?

21. Did you create a cover letter and resume when you applied for this position? What was the

most challenging part of that process?

22. What do you think is the most important advice someone should follow when interviewing for a

position such as this?

Anything else you can think of (granted that it is educational and professional)! Tip: Write these out

as you think of them! Your grade will be higher if you come up with your own thoughtful questions.

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Job Shadow Reflection Questions

Directions: Type out the answers to each of these questions using MLA format with the exception that

you single space each answer and double space between each answer.

1. Where/with whom did you job shadow? What made you choose to explore this particular

industry or career?

2. Before the job shadow, what were your worries or concerns? After the job shadow, how do you

view these worries and concerns?

3. What kind of education or training is necessary to pursue a career or job at your job shadow

site? Are you interested in completing this education or training? How has or hasn’t your high

school career prepared you for this job or future training?

4. Would you ever consider working at your job shadow site? Explain.

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5. What was the most surprising or interesting thing you learned during your job shadow

experience? Was the experience what you expected it would be? Why or why not?

6. Do you still have unanswered questions after the job shadow? If so, list them below and explain

how you might go about finding answers to these questions.

7. What was the most challenging part of this assignment? What was the least challenging part?

Overall, did you enjoy the experience?

8. If you could change anything about this assignment or about how you personally completed it,

what would it be?

9. What advice would you give to future students about doing the job shadow?

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To Whom It May Concern:

Thank you so much for allowing a Lowell High School English 12A student to job shadow at your

company or business! This is such a unique and enriching opportunity for students to learn more about

different jobs and professionalism, and we truly appreciate the role that you play in this experience.

As part of their projects, students are required to turn in the notes that they take during their visit, as

well as answers to some reflection questions. Another significant part of students’ grades is their return

of the Job Shadow Host Survey. Please take the time to fill out this very short document so that we can

have a better understanding of each student’s experience. Please use the self-addressed envelope

(provided to you by the student) to return the survey. If for some reason you misplace this envelope,

surveys can be sent to the following locations:

Email: kkeglovitz@lowellschools.com Mail: Kim Keglovitz Lowell High School 11700 Vergennes Rd Lowell, MI 49331

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Kim Keglovitz

Lowell High School English Instructor

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Job Shadow Host Survey

Please fill out the following information concerning your student guest. Thank you for your time!

1. Student Name: _______________________

2. Time arrived on job site:________________

3. Time left job site: _____________________

4. The student was dressed professionally/appropriately

Yes No

Comments:

5. The student asked appropriate and thoughtful questions

Yes No

Comments:

6. The student spent a minimum of two hours observing at the job site

Yes No

Comments:

7. General comments/feedback:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

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