Deciding on an academic major and career path is of foremost importance for college students, from freshmen to seniors. While opening up opportunities and a vision for their future, it can be a scary proposition for college students.
There are several reasons why this decision might be scary for college students. First, as staff in Career Services, we hear from students concerned about whether they “have what it takes” to succeed in a career field. There are also students who can’t make a decision because they “like five different career fields” that are unique and cannot choose one. Finally, there are students who need to learn the options for career paths for a specific major they are considering.
One method to ease uncertainty in the decision-making process and increase students’ ownership for their choice of academic major and career path is job shadowing and/or informational interviewing opportunities with professionals in career fields they are considering. Like taking a career assessment, meeting with a career adviser, or contemplating their futures with friends in their residence hall, a job shadow or informational interview provides students information on a career path. Speaking with a professional who has navigated their career area of interest and can provide the student a role model in their career development process. From them, students can gain insight into opportunities in the career field, skills needed to succeed, specific job responsibilities and tasks, beneficial academic courses or campus involvement to consider, challenges, job outlook, and others.
A job shadow typically requires students to visit with a professional in person and spend time observing the professional in their work space, interacting with colleagues and others, and performing their daily job tasks. An informational interview could be a part of a job shadow experience during which a student asks specific questions about the professional’s educational background, career aspirations, tips for being successful in the field, ideas for bolstering one’s qualifications, and others. However, an informational interview could also be conducted on its own either in person or by phone. Ultimately, a job shadow focuses on the elements of a job and is more time intensive whereas an informational interview focuses on the professional’s personal experience. In either case, when contacting a professional, it is best to specify that the purpose of the meeting is to gather information, not to ask for a job. It is also important to note that interacting with these professionals during a job shadow or an informational interview is not a substitute for work or internship experience. Instead, students should approach this as one way to network and start making connections in their field of interest. These connections may provide information on open positions, but this is not the purpose of the meeting.
Holiday breaks can be a great time for students to use parental networks to participate in job shadow and informational interview sessions. Below are some tips to share with your student so they can have a beneficial experience with job shadowing and informational interviewing:
• Use your organic network. Seeking a professional to shadow or interview does not have to be considered a “blind date” situation. Encourage your students to think about people you already have connections with whom may have experiences in their career field of interest: neighbors, other family members, parents of friends, and others.
• Maintain professionalism. From the moment the student initiates contact with the professional, it is crucial to maintain professionalism. For example, students should proofread emails and wear at least business casual attire to the meeting.
• Prepare ahead of time. Students should research the organization, industry, and position. Students should also prepare specific questions ahead of time. The questions should revolve around the professional’s career and academic decisions.
• Follow-up. Students should send a Thank You note to the professional following their visit or interview and keep an open line of communication between them, for example, connect online (LinkedIn) or in-person (career fairs or informational sessions).
If your student has more questions or want to discuss how Career Services can help facilitate a shadowing experience, please refer them to an appointment with us. Appointments can be made online via MyPlan or by calling 402-472-3145. Please also reach out to us if you are willing to participate as the professional in such an experience. Many students who have participated in job shadowing and informational interviewing report that the experience, alleviated their uncertainty about committing to an academic major and career path and made the decision one simply less scary.