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Job Shadowing
INFORMATION
INTERVIEWING
INFORMATION
INTERVIEWING QUESTIONS
You have read
about and talked with others about a particular type of work. You
think that it would be a good fit for your interests and capabilities,
but you would like to do one more check. That is when the Job Shadow experience
is very beneficial.
To locate the
ideal person, use the same strategy you did to find a person with whom
you did an information interview. Writing or telephoning to make
arrangements to meet is similar, except that you will ask for a ½
day or an entire day. During that time together, you are able to
ask similar questions to those in the information interview. The
bonus is spending time with your contact as that person does whatever needs
to be done that day on the job. You can observe, perhaps even help.
By the time
you are ready to leave, you should have good notes about the components
of the job, the work environment, the interactions with other people, and
a tally on what you like and dislike about the position. If the fit is
not as good as you had hoped, ask your contact if there would be a different
type of place where that kind of work would be done, e.g., market research
talking with people in a shopping mall vs. over the telephone.
Within 1-2 days
after your visit, write your thank you letter and mail it. Include points
about what you found helpful. Whether you have made a decision to work
in the field is not important to your contact, only that the time spent
with you was not a waste.
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