How to organise your own Work Shadowing Visit The aim of a work shadowing visit is to give you an insight into your chosen career. These visits take place over a half or full day. Careers and Employability arranges a number of work shadowing placements over an academic year but you may find that the visit you would like to go on isn t available. Why not try and organise one yourself? It will demonstrate to future employers that you have initiative and have a real interest in that career field. You will find that most people are happy to help and prepared to take the time to pass on some of their experience. This support pack will detail: How to carry out an effective search for employers Making the first contact What to include in a draft letter or email to employers What to say when contacting employers about a potential work shadowing visit Information required before a visit takes place What to do after a visit Organising an information interview (alternative to a full visit) Dealing with rejection. 1
How to Start Think about what roles you would like to shadow Before you carry out an effective search for employers in or around your area, you firstly need to decide what kind of job role you want to shadow. Think about the degree that you are doing and what careers you could go into with this qualification. Perhaps you re considering a job role that is not linked to the subject of your degree. If you are unsure on the type of career you can pursue with your degree or which roles it would be useful to shadow then come and speak with a member of the Careers and Employability team. We can talk to you about the types of hosts other student have found it useful to visit or you may even find it helpful to speak with one of our Career Consultants about your future prospects and career planning. For career support come and see a member of the team at the Careers and Employability centre in Chester (opposite the Binks Building) Warrington (Martin WMA 025) Alternatively call us on 01244 513066 Searching for employers Once you have made your decision about which job role you would like to shadow, you need to find a host. Do you know any organisations in your area that could help you? If yes, then the best approach is to contact them and ask to speak a member of staff within that role or contact a Human Resources representative. A very effective method of carrying out an employer search is to use a search engine on the internet; this is very helpful if you are unsure of what organisations there are within your area. You can also speak to friends and members of your family who may know of organisations suitable for you to contact, or even have connections they could speak to on your behalf. Often academic tutors have good contacts and may be able to suggest someone you can get in touch with. 2
Making the First Contact Once you have decided on a job role that you would like to shadow you need to identify who would be able to facilitate this within the organisation. You are sometimes able to identify this person by carrying out research on the internet. If you are unable to do this contact the organisation and ask to speak to the relevant person in that job role. Don t be alarmed if you are directed to a member of Human Resources as this is standard procedure. What should you say? Once you have managed to get through to the relevant individual you might be wondering what to say? Don t worry if you feel nervous about picking up the phone, this feeling normally goes away after the first few calls. You might find it useful to write a short script, covering all the points you would like to mention and practice this with a friend. The purpose of your call is to ask if the organisation would allow you to visit them for a single day to help you to learn more about working in their particular professional area. Many organisations accept similar student visits on a regular basis so your request will be familiar to them but for some this will be a first. Make sure to include the following in your conversation: Introduce yourself and ask to speak to the relevant department/individual Tell them why you want to visit, what profession you want to learn more about Ask them if they would be willing to allow you to shadow them for a day If they cannot allow you to visit for a day, think about visit alternatives you could suggest such as a phone based information interviews (see page 8 for visit alternatives) Remember your host might need time to think this over or speak to other people in the organisation. Set a time and date to call them back! 3
Letters and Emails When calling your host, they may have asked you to send them a formal request in writing, more information, or you may not have been able to speak to the right person. Make a note of your ideal contact s name (ask a colleague or reception for this if they are not available) and write to them with your request. A letter should include your address and contact details and, what course you are studying / studied. It should also explain the aim of a work shadowing visit, (example below): Letter Draft Full name Name of company Address Postcode Employer s details Your details Name Address Postcode Telephone Number xx/xx/xxxx Dear XX(Title and surname, unless you know them well then you can use their first name)xx I am writing to ask for your assistance in arranging a work shadowing day with you or one of your colleagues. I am currently studying XXXX at the University of Chester and would welcome the opportunity to spend a day, half day, or even a couple of hours with someone who works in XXXX After graduation I hope to XXXX and would therefore greatly appreciate the opportunity to observe your daily activities to better understand this profession and learn more about its associated roles. If you would be happy for me to ask questions, I would also like to hear about your career path and any tips you may have about entering the industry. I am writing to you because I believe that your organisation would be very relevant to my career aspirations and I am particularly interested in the XXXX (if you have researched the company you could talk about what it is about this particular organisation that interests you). I am usually available on (enter days of week) so if you would be able to accommodate me on one of these days in the future I would be delighted to hear from you. I hope you will not mind me calling you in the next few days to discuss the potential for a visit but please feel free to call or email me beforehand. Thank you for considering this proposal and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Kind regards Sign name here XX(Print your name)xx 4
Often when speaking with an employer, they will ask you to email them with more information or with your original request for work shadowing. Emails are a fantastic way of getting in touch but are used more effectively when an employer has asked you to get in contact this way. Emails sent without prior warning can sometimes be treated as junk mail. Email Draft Dear XXX I am writing to ask for your assistance in arranging a work shadowing day with you or one of your colleagues. I am currently studying XXXX at the University of Chester and would welcome the opportunity to spend a day, half day, or even a couple of hours with someone who works in XXXX After graduation I hope to XXXX and would therefore greatly appreciate the opportunity to observe your daily activities to better understand this profession and learn more about its associated roles. If you would be happy for me to ask questions, I would also like to hear about your career path and any tips you may have about entering the industry. I am writing to you because I believe that your organisation would be very relevant to my career aspirations and I am particularly interested in the XXXX (if you have researched the company you could talk about what it is about this particular organisation that interests you). I am usually available on (enter days of week) so if you would be able to accommodate me on one of these days in the future I would be delighted to hear from you. I hope you will not mind me calling you in the next few days to discuss the potential for a visit but please feel free to call or email me beforehand. Thank you for considering this proposal and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Kind regards XX(Name Here)XX Always Follow up your emails and letters with a phone call a few days after sending these; do not wait for your host to come back to you! Keep a record of all the dates and the contacts you have made. An employer will not mind a gentle reminder or a call to explain your situation, but be careful not to damage your chances by pressuring them. What happens if you ideal host can t help or says no? Don t despair! See page 8 for useful visit alternatives that save employers time! 5
Visit Details If your chosen host has agreed for you to visit them, there are a number of ways you can prepare to make the most of your day before, during and after the visit: Before your visit However you manage your contact, there are certain details you will need in order to ensure your visit runs smoothly. Confirm these with your host as soon as possible: Contact name of the individual you will be shadowing Contact details including email, mobile and office number of the host Confirm your starting and finishing time Ask if there is somewhere nearby to buy some lunch if required? (Do not be embarrassed to ask this question, it shows that you are organised) Confirm the organisation s dress code Ensure you have thorough directions to the premises and that you have checked you can get there on time Most importantly, research the organisation that you will be visiting and write down any questions you might have. This shows that you are committed to your learning experience. How did you get the most out of your experience? Being well prepared having a good background knowledge of the firm I was going to shadow and by putting a list of questions together that were tailored to me and not just generic. During your visit Arrive early. Your host may have gone out of their way to accommodate your visit. Don t let them down by arriving late or failing to arrive without explaining your absence in advance. Network. Ask you host and other employees you meet during the day if you can contact them in the future for advice or connect with them on social media such as LinkedIn 6
Ask questions. If you don t understand something then ask, the host will not mind and it shows you are interested Ask for tips for the future. Your host may be able to tell you more about the qualification s needed to enter their profession and have tips on gaining experience and what relevant employers may look for in a CV or at interview Ask about further experience. Your host might have other work experience schemes or voluntary programmes you can join now, or in the future. Were you able to generate some useful contacts or Professional networks? Yes. The original placement was only for a day, however, when I finished they asked me to come back for the rest of the week as it fell in half-term. I have subsequently been back on several occasions since. After your visit Now is the time to think about what you learned on your visit. Did you leave your visit knowing that this is the right career for you, or do you have further questions? Write to your host and thank them for letting you visit Ask your host for feedback. Did they feel you prepared yourself for your visit and presented yourself in the right way? Don t be afraid or embarrassed to ask for this information as it can help you develop for future experiences or job roles Keep a record of what you did on the day and what you learnt. This doesn t need to be shared with anyone else but could help you to remember interesting information to talk about at a future interview or similar experience Did the visit answer your questions or do you need another visit in this area or in another one entirely? Include the details of your visit in the work experience section of your CV Do you need more experience to work in this area? Could the volunteering team at the University of Chester help you do this? Contact 7
student.support@chester.ac.uk to see if they have useful voluntary positions for you Unsure if you need to gain further skills or qualifications? Need advice? Then contact a Career Consultant to discuss your future careers plans by calling 01244 513066 and booking an appointment. How has Work Shadowing helped you to develop your career ambitions? I think it has opened my eyes to what else is out there. When I originally took the placement it was something I enjoyed doing and a bit of a CV boost, but now I am seriously considering looking for other jobs with the same company. Dealing with Rejection and Visit Alternatives Don t take rejection personally; some organisations simply cannot host a work shadowing visit. This could be for a number of reasons such as issues of confidentiality or lack of resources e.g. staffing. This does not mean that you should give up. As in life, rejection is part of developing your experiences but there are some things you can ask your employer if they are unable to accommodate a visit: Don t be afraid to ask the organisation if they would consider a visit in a few months or at a particular time of year? Ask if they could suggest another organisation that might be able to help? Ask if you could come in and shadow for a half day, or just a few hours instead of a full day? Ask if they could accommodate a face to face or phone based information interview? The answer to all of these questions could still be no but many employers find that one of these experiences take up considerably less of their time. Below you will find a guide to making the most of an information interview; a popular visit alternative for many employers: 8
Information Interviews Unfortunately on some occasions a work shadowing visit is not possible. Largely this is due to confidentiality issues or the organisation simply does not have the resources to support such a scheme. However, if this is the case, you could suggest an information interview either via telephone or to take place in the form of a meeting. An information interview is designed to give you an insight into the information you wish to gain about the organisation and the role that the individual takes, but in a shorter amount of time. Information interviews are very useful, as you still gain an honest insight into the role you perhaps wish to pursue from the person who is actually doing it. You never know, this meeting could lead onto to another opportunity that you were unaware of. Listen to what employers have to say about their own professions. Listen to our podcasts www.chester.ac.uk/work-shadowing Things to consider Information interviews are purely about finding out more about a particular kind of work, and this is what the interviewee will have agreed to do Do not ask them for a job! Aim for a maximum time of 20 minutes. Telling an employer that this is all it will take should dramatically improve your chances of getting an interview. However, be prepared for it to go on longer: take as long as your host is prepared to offer. Preparation Remember that you will be speaking to very busy people and that you may not have a lot of time for your meeting. Asking basic questions that can easily be looked up will eat into this time dramatically, so make sure that you have researched the company and the career path beforehand. Consider your skills and interests, and how they could relate to the career path you are researching. Have some ideas ready, but keep an open mind; your interviewee may have other suggestions for you. 9
Areas to discuss You will obviously have some specific topics to find out more about in the interview, but here are a few pointers on key questions to ask. Start by asking them how they got into that field of work: Are there any specific qualifications or experiences that they recommend? Ask them what the best things about the role are: Hearing first-hand accounts of what makes the job so enjoyable will help to motivate you. Don t forget to ask them about the worst parts of their role: being warned in advance about these things and getting early tips on how to deal with them will be very useful to prepare for work in this kind of setting. If this isn t covered by their answers to previous questions, ask them to discuss the main challenges they face in their job. Try to get an idea of what skills and expertise you will need in the job: The earlier you can start developing these, and getting experience to prove you have them, the better your chances Further action If there is time, ask your interviewee if they would be ok to look through your CV and give you some feedback on this: even though you haven t arranged this with a specific job in mind, your host may agree to hang on to your CV for the future. This is a great opportunity to expand your range of contacts even further, so don t be afraid to ask for recommendations of other people to speak to : they may even be prepared to introduce you to them. Don t forget to thank your interviewee for their time! As with a visit you should send a thank you card and letter after the visit. This is a great way of getting another copy of your contact details to them. Sources of further information http://www.career.fsu.edu/experience/information-interviews-guide.html http://www.vitae.ac.uk/1386/information-interviews.html The Art of Building Windmills, Dr P. Hawkins (1999) University of Liverpool (http://www.windmillsonline.co.uk) 10
Careers and Employability www.chester.ac.uk/careers careers@chester.ac.uk Tel: 01244 513066 warrington.careers@chester.ac.uk Tel: 01925 534235 Careers & Employability Centre Chester Campus (Opposite The Binks Building) Careers & Employability University of Chester Parkgate Road Chester CH1 4BJ Opening Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9:00am - 5:00pm all year round Friday: 9:00am - 4:00pm Tuesday evening: 5:15pm -7:00pm term time Warrington Campus (Martin Building WMA 025) Careers and Employability University of Chester Warrington Campus Crab Lane WA2 ODB Opening Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9:00am - 5:00pm (Term Time) Friday: 9:00am - 4:00pm Monday-Friday: 10:00am - 4:00pm (Holidays) 11