Job Shadowing for Students
One Day, One Company, One Job Description
Job shadowing means experiencing the work world live for a day. Discover work worlds and career prospects by accompanying someone for a day in their professional every day life. You are there for team meetings, telephone calls, agreements, trips to other departments, labs, or production facilities. Get to know the professional world, job descriptions, and demands for yourself.
How Does Job Shadowing Work?
It is simple and there are two exciting types. You either apply at a company that offers job shadowing in agreement with the RWTH Aachen Career Center or you contact RWTH Aachen alumni, who have made themselves available to the RWTH Aachen Alumni Team, to introduce students to their responsibilities and companies. Get more information about the application for job shadowing.
What Is Expected from A Job Shadow?
Job shadowing serves to help you review your own ideas about the work world and to get to know different jobs. The goal is to better be able to plan your own start to a career. Participants should clarify the following beforehand:
- What am I actually interested in?
- What kind of profession can I imagine doing?
- What kind of qualifications do I have?
- What questions do I have that can help me make a decision about my professional life?
Only after you have done this may you find a suitable company, alumnus or alumna.
On the day of job shadowing, you should remember that you are accompanying someone in their normal work life. Please be friendly, pay attention to company plans, avoid disturbing operation procedurs and respect rules in the work place.
Use our tips for successful job shadowing to help orient yourself.
What Can Job Shadows Expect?
The companies and alumni who participate in the program have committed themselves to ensure you get a glance a work day. You can expect, for example, that you get glances at a normal work day, that you can ask questions, that you find more about the person's career, and that you get a look at the company culture. This helps you to review your ideas about your future profession and to round them out. Keep in mind that at typical work day can be longer or shorter depending on the company and function. This is an important experience that you do not want to miss out on.
Our alumni are particularly involved and wish to help students in plans for their studies and career. We have recommended hosts to select as much of a typical day as possible. A longer conversation is possible at the beginning and end of the day.