Alternative Summer Activities Other than Classes or a Job
Job Shadows and Informational Interviews are Must-Use Tools to Guide Your Career Development
Many students spend summer vacation participating in one of the following activities: working at an internship or other job, or completing a summer course. If you are looking for something short-term to do this summer to help you determine your post-college academic or career plans, you should consider informational interviews and job shadowing experiences. These experiences can pair well with the time frame of an internship or summer class or can be used independently.
Because job shadowing and informational interviews are short-term experiences (in some cases, job shadows last only a week), you can also plan to do either of them during winter break, spring break, or Thanksgiving break as well.
What is an Informational Interview?
An informational interview is an opportunity for you to talk to someone in a specific field or company about their experience and educational history, and to learn more about their role.
Informational interviews are a chance for you to learn more about an industry or field to decide if it is a good fit for your future depending on your interests, preferences, as well as your educational and career goals. Informational Interviews provide you a networking opportunity with someone who can help you in your field or within a company where you hope to work in the future.
A typical informational interview usually lasts between 30 and 60 minutes to an hour, and you will want to be prepared with insightful questions. Some potential questions you can ask your interviewer are:
What educational background, training, or certifications are required to break into this industry?
What classes do you recommend prospective workers take while in college?
What experiences do you think students should pursue to be a strong entry-level candidate?
What do you like about your job? What is a challenging aspect of your role?
Are there any current trends in your field that can help prepare me for a career in this field?
What is a Job Shadow?
A job shadow is a short-term experience where you follow someone at their job for a predetermined number of days. The goal of a job shadow is to be able to observe someone in their day-to-day responsibilities to learn if this is an industry or role for you. Job shadows typically last one to three days but can potentially last for up to two weeks.
How to Find Informational Interview or Job Shadow
To find either an informational interview or job shadow, my favorite place to start is LinkedIn. Once you create a profile, you should add your college or university under education. This will link you to other current students and, more importantly, alumni!
Pro Tip: Make sure to add a professional image to your LinkedIn profile. Ask your friend to take a picture of you on an iPhone in business-casual or business-professional attire. If it is possible, take it outside with some greenery in portrait mode so the background is blurry. If that isn't possible, you can decide to remove the background on your phone or by using another software program.
Then within your school, toggle over to the “Alumni” tab. (See the image below as a reference for where I went to undergrad.) You can then narrow down the alumni by location, employer, and industry. From there, request to connect with these alumni and make sure to send them a personalized message.
Pro Tip: In your personalized message when you ask to connect, include that you are a current student at that same institution. Mention that you are interested in that field, employer, or learning about their history. You are more likely to have someone who does not already know you accept your request if you add a message.
Example 1: Hi Susan, my name is Sloane, and I am a current second year student at State University. I am reaching out because I am interested in learning more about your educational background and path to get into Marketing. Do you have thirty minutes in the next few weeks for an informational interview?
Example 2: Hi Evan, my name is Sloane, and I am studying Communications at State University. I am reaching out to ask if I would be able to shadow you for a day or two at X Company. I was hoping the chance to shadow you would allow me to learn if I want to work in the industry and potentially apply to open positions at X Company when I graduate in a few years.
You can also reach out to your institution’s career development office, as they might have postings, an alumni network, or other suggestions for ways to find opportunities. Most schools also have a job posting website exclusive for their students with employers that have an established connection with your school; make sure you sign up and search on that site. Your campus career center can help you get started.
Another way to find an informational interview or job shadowing experience is to tap into your own existing network and your parents’ networks. Maybe a parent of a friend from high school works as an accountant. Ask a former high school teacher or coach if they know anyone in your field of interest. Reach out to that individual to see if you could shadow them or have an informational interview.
Both of these shorter-term experiences are great opportunities to learn about potential future career paths and expand your professional network. Sometimes a shorter experience is all you need to determine if the career is an option for your future or if you can cross this off the possible future career paths list.
The Basics to Prepare, During, and After
To prepare for an informational interview or job shadowing experience, you should research some current news in your field, spend some time browsing the company’s website to help you formulate questions to ask, and update your resume. I would also suggest ensuring that you have professional attire to wear during the experience. Your clothes should fit appropriately, be wrinkle-free, and should be more on the conservative side if you are unsure as to what is appropriate.
The night before, make sure you pack two granola or protein bars (just in case), a water bottle, and a padfolio or professional-looking notepad to bring with you for the day. Also, make sure you print your updated resume and pack multiple copies to bring with you. Confirm your parking situation and exactly where you are meeting. If you are entering a large office building, your name may need to be added to a security list, or someone may need to escort you inside the building if entering it requires an ID.
On the day of the experience, leave early. I would suggest aiming to arrive at least 15 minutes before the official starting time, but 30 is better as it ensures that even if you hit traffic or get lost, you will still be on time. I suggest that you take thorough notes about what the person tells you and the people you meet (including job titles and contact information). If you are job shadowing, also write notes about what you observe people doing. I would suggest writing down questions that come to mind that you may not have prepared beforehand and try to find time to ask them during the day.
Make sure after the experience is over, that you add the staff members you met on LinkedIn. You never know if they switch employers, industries, or the connections they may have that can help you in the future. Critically, you should also write a thank you note to the individual you interviewed or job shadowed. An emailed thank you note is ok, but a handwritten note is a bit more thoughtful.
Example 1 (more formal, informational interview):
Dear Ms. Susan,
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day last week to discuss your background and educational path to enter the marketing field. The information you provided has helped me to determine my next steps in locating relevant experiences to pursue as an undergraduate. I found your insights regarding courses through Coursera and at State University really helpful, and I have already changed my fall class schedule to reflect this.
Thank you, Sloane.
Example 2 (more informal, job shadow):
Evan,
Thank you so much for the job shadowing opportunity last week to observe you at X Company. Viewing the responsibilities and structure at a larger company helped me to understand that this would be a great avenue for me to pursue post-graduation. It was so exciting to see how a magazine gets created and the demands at a primarily print-based marketing company.
I look forward to picking up a copy of the September magazine when it is released.
Thank you, Sloane.
Pro Tip: To stand out in a stronger positive light, I suggest that you also thank the supervisor of whoever you shadowed or interviewed and highlight the strengths of the individual you worked with, the company, or the experience you had. If you do this, wait a few days and add this person on LinkedIn too even if you did not directly meet.
At the end of the summer, you can list a job shadowing experience on your resume and LinkedIn profile, listed alongside your other experiences. You should write bullet points that include verbs like “observe,” “learned,” and “discussed.” For instance, a bullet point on your resume describing a job shadowing experience could look like:
Observed medical professionals that provided preventative information to 27 patients attending yearly physical checkups
Discussed the current trends in the marketing and digital advertising field
Although both informational interviews and job shading may not have been your initial thought on how to use your summer effectively, they are strong networking opportunities that you can leverage into internships or post-graduation jobs in the future. Although it may be intimidating to reach out to alumni or people in your network, I encourage you to be brave and reach out. Most people have been in a similar situation and, in general, people want to help others.
Image credit: Alex Green via Pixabay.