Job Shadowing: Designing the Right Program for Your

Campus

LeAnn Cunningham, Employment Relations/Internship CoordinatorCareer Development Center

Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS

Annie Cutler, Employer Relations Coordinator,Career Services

Trinity University, San Antonio, TX

Presentation Overview

Job Shadowing Program at JCCC

Job Shadowing at Trinity University

Lessons we have learned

Designing job shadowing programs for your campus

Why did you come today? What do you hope to learn?

Getting to know

• Overland Park, KS; suburb of Kansas City• 20,000 credit students, 18,000 non-credit• Over 50 career programs; most students transfer for bachelor’s

degrees• Ranked in top 5-10 community colleges nationally• Career Development Center has 9 staff, 2 work study• Job Shadowing Program administered by Employment

Relations/Internship Coordinator

Johnson County Community College

OVERVIEWStudent Need--Students asked for job shadowing

Developed spring and summer 2015; launched fall 2015Philosophy and Mission—to provide a structured, educational experience that supported

career decision making and students’ reasons for attending collegePreparation—discussion of program framework included dean, career counselor, academic

faculty, employers and students; initial researchHired—a graduate student intern devoted to building the program with the Employment

Relations/Internship CoordinatorStakeholders—JCCC students, JCCC faculty, Kansas City employers

Marketing and Administration—program materials, mentor database using CSO

Program Construction Spring and Summer 2015

• Hired intern to work 20 hours per week on job shadowing• Developed job shadowing program and material content• Met with key faculty members to gain their perspective on

program• Worked with publications department to produce

materials• Began networking with employers at Chamber events, by

phone and email

JCCC students: 18, 2.0 GPA and good academic standing

Faculty: Intentionally involve faculty Social work/welfare, business, computer technology, science & biotechnology, engineering & drafting, nonprofit. Also includedfinance, web design, graphic design, accounting, public administration

Employers: Invited Kansas City area professionals

Stakeholders

Benefits For students: • Active, career

exploration • Build career knowledge

& competencies• Increased confidence

& awareness

Benefits For faculty: Mentoring, marketing, & meaning-making

Outcomes: Relationship-building, supporting students, & promoting program

Benefits to Employers: Brand awareness, development & recruitment

Outcomes: Building relationships with JCCC and students, connecting with talent pipeline

• Increased career development and decision-making

• Enhanced ability to identify career options and select appropriate career path

• Engaged in experiential learning through observation and person-to-person interaction in the workplace

• Retention in college

Step-by- step process for Students

Job Shadowing Marketing

Job Shadowing Student Guidehttp://goo.gl/3EgyLL

Job Shadowing Mentor Guidehttp://goo.gl/SoEigM

Job Shadowing Faculty Guidehttp://goo.gl/lqsbVV

Career Development Center Job Shadowing Video

What Have We Learned?• Networking through faculty and recruiters; chamber events; presentations to

groups. Not so much on LinkedIn.• Surprises along the way—random mentors sign up when they hear about it.• Overcoming faculty resistance to sharing employer contacts• Started small with Engineering club - had a lot of civil engineering mentors• Mentors contact others in their company or organizations and promote the

program• Administrator and faculty enthusiasm—use the program for assignments in

Career Planning and Capstone classes• Scope of programs we first focused on expanded almost immediately due to

networking and finding excellent contacts.

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career Services

• Private, liberal arts and science institution located in San Antonio, TX

• 2,300 high-achieving, sports-playing, nacho-eating students – 10% international students – #1 in the West by U.S. News & World Report - 24 years in a row – #8 Best Entrepreneurial College, Forbes Magazine

• Current president, Dr. Danny Anderson, was formerly Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at KU

Trinity University

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career Services

• Office of Career Services (6 full-time staff) – Career exploration – Full-time positions – Graduate & professional school advising – Alumni & parent relations

• Office of Experiential Learning (4 full-time staff) – Internships – Volunteering – Course-embedded projects

Center for Experiential Learning & Career Success

“…integrates academic work, learning in the community, and career planning by bridging the gap between theory and practice while also connecting students to alumni and potential employers who can help secure career opportunities in the future.”

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career Services

• Identified opportunity for a job shadowing program linked to an annual networking event held over winter break

• Original concept: job shadowing day where students all go at once and do individual visits to different employer sites

• Research approach: what do schools of comparable size, mission, and reputation provide for job shadowing?

• Research results: group shadowing trips, or “Treks,” most effective for small, liberal arts and sciences institutions

Job Shadowing at Trinity University

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career ServicesJob Shadowing at Trinity University

• Compiled research on scope, target audience, and age of programs• Collected data on possible

employer contacts in Trinity’s target locations• Assessed institutional needs

and resources of Trinity versus peer/aspirant institutions for supporting job shadowing programming

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career ServicesJob Shadowing at Trinity University

• Research resulted in the creation of 2 separate, distinct programs that best serve Trinity University student needs • Tiger Treks

• Short, large-group visits to multiple brand-name employers over the span of a few days in a large city

• Group job shadowing experience, targeted at mainly first-years and sophomores exploring the “What can I do with my major?” question

• Bring a Tiger to Work program• Resource toolkit which guides students through the job shadow process, scheduled at

student’s convenience• Suitable for students (or alumni) of any age, industry, or interest • Focuses on guiding the experience and providing built-in reflection & support

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career ServicesGroup Job Shadowing: Tiger Treks

• Held in conjunction with Making Connections, a set of alumni and current student networking events co-hosted by Alumni Relations and Career Services in cities across the U.S. during the first week of January

• Students attend the local Making Connections event in the evening, where they connect with fellow participants and the alumni host

• The following morning, students meet at the employer site and take a 2-3 hour tour, including: – Site/building tour– Professional development workshop led by employer representatives – Networking and Q&A session with various individuals within the organization

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career ServicesTiger Treks: Development

• Established 3 target industries to connect with: business, engineering, and non-profit

• Reached out to targeted employer sites in Houston, where the largest Making Connections event is held and where 25% of our students call home

• Developed an application process and orientation workshop • Created a marketing strategy and timeline for students,

faculty, alumni, and employers

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career ServicesTiger Treks: Implementation

• Difficult to find a company willing and able to host larger group of students

• Brand-name or ”sexy” companies most desirable to students are also the hardest to schedule

• Initially targeted Deloitte, Houston Arts Alliance, and NASA – Deloitte wasn’t interested in non-accounting students – Houston Arts Alliance is under construction – NASA said yes! … but no international students, which created a

problem

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career ServicesTiger Treks: Results & Lessons Learned

• Small Tiger Trek to NASA with high-level exposure for students– Relationships are already resulting in increased recruiting at Trinity

• Plans to expand to Dallas and Houston next year– Winter and summer visits to employer sites and Trinity alumni who

work there• Easier to solicit employer buy-in when: – Results in direct impact on hiring and internships – Desire for increased brand awareness at Trinity already exists – Strong, executive-level alumni or parent influence

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career ServicesBring a Tiger to Work: Development

• Conducted research on job shadowing guides at institutions of all levels across the country • Reviewed resource materials • Scheduled conversations with aspirant institutions

• Assessed internally, including review of current job shadowing-related resources and staff approaches to job shadowing coaching • Created rough draft of needed materials and established a plan for

writing and designing the necessary content• Identified staff members with strongest background in job

shadowing-related areas, such as career exploration

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career ServicesBring a Tiger to Work: Implementation

• Scheduled as a summer 2016 project, with multiple career advisors involved in research, revisions, and design • Resource guide will be available

for fall 2016 students • Targeted distribution around

Registration Day and shortly before fall, Thanksgiving, and winter breaks

Trinity University: Small Liberal Arts Institutions & Career ServicesBring a Tiger to Work: Lessons Learned

• Know your students and their comfort level – what support do they need, and in what form? • Be willing to dedicate the time to creating quality materials • Solicit team feedback AND buy-in to ensure institutional

knowledge is respected and utilized • Quality is more important than creating something quickly

Trinity University & Job Shadowing: What I’m Learning

• Cost/benefit analysis of programs • Survey the strategic, institutional priority at

the moment – how does job shadowing fit in? • Talk to as many other career services

professionals as possible! • Handouts, guides, marketing materials are

key! – If those are solid, your program has a much better

chance of success on every level

• This is not a one-person project. Never. Ever.

Designing Job Shadowing for Your Campus• Know your office, your students, and your institution • Understand the scope and time commitment of the project• Do the background research on why this is a priority, both for students’ sake and for

administrators • Be ready to design - marketing and associated materials are extremely important aspect

of a well-developed job shadowing program of any kind • Reach out to others - set up meetings, phone calls, and have email conversations with

both internal and external constituents (students, administrators, risk management, employers, faculty, other career centers, us!)

• Financial budget• Allow yourself time to develop a good program. Don’t rush it!

Ask Away

LeAnn Cunningham, Employment Relations/Internship CoordinatorCareer Development Center

Johnson County Community College913-469-3598 lcunningham06@jccc.edu

http://www.jccc.edu/student-resources/counseling/career/job-shadow.html

Annie Cutler, Employer Relations CoordinatorCareer Services

Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas210-999-8321 acutler@trinity.edu

https://new.trinity.edu/campus-life/campus-services/career-services

Contact us if you have questions!