People Management Human Resources Development

Job shadowing: Is it worth implementing at your organization?

August 26, 2024

While there are many ways to prepare new hires for a specific role, few are as effective as job shadowing.

What’s that?

Job shadowing is a form of in-person career training in which a prospect spends a workday alongside a seasoned employee.

It’s called ‘shadowing’ because the new hire stays behind the employee, absorbing and observing their daily tasks and responsibilities (while ultimately staying out of the way).

Many high school interns and college students participate in job shadowing programs to help them select an appropriate career path.

Some industries offer job shadowing as a form of job training for new hires, and it is effective at fostering engagement.

According to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 89% of organizations that implemented job shadowing reported elevated levels of employee engagement.

Yet, while the tactic yields impressive results, most organizations still need to use it more.

Job shadowing is most common in specific industries- healthcare, finance, and education – but it can be applied to almost any work environment.

Shadowing provides hands-on experience for specific jobs, making it an excellent way for professionals to explore different career interests.

For instance, you’ve always been interested in becoming a radiologist.

Shadowing an experienced radiologist will allow you to see what a typical day looks like, which will help you determine if the position is an appropriate fit for you.

So, is job shadowing a good choice for your organization?

Let’s find out.

Understanding job shadowing

The typical job shadowing experience involves a prospect (typically a new hire or college intern) tagging along with an employee for an entire workday.

In a typical job shadowing experience, a prospect, typically a new hire or college intern, tags along with an employee for an entire workday. Throughout this experience, the prospect actively observes the employee’s daily work and may even participate in some tasks.

Ultimately, the goal is to provide the prospect with a clear understanding of what a day on the job entails. As a result, this offers an invaluable learning opportunity, as the prospect gets to firsthand experience what a specific career path is like.

Other forms of job preparation, such as job descriptions and training sessions, can only simulate the real thing, which may lead to some things that need clarification.

For example, consider a recent college graduate who dreams of becoming a nurse.

They love to help others, so they assume the job perfectly fits their strengths.

Yet, after shadowing a real nurse for a chaotic 14-hour shift, they realize they’d prefer a different role in the same field.

This exemplifies one of the most powerful aspects of job shadowing: its ability to demystify specific careers.

You can complete all the training modules you want, but you will need more than actually experiencing a day on the job to prepare you for a position.

Organizations can provide job shadowing opportunities in several different ways.

For instance, it may be available strictly to help employees discover the type of job they like best.

Other organizations permanently incorporate job shadowing into their onboarding process, meaning every new employee shadows someone as part of their training.

What are the benefits of job shadowing?

It’s not worth implementing a new practice unless it will benefit your organization, and job shadowing does not disappoint.

Job shadowing boosts employee engagement and provides benefits for both employees and organizations, so let’s examine them all.

It helps new employees know if they’re a good fit for the role

As the nurse example mentioned, it’s impossible to tell if a potential career fits you without experiencing it first. For instance, employees may be passionate about a particular role only to discover that they don’t enjoy the daily grind.

However, through job shadowing, the same employee may discover that a different role is perfect for their needs, something they wouldn’t have found out if they hadn’t taken part in job shadowing.

Therefore, implementing job shadowing at your organization will ensure that your employees end up in the positions that are best for them, which is a definite plus.

Learning new skills

Job shadowing provides hands-on experience that you don’t get with traditional forms of career training.

As a result, it’s a great way for prospects to learn new skills associated with the role they’re shadowing.

By the end of the workday, the prospect will have a far more solid understanding of the role’s tasks and responsibilities and may even pick up a new skill.

Also, there’s evidence to support this claim.

A 2022 study by the National Career Development Association (NCDA) found that 82% of job-shadowing participants felt more confident in their career choices. This is because they had acquired new skills and knowledge during the shadowing process.

Build rapport with other employees

Shadowing a role in your field of interest allows you to not only learn about the position but also network with other industry professionals. Furthermore, this can lead to positive relationships and potentially open doors to more career opportunities in the future.

Building rapport during shadowing allows new employees to experience the company culture.

For instance, a prospect may discover their working environment is more uptight than they’re used to. This could cause them to A) adjust their behavior or B) pursue a different role in a more relaxed environment.

Nurture your talent pool

On the employer side, offering job shadowing is a fantastic way to bolster your talent pool. In fact, shadowing allows employees to explore different career paths within the organization, thus enabling them to choose the one that aligns best with their skills and interests.

The results?

Your organization will enjoy elevated productivity, engagement, and job satisfaction levels. Shadowing allows everyone to ‘play the field,’ so to speak – trying out different roles until they determine the perfect fit for their skills and personality type.

Passing the torch

A significant reason for the current skills gap is that skilled workers are retiring without passing on their knowledge to younger employees.

Job shadowing is a great way to remedy this issue, as it allows seasoned employees to pass on their knowledge and skills to the next generation of workers.

This ensures that the employees taking their place can adequately perform their job duties, something that’s desperately needed for skilled labor positions right now.

If you have a large workforce retiring, a combination of job shadowing and mentoring will help you fill in the gaps.

Learn more about a company

It’s hard to know what an organization will be like until you start working for them. Whenever you shadow an employee, you get a bird’s eye view of the company, its culture, and its operations.

Shadowers also have the opportunity to interview employees to get their two cents on what it’s like to work for the organization.

This lets prospective employees know whether working at the company is a good fit for their needs.

Even if an employee determines that a specific job isn’t for them, the time spent job shadowing wasn’t wasted.

In fact, it helped you save time, resources, and future headaches.

If the employee doesn’t shadow the position, they may wind up in a job they can’t stand, which isn’t good for them or your organization.

This means job shadowing is almost always beneficial, even if the employee chooses a different career path.

Industries where job shadowing is most common

As stated, only a few industries implement job shadowing despite its effectiveness.

The most common industries that use job shadowing are:

Healthcare
Marketing
Education
Construction
Finance

Let’s look at each to learn how they approach the job shadowing process.

Healthcare

Job shadowing is prevalent in healthcare due to the vast number of specialties found in the industry.

Healthcare facilities offer job shadowing as on-the-job training for new and existing employees hoping to transition to a new role.

Most job shadowing in healthcare requires the prospect to have or be in the process of acquiring a medical or science degree.

Typical positions that feature job shadowing in healthcare include:

Radiologists
Nurses
Physicians
Public health specialists
Nurse practitioners
Lab technicians
Occupational therapists
Respiratory therapists

Marketing

The marketing industry also features various specialties, including content marketing, campaign management, digital PR, and more.

For this reason, job shadowing is typical for employees looking to transition their careers or acquire new skills.

An example would be a content marketer shadowing an SEO specialist to learn more about optimizing their blogs to rank higher on search engines.

Common marketing positions that feature shadowing include:

Marketing coordinators
Brand managers
SEO specialists
Content marketers
Email campaign managers
Social media managers

Education

Education is another industry with many options for prospective employees, which is why it is heavily used.

Employees in education can work with children, adolescents, or adults – and it can be challenging to know which you prefer without trying things out.

Administrative roles outside the classroom are also available for employees who enjoy working behind the scenes instead of with students.

Common positions to shadow in education include:

Elementary, middle, and high school teachers
College professors
Special education teachers
School counselors
Admissions Assistant
Dean of Admissions

Construction

Are you noticing a theme yet?

Most industries featuring job shadowing encompass many positions and specialties; the construction industry is no exception.

For new construction workers, it’s crucial to learn whether they prefer residential or commercial projects. Positions on roadways, bridges, and other types of infrastructure are also available. Therefore, it can help prospects narrow their options.

Positions that feature job shadowing in construction include:

Civil engineers
Land surveyors
General contractors
Heavy machine operators
Welders
Carpenters

Finance

Lastly, there’s an abundance of job shadowing in the finance world. Once again, it’s due to the sheer variety of positions and specialties found within the industry.

Options include working with taxes, handling accounts payable, and performing financial planning, to name a few.

Commonly shadowed job positions include:

Accounts payable and receivable specialists
Underwriters
Tax specialists
Staff accountants
Internal auditors

Should you adopt job shadowing at your organization?

Now, it’s time to address the million-dollar question: Is job shadowing something you should implement at your company?

It depends on a few factors, including:

Whether your industry features a wide array of specialties and career paths
Do you have the time and resources to engage in job shadowing

If the answer to both is yes, it will benefit your organization and employees – so it’s worth implementing.

If the answer is no, it’s probably not worth the effort.

For example, if there are only a handful of positions at your company, new employees may only feel the need to try things out after selecting a role. The same is true if your positions are pretty straightforward and don’t require much special training to master.

At the same time, job shadowing can still provide value to your organization via higher employee engagement.