!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Streamline Training & Documentation: Shadowing

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Shadowing

At breakfast this morning I sat next to a woman who had spent part of her time during the last year "shadowing" the volunteer who has been responsible for annual alumnae giving at my alma mater over the past three years. The goal was to learn the ropes of the fund-raising job. (Another common use of job shadowing is to expose students trying to decide on a career direction to the realities of a particular occupation.)

This alum told me about how satisfying development work for the college is, but also how challenging it has been to make sure she is picking up as much as possible of her mentor's expertise, especially the tacit knowledge her mentor applies to the job.

The International Public Management Association for Human Resources offers some tips (PowerPoint file) for getting optimal results from job shadowing:

  • Share a little history of the job


  • Talk about the roles and responsibilities -- This is absolutely crucial for helping the learner fit into the overall activities of the organization.


  • Describe the personal attributes that match the job -- In the case of the alum I was speaking with, she had already been identified as a good fit for the job of fund-raising, but in many cases, how well the learner fits the job requirements can only be determined by providing some firsthand exposure.


  • Discuss educational requirements, the career ladder for the job and related positions -- Again, in the case of the woman I was talking to, this part of job shadowing was not relevant, but it certainly applies in settings in which fit to the job is still being assessed.


  • Describe your experience, likes, dislikes
Of course, making job shadowing pay off is not entirely the responsibility of the mentor. The learner needs to ask questions to cue the mentor concerning elements of the job that need additional explanation, and, when feasible, to pitch in with the work to gain some hands-on experience.

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