Job Shadowing

1. What is Job Shadowing?

In many instances, people tend to choose careers without considering more information about the job, such as finding out if the situation is appropriate for them. Job shadowing is always a short-term experience, and one can do it by observing an employee during their workday, to get insight information about the daily roles of the worker responsible for a particular job. Therefore, Job shadowing refers to an idea in which a person attains a specific experience that would help in the growth of the career he or she have chosen. 

2.  What is the purpose of job shadowing?

Job shadowing plays different roles in career development among the employees. For instance, it enables a worker to decide whether the career he or she have selected suits his or her skills and if he or she would be able to contribute to the job effectively. Additionally, job shadowing allows the employees to understand in-depth information about specific careers of their interest. 

The process of job shadowing involves spending time following a professional in a particular career, assists in giving an employee an idea about the features of the job (Lozada, 2001). Thus, the primary purpose of job shadowing is to help the employees in learning whether the career they have selected suits their skills or not.

3. The benefit of job shadowing for the peers

Job shadowing can help in showing the peers on whether they would feel passionate or enjoy the career they have chosen. Also, this concept can act as a testing procedure for peers in identifying appropriate jobs, through learning the features of a specific career through a professional (Lozada, 2001). Moreover, job shadowing can also assist peers in deciding on whether their skills match the job they have selected and how their knowledge from other posts and schools relates to the chosen career. 

The benefit of job shadowing for the company itself

There are various impacts of job shadowing to a company. The first benefit is that it can help an organization in creating confidence among the workers (Lozada, 2001). Through job shadowing the new workers will be able to develop confidence and assume their responsibilities within a short time in the organization since they will be able to observe the procedures, scenarios, and methods through a professional. 

Additionally, job shadowing helps in fostering team spirit and minimizing interpersonal conflict in the organization. During job shadowing process, newly hired employees always have an opportunity to interact with other workers to create natural relationships among them (Lozada, 2001). As a result, this would enable them to work together and reduce interpersonal conflicts within the company. 

4. Disadvantage

The employees need a prior education. Before the observer wants to learn and pursue a specific career, he or she needs to be aware of the skills about the habits of the professional that they should work together (Lozada, 2001). Thus, when one does not have these skills, he or she would not be able to understand the ongoing events, which will show that he or she do not have an interest in the chosen job. 

5.  Recommendations.

Based on the above premises, companies should implement job shadowing in their operations, since it will help in allowing the employees to be able to find out if their skills suit the chosen career and it will also support an organization in reducing conflicts and fostering teamwork, which will ensure growth in the organization. 

Reference

Lozada, M. (2001). Job Shadowing–Career Exploration at Work. Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers, 76(8), 30-33.