Veterans Career Pathways Program
Employer Job Shadow
The Veterans Success Center is excited to work with alumni and employers who want to host studentveterans and dependents for job shadowing experiences. Job shadowing opportunities make a valuable
contribution in educating our students on potential career paths by giving them the ability to observe
and ask questions to professionals. This opportunity also provides the benefit of showcasing your
company and helps you identify future talent. We greatly appreciate your willingness to take the time
to teach our students so they can make informed decisions that will impact their future.
As the host employer, you determine and manage the content and duration of the job shadow
experience. Most shadowing experiences are four hours to a full day. These best practice tips will help
make for a beneficial experience for your organization and the student:
Prepare

Having a structured plan/schedule for the student will make the experience easier to manage
for you and also help the student know what to expect. Though students are expected to
contact employers to arrange the details of the job shadow experience, the employer should
send a schedule to students before they arrive on site as well as directions to your office and
information about parking. Having a schedule will also help the student prepare their questions
and feel more comfortable; helping them gain more from the experience.
Engage the Student

Students may be nervous in a new professional environment. Engaging them by being
approachable and making the process feel conversational will allow them to learn about your
job and gain from the experience. Actively sharing insights from your own experiences and
professional development will ensure the job shadow experience has the greatest benefit.
Seeing the Big Picture

Another great way to help students learn about a potential career is to have them observe
different aspects of your company. Give them a tour of your facility. Introduce them to your
co-workers to get a greater understanding of your organization’s culture. Help them gain an
understanding of the various ways they can apply their major within the working
world. Show them new technologies and help them make connections between their studies,
skills, and your company. If your company has an internship program, consider introducing your
student to your interns to give them a valuable peer perspective of your company and its work.
Information and Follow Up for the Student

Please share materials with the student about your company and a business card so they can
follow up with you if they have questions. Please feel free to provide direct feedback to the
student regarding the day as this it is meant to be a learning experience. We also ask that you
complete an evaluation, included in this packet.
Veterans Career Pathways Program
Employer Job Shadow
The agenda below is meant to provide examples of areas that may be of interest to the student job
shadowing. Please feel free to adapt it to fit with your organization.
Sample Agenda
9:00 – 10:00am
Welcome and Company Overview with Human Resources RepresentativeDiscuss future career possibilities and review the student’s resume
10:00 – 11:00am
Office and Department Tour and Introductions
10:30 – 11:30am
Observe a Team Meeting with the Leadership Team, Community Outreach
Team, or Product Development Team
11:30am – 12:30pm
Networking Lunch: Veterans, Sacramento State Alumni, or various
departments
(Students have been instructed to bring money for lunch should you decide to have a
networking lunch. If lunch is off-site, students must drive themselves to the location.)
12:30 – 12:45pm
Break
12:45 – 2:00pm
Self-Directed Online Training Materials/Tutorials
2:00 – 2:30pm
Informational Interview with first-year employee
2:30 – 3:00pm
Informational Interview with tenured employee
3:00 – 4:00pm
Debrief of Day- discussion with hiring manager regarding career development
and future career options, verbal feedback from the day and evaluation form
Additional Suggested Activities
- Discuss the organization chart, company culture and working environment
- Exposure to current technology and tools used by professionals
- Observe a presentation to a client
- Conduct a department roundtable: questions, answers, and advice - Marketing Team
- Observe work being done in the lab
Possible topics for discussion with the student:
- Advice for someone wanting to get into your industry and /or your particular organization
- Trends affecting your industry
- Classes the student should consider taking
- Experiences/internships that the student should have if they want to pursue a career in your field
- Suggested publications to keep them informed
- Professional associations they should consider joining
Veterans Career Pathways Program
Employer Job Shadow Evaluation
Student Name:
Host Name:
Host/Work Site:
Date of Job Shadow:
Title:
Phone:
We are interested in the long-term success of our program and would appreciate you taking a few
minutes to share your assessment of the student and our job shadow program. Your feedback
will be very valuable to the school as well as the student, and will help us improve the program.
Using a scale of “1” to “3,” please rate the student in the following areas:
Below
Expectation
Meets
Expectation
Exceeds
Expectation
1
2
3
1
1
2
2
3
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
1
2
3
Punctuality
 Reported to the job shadow at the
appropriate time and place
Professional Appearance
 Dressed appropriately
 Groomed appropriately
Professional Conduct
 Scheduled appointment in a
professional manner
 Behaved in a professional manner at
the work site
Communication
 Related well to host and others
 Asked appropriate questions
 Demonstrated interest in the
experience
Overall Evaluation
 Seemed to benefit from the experience
What did you like about this job shadow experience?
Do you have any suggestions for improving our job shadow experiences?
Would you be willing to host another job shadow student?
Yes
No