Job Shadow Experience Information for Hosts

Register here by August 30, 2023

About job shadowing

Our Job Shadow Experience allows students to connect either in-person or virtually with professionals to ask them questions and learn about their jobs. By sharing your experience, you can help students become familiar with the realities of a workplace, expand their networks, and learn information that can help along their career journeys.

Students will learn more about your job by either visiting your workplace to observe what you do or by meeting with you online where you can show them aspects of your work. Students can observe what you do and engage in mock work activities, but not perform work for your organization.

Fall 2023 job shadowing will happen during October 10-13, during the University of Windsor's Reading Week.

How it works

Becoming a job shadow host is simple, free, and requires minimal time commitment. Here’s how it works:

Speak to your human resources department to confirm you are able to meet with students and then fill out our online host registration form. We put your experience on our website for students to see and will confirm your details with you.
Students will review the available shadowing opportunities and will apply for the ones they are interested in.
Career Development & Experiential Learning staff will assess applications based on quality and fit and will match students with available hosts.
If you are matched with a student, you will receive an email introduction to the student and you and the student will confirm the date, time, and length of the Job Shadow Experience.
You and the student will meet either in-person (at your workplace) or online (either through an online meeting platform of your choice or we can set up a Teams meeting for you).
During the Job Shadow Experience, you will:
- Participate in an informational interview where students ask you questions about your career.
- Allow the student to observe some of your work.
- Engage the student in learning about your job.

Time commitment

It is up to you as the host to decide how long the Job Shadow Experience will be. Typically, conversations and observations last about 2-3 hours, but we have had some experiences that last all day and some that are shorter.

Fall 2023 timeline

August 30 – Deadline to register as a host
September 20 – Matches made
October 10-13 – Job Shadow Experience will take place during your normal operating hours at a mutually convenient time arranged by you and the student(s).

Information and FAQ’s for job shadow hosts

What’s in it for me?

By hosting students, you are able to further develop your own leadership skills while contributing to the development of the future workforce by sharing your experiences, expertise, and enthusiasm for your field. Hosts also benefit from the opportunity to promote their organization or industry to eager UWindsor students, and network with prospective future employees.

Am I guaranteed to be matched with a student?

No. Our ability to make a match will depend on the number of students and host applications we receive and whether or not there is a student that is interested in your specific shadowing opportunity.

Can I host more than one student?

Yes! You can meet virtually with up to 2 students at a time and in-person with up to 4 students at a time. You can also host multiple sessions.

Do I have to be located in Windsor?

No. If you choose the virtual option, the Job Shadow Experience can be done at any work location. We have had students travel to other cities for their Job Shadow Experience in the past.

Will students be prepared?

All students participating in the Job Shadow Experience will complete an orientation workshop with Career Development & Experiential Learning. The session will cover topics such as expectations, confidentiality, professionalism, and appropriate questions to ask an employer in an informational interview.

What about confidentiality?

Our orientation workshop reinforces the importance of respecting confidentiality during the job shadow experience, but you are welcome to have the student sign a confidentiality agreement for your organization as well, should that be part of your policy.

If I chose to host virtually, what online meeting platform will I use?

If you are hosting your experience online, you can use whichever online meeting platform you are most comfortable with (MS Teams, Zoom, etc.). We also can provide a Teams link for you and the student(s).

If you would like to use your own platform, keep in mind the following:

Can the student access the online meeting easily through a link, or will they need to download anything?
Will the student require a certain email to log into the meeting?
Will the student need specific instructions for accessing the online meeting?

For more information:

Contact Career Development & Experiential Learning: employer@uwindsor.ca

If you have a position that would be interesting for a business student to observe, please contact the Odette Career Services team through odettecareers@uwindsor.ca. Odette Career Services offers the Odette Executive for a Day (EFAD) program where business students shadow an executive, at the director level or higher, for a full or half day.

If you have a position that would be interesting for a law student to observe, please follow this link: http://www.uwindsor.ca/law/careers/14/resources-employers