Share what you know. Open a door for a student.
Remember what it was like to be curious about your future, before you knew exactly where it would lead?
Job Shadow gives you the chance to share your experience with a UWindsor student who is exploring a career, industry or field. Spend a few hours showing them what you do, answering their questions and offering the kind of perspective that can be hard to find from a website or job description.
A few hours can give a student a new perspective, a new connection or even a new idea about what they want to do next.
Make It Your Own
A few hours to a full day · Virtual or in person · One student or a small group
There’s no one way to host a Job Shadow. You can shape the experience around your work, your workplace and what would be most useful for your match.
Start with a career conversation
Share your career journey, what makes your workplace unique, different roles and career paths within your industry, or what you wish you had known when you were starting out.
Show them your world
Give them a tour, let them observe your day-to-day work, sit in on a meeting or project briefing, meet colleagues or take part in an activity.
Create your own experience
You know your work and workplace best. Feel free to create an experience that goes beyond the ideas above, whether that’s a hands-on activity, a behind-the-scenes look, a demonstration, or something completely unique to your field.
You don’t need to create a formal program or prepare a presentation. The goal is simply to give a student a meaningful glimpse into your world.
How It Works
1. Register as a Host: Tell us about yourself, your organization, and your work.
2. Get Matched: We connect students and hosts based on interests and fit. A match is not guaranteed.
3. Connect with Your Student: Once matched, you'll connect directly with your student to confirm the date, time, format, and details of your experience.
4. Host Your Job Shadow: Show them your world, answer their questions, and share your perspective.
Register to Be a Host
Job Shadow is open to professionals, alumni, community partners and UWindsor employees who are interested in sharing their experience with students.
You don’t need to be a mentor or career expert. If you’re willing to share what you know and give a student a glimpse into your work, you can make a difference.
Fall 2026
Host registration is now closed.
Shadow Days: October 13–30, 2026
Winter 2027
Host registration opens in January 2027.
Shadow Days: February 2027
Job Shadow runs twice a year, with host registration typically opening in September and January. Registration deadlines and shadow dates may vary by term.
Questions?
We’re happy to help you think through what a Job Shadow could look like in your workplace.
Email us at careered@uwindsor.ca.
FAQ
Yes! You can meet with as many students as you like! You can also host as many sessions as you like.
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.
All students participating in the Job Shadow program will complete an orientation workshop with the Career Centre. The session will cover topics such as expectations, confidentiality, professionalism, and appropriate questions to ask an employer in an informational interview.
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 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?
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