The key to making informed career choices
Unemployment, scarce skills, STEAM careers and entrepreneurship are many of the words our youth will hear when entering the job market and although there is no magic formula to dictate the right career path, job shadowing is a CRITICAL part of making good career choices.
Far too often kids will say they want to do a job because it sounds cool, without understanding the specific key performance areas of that job. We talk to learners who say “I want to be a Sports Psychologist or Physiotherapist” and when asking why, the answer will invariably be, “because I like sport!”
The next generation must understand the skills and jobs of the future and prepare themselves for skill shortages, in order to play a key role in the talent of our country. While remembering that a person needs to love the job they do in order to be successful.
Here are a few tips to consider when arranging to job shadow:
You might want to read about the mistakes you don't want to make on your CV.
1. Research the company, their vision, mission, goals and company culture to understand if their strategic initiatives resonate with your personal values and beliefs.
2. Ensure you have a basic understanding of the career you are interested in "job shadowing," and make sure that the person you arrange to "shadow" performs the job you want to learn more about.
3. Introduce yourself to the company, provide a brief background of your requirements and expectations for the job shadowing programme and offer to provide a short summary about yourself, including your achievements and interests as well as the reason you are considering this particular company and the career path you are shadowing.