How Can Job Shadowing Accelerate Career Development?

Job shadowing allows employees to learn from their colleagues and develop new skills that are not encompassed by their current role. Making job shadowing a part of new employee training can help them build productivity, while contributing to career growth, by allowing individuals to learn new approaches, skills, and potential new job paths. Additionally, job shadowing can accelerate training and allow companies to adapt training processes to the needs and rhythm of new employees. On-the-job training has proven to be an effective tool in the initiation of a new employee, as long as the right tools, methodologies, and guidance are applied.

What is job shadowing?

Job shadowing is a type of the on-the-job training where a new employee observes and follows a skilled, more senior colleague to learn from them. With this technique employees have the opportunity to learn from each other through observation, although it is usually used to onboard new employees.

This methodology poses as a great asset in career development processes, as reskilling and upskilling are integral pieces of career growth. Besides these clear advantages, job shadowing can increase employee productivity, employee satisfaction, it encourages internal mobility, and sets companies up for long-term growth and success.

What are the benefits of job shadowing?

Job shadowing has several benefits for employees and organizations, as it allows new insights into different jobs and career paths.

Exposure to Workplace Culture

By being exposed to and immersed in a company’s workplace culture, individuals can gain a better understanding of the expectations and environment that represent that organization.

Hands-on Experience

Observing and participating in real-life situations provide individuals with practical experience, which provides valuable insight into everyday tasks and responsibilities for a specific job.

Networking

Any opportunity to network with professionals in a specific area or sector is valuable. Networking can lead to potential job opportunities and mentorship.

Career Growth

Job shadowing can help individuals explore different career options and determine if a particular profession or industry is the right fit for them.

Learning from Professionals

Above all, job shadowing is a learning experience that can provide valuable knowledge that cannot be learned in theoretical settings.

Why is on-the-job training important for leadership development?

On-the-job training experiences, such as job shadowing, are crucial for leadership development, as they provide access to challenging experiences that can be a powerful tool for learning.  This is one of the best ways to develop leadership skills, and managers can take advantage of opportunities to learn from their experiences, that is why Prime Group’s graduate program, Prime Group Campus, counts with two weeks of job shadowing during the onboarding process, which grants newly hired Business Managers to develop the necessary skills to the observation of their senior colleagues.

Practical Experience

On-the-job learning allows individuals to apply leadership concepts in real-life situations and learn from their successes and failures.

Adaptability

Leaders who can quickly adapt to changing situations and make effective decisions are more successful. On-the-job learning can help future leaders observe adaptability skills, and thus, apply them.

Exposure to Different Situations

Exposure can help individuals develop their problem-solving skills and learn how to make effective decisions in a variety of situations.

Feedback

Feedback can help individuals identify their strengths and weaknesses and make necessary adjustments to their leadership style.

Continual Learning

On-the-job learning is a continual process that allows individuals to continually develop their leadership skills. It provides individuals with opportunities to learn from their experiences and apply those lessons to future situations.

Overall, job shadowing, as other on-the-job training experiences, are helpful in developing leadership skills, as they provide experience and help develop necessary skills through observation, making future leaders and managers better equipped to handle complex situations.

How to incorporate job shadowing into a career development program?

Incorporating job shadowing into a career development program can be a valuable way to help employees learn about different roles, departments, and career paths within an organization. This can be a beneficial step in career mobility opportunities as they can be in during onboarding processes. To incorporate job shadowing into a career development program, employers can:

1. Identify potential job shadowing opportunities. What are the roles that would be more important for recent employees to shadow? This should be decided based on employees’ career interests and goals.

2. Establish guidelines and expectations for the job shadowing program, including the duration of the shadowing, the roles and responsibilities of the job shadower and the employee being shadowed, and the goals of the program.

3. Provide training and support for both the job shadower and the employee being shadowed, including information about the job duties, the company culture, and the industry.

4. Encourage feedback and reflection from both the job shadower and the employee being shadowed to ensure that the program is meeting its goals and to identify areas for improvement.

5. Use the insights gained from the job shadowing program to inform career development plans and identify opportunities for further training and development.

By incorporating job shadowing into a career development program, employers can help employees gain valuable insights into their chosen career paths, develop new skills and competencies, and build relationships with mentors and colleagues.

Incorporating job shadowing into a career development program can be an effective way to provide employees with new opportunities to learn and grow within the organization. By following these steps, you can develop a successful job-shadowing program that benefits both employees and the organization.

Prime Group Campus – A career development program designed for leadership development

Prime Group Campus is Prime Group’s graduate program, built for those who want to become Business Managers in the Engineering and Technological sectors, allowing them to develop their own business leads, create their own client pipeline, and hire consultants.

The aim of this program is to teach its participants how to create new business opportunities, while learning about technology and its real impact. In addition, during the course of the program participants will have the opportunity to work with prestigious clients, identify target accounts using market data and industry intelligence, and identify new client opportunities.

Prime Group Campus participants will have the opportunity to join the team of one of the group’s companies and have the guidance of one of the Senior Business Managers. The program includes a Business Manager Development Program, two weeks of job shadowing, two weeks of immersive training, where they will have theoretical and practical learning opportunities, focused on business development, recruitment and IT. After these weeks, the participants will officially join one of the Prime Group’s company teams.

It is the immersive, on-the-job learning opportunities and two weeks of job shadowing that allow the program’s participants to enter this highly competitive market with know-how and essential Business Manager skills to thrive and prove employee productivity.

Key-takeaways

– Job shadowing is a type of on-the-job training where a new employee observes and follows a skilled, more senior colleague to learn from them.

– Job shadowing can increase employee productivity, employee satisfaction, encourage internal mobility, and set companies up for long-term growth and success.

– Benefits of job shadowing include exposure to workplace culture, hands-on experience, networking opportunities, career growth, and learning from professionals.

– On-the-job training experiences, such as job shadowing, are crucial for leadership development, as they provide access to challenging experiences that can be a powerful tool for learning.

– To incorporate job shadowing into a career development program, employers can identify potential job shadowing opportunities, establish guidelines and expectations for the program, provide training and support for both the job shadower and the employee being shadowed, encourage feedback and reflection, and use the insights gained from the program to inform career development plans and identify opportunities for further training and development.

– Prime Group Campus is Prime Group’s graduate program built for those who want to become Business Managers in the Engineering and Technological sectors, allowing them to develop their own business leads, create their development plan, and acquire skills such as leadership, communication, and strategic thinking. The program includes two weeks of job shadowing as part of its onboarding process.