Westminster College Students Shadow Alumni Careers

Several Westminster College students will shadow the careers of alumni Jan. 15-19.

"Each year we offer our students a chance to take part in the Career Shadowing Program. It places them with an alumni in a career that interests them," said Mary James, director of alumni relations. "For a day, the student follows the Westminster grad wherever their job takes them."

The Westminster Career Shadowing Program offers students a real-world experience, and combined with an active on-campus Career Center, helps Westminster maintain a 97 percent placement rate.

"The ideal time to do a career shadowing is when a student is a sophomore. It gives the student time to get a feel for the field which interests them. It's still not too late to change a major, and it also gives time to arrange a junior internship if a student is still interested in his or her chosen field," said James.

"It's important to be prepared, and no one goes to Career Shadowing Day unless he or she completes the training session hosted by the Alumni Office and the Career Center. It's designed to prepare a student on how to conduct an informational interview and stress the value of beginning a Westminster alumni network," continued James. "This is not a time to ask about being hired in the future or search for internships. You need to research the business before you arrive, know what to wear, and what questions to ask. We stress the importance of being on time. We value our host's time at work, and appreciate our volunteers."

"When the students complete their shadowing experience, we hold a critique session. It's the time when students relay their experiences. Some come back excited about their future jobs, but others find that they need to change career goals. We express the importance of thank you notes. This critique session also gives us ideas on how to continually improve the program," James added.

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