Career Shadowing ProgramFeasibility Report

Writing 307Professor Stavenhagen

Prepared For: Interim Dean RajKristen DeWolfKara Primrose

Michael Lamarche

Prepared By:Kyle Steiner

Connor McMullen Matt Keller

Table of Contents

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Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….…….1 Alternatives……………..…………………………………………………………………..….…..2 Research Methods…..………………………………….……………………………………….….3 Criteria and Evaluation……………....…………………………...………………….………....….5 Conclusion/ Recommendation………………………………………………………………….….6

Appendices

Community Analysis ……………………...……………...………………….………...…7

iSchool Survey Data ……………………………………….……………………………..8

Davidson Case Study………………………………………………………………...…..10

Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………………12

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IntroductionEvery year, thousands of students enter college and are uncertain of what they want to do with

their life after school. Early on in their college careers, most students have limited options to help them decide a major and ultimately a career path. Currently, there are career days at most schools in which alumni visit and lecture students about majors and potential jobs. These programs offer a broad view of the different curriculum that a certain college offers, but they do not enable students to fully understand what these professionals do on a day-to-day basis.

In order to solve this issue, we are suggesting that the Whitman School of Management implement a career-shadowing program in which students visit with professionals to narrow down their potential major choice. We believe that this program would help students gain an understanding of what their career path could entail. Currently, here at Syracuse University, the School of Informational Studies has a very successful career preparation similar to what we are proposing. Their program takes place during winter break, and has had very positive student reviews. This data shows that the program is both effective and relatively easy for students and faculty to implement (see appendix 2).

We consulted with other institutions that currently have existing career-shadowing programs, and the findings have been very positive. We interviewed the career-shadowing director, Sarah Williams, from Davidson College in North Carolina, and the School of Information Studies program director, Christopher Perrello, here at Syracuse University. Their annual survey showed that 98% of students would recommend this program to a friend, and 96% of the career hosts said the experience was good or excellent (see appendix 3). We were intrigued by this data, and propose the implementation of a job-shadowing program in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.

We believe that the concentrated majors and the strong alumni network of Whitman would be a perfect fit for a job-shadowing program. Whitman students would be able to explore a potential major and shadow a professional in their potential career field.

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Alternatives

We see the following three possibilities for implementing a job-shadowing program to Whitman. The following were suggestions from various people we interviewed at other universities as well as other colleges based in Syracuse.

1. Implement a summer job-shadowing program for Whitman students-Pair students with an alumnus during the school’s summer vacation.-Allow students to take advantage of this program during their longest break.-Reimburse accepted students’ travel expenses between $50 and $200.

2. Implement a winter job-shadowing program for Whitman students -Pair students with an alumus to complete their shadow experience with in the Winter. -Allow students to have a month of winter break to experience the program. -Reimburse accepted students’ travel expenses between $50 and $200..

3. Implement a program to transport students during either the Fall or Spring semesters to a location -Transport students during either the fall or spring semester from Whitman in masses to a large firm of the Universities choosing.-Incur transportation costs associated with bussing. -Interrupt students’ busy schedules.

Research methods

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The School of Informational Studies has a program that is very similar to the program that we what we are introducing to the Whitman School of Management. This program pairs students with alumni in their hometown areas over Winter break. The students transport themselves to their host’s location, and the host takes them through their workplace showing them what they do on the day to day. So, instead of bringing employers to students, students transport themselves to the employers and get real experience before choosing their major.

We met with Christopher Perrello, a School of Informational Studies employee in their career services office to learn more about their program on October 25th. From this meeting, we received survey data on 21 students who had participated in the 2015-16 job shadowing program. They found that over 85% of respondents said they agreed or strongly agreed that (see appendix 1) it was easy to arrange the job shadow, their alumn was excited to host them, their alumn was someone they want to stay in touch with, and their experience helped them get a better idea of the type of job they want. In another data set, (shown in appendix 1) 95% of respondents said they know some more or a lot more about job responsibilities, the firm’s industry, and other jobs at the firm as a result of the job shadow they did. This shows that the program functioned as it was designed to. It expanded the student’s knowledge of their potential career field. Expanding on our interview with the School of Information Studies program director, we also found that Davidson College has an excellent job shadowing program through an online conversation with their program director, Sarah Williams. Ms. Williams informed us that it is a much better idea to have students participate in job shadowing during breaks. Due to these circumstances, students have to find their own rides to wherever they are shadowing with the slight possibility of having to rent a hotel room as well. Every student in the program travels different distances. Some may have to drive thirty-five miles to get where they need to go, whereas some may only need to drive a few miles down the road. One student may need to take a train, while another might take the bus. Regardless, college student funds are often limited. Davidson has constructed a reimbursement policy to amend these problems with students. Their reimbursement policy works as follows: Students

· Apply for job shadowing and show acceptance

· Complete online reimbursement form. (Must show a need of at least $50)

Faculty

· Select students with most financial need

· Send a direct deposit to students prior to shadowing

Though handing out money to students may sound difficult, large sums of money are not given out to students. Davidson’s policy only allows a maximum of $200 to be given out to students. Although this would be nice for every student participating in job shadowing, not all students receive the reimbursement. Students who demonstrate the most financial need and have the greatest anticipated expenses have priority. After completing their job shadowing experience, students then return receipts and unused funds. In Davidson’s 2015-2016 job shadowing program, 35 out of 141 students received financial support (See Appendix 2). Through Davidson making job shadowing more accessible for students, they have been able to advance their program immensely. These accomplishments have motivated Davidson College to continue to try and improve their job shadowing program.

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1. Accomplishments● Enhanced student participation by 13% and number of hosts by 11% from, the 2014-2015

academic year.● Expanded summer job shadowing program, offering more opportunities and increasing

student participation.● Optimized student application process, expanding student preparation and streamlining

program management.● Expanded job shadowing opportunities in Texas, California, and Pennsylvania

2. Future Adjustments● Adjust program timing to focus on spring and summer to increase participation and

effectiveness● Continue to strengthen student-to-host ratio, ensuring robust program participation. ● Embed program into framework as key milestone for all class years, amplifying the

awareness of and participation in the program● Optimize access for all students by enhancing travel fund● Explore potential for international job shadowing to enhance opportunities for students

on study abroad programs.Some other findings from Davidson College include a study taken from 2015-2016. This study is

taken from a pool of one hundred forty one students. The participation by class was relatively even, but the majority of students were undecided of their major. (See Appendix 2) Davidson has also found that it is much easier to pair students with hosts during breaks due to them being back in their hometowns. Instead of having the job-shadowing program tailored to being around Davidson, they are able to pair students with alumni and others from many different cities and companies. (See Appendix 2)

Criteria

When evaluating our alternatives, our criteria included:

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1. Maximize participation in the program.

2. Minimize interference of students free time (such as break times).

3. Allow career services ample time to coordinate with students and hosts.

4. Cut costs for the University.

5. Ensure that students have an intimate interaction with their hosts.

6. Help students choose a major and mitigate uncertainty in their college careers

We chose the criteria because they represent the needs of the students involved, the university, and

employees of the university. Criteria one is extremely important because student participation is the key

to get the program started and keep the program running and growing.

Evaluation

In order to evaluate our three alternatives, we looked at the criteria listed above and examined how and if

each alternative satisfied each of the six criteria. We then gave each alternative a score out of six. For

example, a score of 6/6 means all criteria are satisfied.

Alternative 1 (1/6)- Transport students during either the Fall or Spring semesters to a location.

With this option, criteria one and two are both not satisfied as the semester is a hectic time for

students and the career service office. Participation is slim as free time is hard to come by. Also, the

career service office is extremely busy helping students throughout the semester. With this option, we can

also expect increased costs as a transportation service would be something the university would have to

provide students as they often do not have cars. Also, interactions between student and host would be

much less intimate as students would all be going to the same firm with a higher student to host ratio.

With this program, criteria five would be met, as a job shadow program would always help students learn

more about their career path.

Alternative 2 (3/6)- Implement a Winter Job Shadow Program for Whitman Students.

With this option, as Winter break is only about a month long, criteria one and two are both not

satisfied. These programs often detract from students free time during winter break, which students

already feel is too short. In addition, students and potential hosts often plan vacations during this time.

The program coordinator would also be pressed for time to pair students with alumni within a one-month

period. With this option, the same reimbursement program discussed above would be in place, so costs

would be relatively low as a transportation service is not necessary for the university to supply. Again, as

the survey data supports, criteria five and six are met with this option as it shows that interactions with

hosts were intimate and the program satisfied the need to mitigate uncertainty in career path choices.

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Alternative 3 (6/6) - Implement a Summer Job Shadowing Program for Whitman Students.

With this option, all six criteria are satisfied. It is the longest academic break by far, so students

still have the time to relax during their break time and get away from the stresses of an academic year

after they complete their shadow. Participation was also shown to increase from the Davidson case study

data. Because the break is so long, it also would give the career services program coordinator ample time

to coordinate with students and the alumni base to pair them together. With this option, students have to

transport themselves to their shadows location. We are proposing that Syracuse implement a travel

expense reimbursement program similar to the one at Davidson College, which reimburses student costs

from $50 to $200. This would costs to be incurred, but a minimal amount as only 35/141 students

received the reimbursement. In the summer, the interactions with hosts are intimate, as the host almost

always has only one student. The survey results we received also show that the students had a great

experience with their hosts. Even though the survey was from a Winter shadow experience, it would still

be the same concept as it is a break time. The survey results also show that the program helped students

mitigate uncertainties of choosing a major. Over 85% of respondents said that the experience gave them a

better understanding of what type of job they want.

Conclusions/Recommendation

We suggest providing students with the much needed opportunity of a job shadowing experience

during Summer break as Davidson College does. Students would get to have an intimate experience with

their hosts, and get the opportunity to see everyday projects they could potentially see in their desired

career path. This will help students narrow down their major decisions, and allow them the comfort of

feeling more confident in their choices as they go through college. This would also be a good networking

opportunity, because it would connect students with potential future employers, and ignite a student’s

business social skills. The evaluations section above shows that the summer program received the highest

score based on the chosen and necessary criteria, and is the easiest to implement. This program is

something that other schools within Syracuse already have, and it is in Whitman’s best interest to provide

the same opportunity to students to improve their futures.

Appendix 1- Community AnalysisOur project will affect four primary groups of people

· Students

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· Businesses

· Colleges

· Future employers

Our comprehensive job shadowing program will enhance the lives of the aforementioned people in the

following ways.

Students- Students will have the opportunity to enhance their understanding of the job market

and it will give them the ability to see the day-to-day operations of a variety of companies in their given

fields of interest. The broad reach of the project will help students pick a major and ultimately choose a

career path that they most enjoy.

Businesses- The business that hosts the students will be able to connect with universities and

potentially become a place that students apply. This will create a healthy relationship between them, the

school and the students.

Colleges- The college that enacts this program will be able to say that they provide the

opportunity for students with a chance to have a job shadowing experience. This will help the school gain

popularity and a competitive edge over other schools.

Future Employers- Future employers will have the luxury of choosing students that have a

background in the field that they choose and this will help narrow down job candidates and show the ones

that are actually interested in their major of choice.

Appendix 2 – Survey Results

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The following info-graph is also from the survey of twenty students who took part in the iSchool career shadow program at Syracuse University. Each student was asked to rate their level of agreement for each statement.

Appendix 2 – Survey Results

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The following infographic is also from the survey of twenty students who took part in the iSchool career shadowing program at Syracuse University. Each student was asked the question below about job responsibilities, the firm’s industry, and other jobs at the firm.

Appendix 3-Davidson Case Study

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To continue further on the Davidson Case Study, we received an infographic on their job

shadowing program from Sarah Williams in Davidson's career services. Here are a few snapshots

highlighting the most important factors:

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Works Cited

Perrello, Chris. "iSchool Job-Shadowing Program." Personal interview. 24 Oct. 2016.

@iSchoolSU. "Job Shadow Program." School of Information Studies | Syracuse University.

N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Williams, Sarah. "Davidson Job-Shadowing." E-mail interview. 10 Nov. 2016.

"Expense Reimbursement Information." Davidson College. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

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