Get in Gear Junior Year

Job Shadow Program  

Your junior year of high school is pivotal. There are numerous decisions that you'll make during your junior year at WCHS that can have an impact -- positive or negative -- for years to come. Your career choice(s) may have a big impact on the list of potential colleges or vocational schools that you consider, so it is important to at least try narrowing down career possibilities.

How do you discover possible career paths? As 9th and 10th graders, you learned about career clusters, completed career inventories and assessments and conducted career research to write career papers and give career speeches. This year you'll have the chance to attend two career fairs, complete a job shadow, and share what you learn with your classmates. Remember that this research is purely preliminary. As you move to your senior year and then into college, many more career options will arise that you will probably at least consider. 

Career Link at West Central High School is a service coordinated by East Dakota Educational Cooperative that helps bridge the gap between school and work.  All juniors at West Central will complete a job shadow during first semester to experience what it would be like to be in that job or profession. You'll complete many activities before and after the shadow.

Ready to get started? Use this Job Shadow Checklist!  All of the resources you will need are located here.

Before your shadow:

• Click here to complete job shadow application and parental consent form. Print and turn in by Friday, Sept. 4th, 2009.
• Check out the FASTEST growing occupations as you're deciding what career you'd like to shadow.
• View a brief slideshow about Working in the 21st Century
• Meet with East Dakota career counselor in class to express preferences for job shadow placement.
• Create an updated resume for job shadow.  Follow this format. Place a copy in your portfolio.
• Click here for Resume Rubric your teacher will use to assess your resume.
• Write a cover letter to introduce yourself to the business. Place a copy in your portfolio.
• Click here for Cover Letter Rubric your teacher will use to assess your cover letter.
• Click here to take Cover Letter Quiz.
• Wait for job shadow placement sheet from Career Link coordinator.  Example #1, Example #2
• Select interview questions appropriate for your career.
• View a career video about your job shadow area at United Streaming (get password from teacher and use "Careers" for keyword search) or America's Career Infonet. Complete the Job Shadow Video Activity.  Careers for the 21st Century videos include Scientific Occupations, Media & the Arts, Administration & Management, Health Services, Transportation & Material Moving, Business, Human Services, Production, Teaching, Medicine, Technical, Engineering, Building Trades, Mechanics, Health Technologists, Financial Occupations, Marketing, Computers, Environment, Infotech, Biotech.
• Utilizing the links under Career Exploration Information, do some background research on the career you'll be shadowing AND on the actual business where you'll be shadowing. Complete the Fast Shadow Facts sheet.  Turn in a copy and save a copy to your Z drive.
• Use MapQuest to print a map that shows exactly how to get to your shadow and take a test drive if you have time.

On the day of your shadow:

• Bring video and/or digital camera, interview questions, notebook and employer evaluation forms, and lunch $ with you on the shadow.
• Dress professionally (follow the Dress Code indicated on placement sheet) and be courteous.
• Use a firm handshake when greeting the person you will shadow.
• Ask for permission to shoot video or take digital images.
• Take notes, collect company materials that will help you and ask for a business card from the person you shadow.
• Thank the person and again use a firm handshake when leaving.

After your shadow:

    Individual Projects:

• Write a thank you letter following the shadow.  Follow this format.  Turn in with a stamped addressed envelope.
• Click here for Thank You Letter & Envelope Rubric your teacher will utilize to assess your letter.
• Complete the Student Evaluation of the job shadow experience. Staple and turn in employer and student evaluations.
• Type a brief (2 pg.) diary or journal in MLA format about your job shadow experience.
• Click here for the Job Shadow Journal Rubric your teacher will  use to assess your journal.
• Utilizing the digital video or images you captured on your job shadow, prepare a PowerPoint presentation or a movie using Windows Movie Maker on the career you shadowed.  It should be 4-5 minutes in length.  A PowerPoint should include at least 10 slides which should include graphics, transitions, animations, and a creative background (sound is optional). A Windows Movie should incorporate video, audio and images from the job shadow and must also include a list of sources  consulted at the end of the movie. Sources are to be cited in MLA format utilizing a minimum of 5 sources. Save a copy of your project in the Job Shadow folder in your teacher's H-drive dropbox and burn a copy in your digital portfolio.
• Click here for the Career PowerPoint PresentationEvaluation Rubric your teacher will follow to assess your presentation.

    Group Projects:

• Imagine yourself in the career you shadowed. Work with 3 or 4 other members of the class whose careers relate to yours. Form a company or association that would encompass all the careers in your group. For example, it could be a hospital or a medical group (office manager, physicians, dieticians, therapists, computer operators, emergency medical technicians), a large manufacturing or retail firm (positions could include engineers, lawyers, salespeople, designers, secretaries, advertising writer etc.), an auto shop (autobody repairs, mechanics, audio specialists) or a school.
  1.  Prepare a 20-minute group presentation that will illustrate each group member's career to the class.
  2.  Include in your presentation what employment trends may affect your business or field.
  3.   Your presentation can include (but is not limited to) imaginary:
  • resumes
  • publicity in the form of TV interviews or magazine or newspaper articles
  • video
  • brochure or ad selling your company's services
  • a web page or Power Point presentation
  • business cards

  4. Analyze both the salary and education requirements for each career in your cluster by creating two graphs using MS Excel or Create a Graph.  Find the minimum or base salary for each career and make a graph illustrating the difference in base salaries.  Then create a graph that illustrates the different minimum education requirements.  Click here to see sample graphs. The graph can be used as part of a video or PowerPoint presentation and/or distributed to class as part of your presentation.
  Click here for the Graphing Rubric your teacher will use to assess your graph.
  5.  Your presentations will be digitally recorded and saved in your teacher's Job Shadow folder in the H-drive dropbox. Also burn a copy on your digital portfolio.

• Before you begin working on your group presentation, view a career cluster video at UnitedStreaming and America's Career Infonet for ideas about how the jobs in your cluster are related.
• Click here to view a Multimedia Group Presentation Evaluation Rubric similar to one your teacher will follow to assess your group presentation.

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               Page last updated August 2008                           Copyright 2006  Karin Renner