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Job Shadowing Program

Job Shadowing will be in-person/virtual for Winter 2025! Applications for winter cycle will open in January 2025.

The Job Shadowing Program offers an opportunity for deep insight into a particular role. Through a short-term placement, you can connect with diverse individuals, explore potential career paths, deepen understanding of your interests, values, and skills, and gain first-hand insight into a day in the life of a role.

Job Shadowing will be offered in-person and virtually in Fall 2024 and Winter 2025. In-person meetings will occur as a half day to full day placement while virtual meetings will be held as 3-4 hour meetings over 1 or 2 days. The Job Shadowing program is CCR eligible.

You will have the opportunity to:

  • Develop your career ideas and learn about managing your career through acquiring industry knowledge and gaining insight from your host’s own story.
  • Connect with diverse individuals and practice networking.
  • Understand organizational culture during a workplace tour (in-person only) or through workplace culture conversations.
  • Deepen understanding of your values, interests and skills as it relates to potential career interests.
  • Apply skills in the workplace through a planned activity.

Check out our past list of participating industries:

  • Architectural, Landscape & Interior Design
  • Arts & Music
  • Banking & Financial Services
  • Business Services
  • Computer, Information & Internet Services
  • Communications, Media & Public Relations
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Environment
  • Government
  • Health Services
  • Legal & Security Services
  • Management Consulting
  • Publishing
  • Scientific Research & Development
  • and more!

Timelines

Throughout September 2024: Orientation workshop for job shadowing offered multiple times throughout the month. Attend one to receive access to the Job Shadowing program on CLNx.

September 5 – 27: First round application period for Job Shadowing placements. Apply by September 27 at 5 p.m. EST.

October 4 – 9: Second round application period for remaining Job Shadowing placements. Only open to those who applied in first round and did not get placed but would like to re-apply for remaining placements. Apply by October 9 at 9 a.m. EST.

October 28 – November 8: Job Shadowing placement period*

November 8 – November 22: Complete a short post-Job Shadowing survey at the end of your experience to deepen your learning. This makes you eligible for CCR.

*During your placement with your host, you will have the opportunity to ask questions, learn about their career pathway, and gain a behind-the-scenes look at their role. Activities may also include formal and informal networking and a career learning activity that simulates workplace learning.

Throughout January 2025: Orientation workshop for job shadowing offered multiple times throughout the month. Attend one to receive access to the Job Shadowing program on CLNx.

January 13 – February 3: First round application period for Job Shadowing placements. Apply by February 3 at 9 a.m. EST.

February 7 – 12: Second round application period for remaining Job Shadowing placements. Only open to those who applied in first round and did not get placed but would like to re-apply for remaining placements. Apply by February 12 at 9 a.m. EST.

March 3 – 14: Job Shadowing placement period*

March 14 – March 28: Complete a short post-Job Shadowing survey at the end of your experience to deepen your learning. This makes you eligible for CCR.

*During your placement with your host, you will have the opportunity to ask questions, learn about their career pathway, and gain a behind-the-scenes look at their role. Activities may also include formal and informal networking and a career learning activity that simulates workplace learning.

Questions often asked by Job Shadowing participants

If you are interested in applying to the UTSG Job Shadowing program, you will need to attend a UTSG Job Shadowing Orientation workshop as our program is different from other U of T campuses in application and structure.

The Job Shadowing Program is not a recruitment program – it is not about getting a job but rather exploring potential careers of interest, gain firsthand insight into the realities of a career and workplace, and enhance your knowledge and skills about a career and industry. While Job Shadowing does not entail a job at the end of participating in the program, you can develop valuable knowledge and skills necessary to the career field as well as strategies on how to navigate the industry, all of which you can leverage when crafting your applications and going into an interview. You also get real-world practice networking with an employer. These experiences can build your confidence, skills, and strengthen your applications, helping you in your career development.

The Career Exploration Team reviews the application and will do their best to match you with a host of your interest. Please note applicants are not guaranteed to receive a placement as it depends on the number of applications received for that placement and strength of your short statement of interest. The Job Shadowing Orientation will review tips on writing your statement.

Due to the high volume of interest, successful applicants can only shadow one host per Job Shadowing cycle/semester. You can shadow one host in Fall 2024 and one host in Winter 2025, but not two hosts in Fall 2024. You will need to apply to the Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 Job Shadowing cycle separately as each cycle has its own respective application period.

As the Career Exploration team has a process to best match students with their host of interest, and each host has a limited number of placements available, it is not possible for students to switch to another host once placed. This would disrupt the existing matches and would not be fair to other students.

If your host is open to it, yes! Some hosts may be very busy though and not able to stay in touch. It is best to check with them.

We recruit hosts and ensure that hosts understand their expectations for the U of T Job Shadowing program. You will not be able to find your own host for this program; however, we encourage you to continue your career exploration beyond the Job Shadowing program!

For Hosts: Get Involved in Job Shadowing

Interested in supporting student and alumni career exploration and shaping career learning? Become a Job Shadowing host and offer them a firsthand opportunity to experience and learn about your career while sharing your stories and insights! Please reach out to joselyn.wong@utoronto.ca if you are interested in being a Job Shadowing host.

Host benefits
  • Gain insight into student interests and the curiosities that surround your industry.
  • Share your knowledge, stories and experiences to support students and recent alumni in their career exploration journey.
  • Give back to the community and support efforts to create inclusive, equitable career exploration opportunities for students and alumni to self-discover, build understanding of workplace culture and roles, and identify career next steps.
  • Reflect on your career path and spark your own interest and curiosity in career development.
  • Connect with diverse U of T students and be exposed to new talent that informs potential recruitment efforts; make your presence -and organization known to emerging talent.
  • Be in partnership with U of T which can open exciting initiatives and meaningful opportunities to engage with U of T staff and student and alumni community.
Host logistics and commitment
  • Host in-person or virtually for the Fall 2024 and/or Winter 2025 Job Shadowing cycles.
  • Host between 1-8 (or more) participants.
  • Time commitment for in-person Job Shadowing is about half day to full day and virtual Job Shadowing between 3-4 hours over 1 or 2 days.
Job Shadowing Host Guide

View and download the U of T Job Shadowing Host Guide (PDF) for information and tips on being a host in the Job Shadowing program!

FALL 2024
Date Task
July – August 2024 Meet with Career Exploration team and complete a Host Placement Form
Fill out a form with your host details and placement information to complete registration as a Job Shadowing host. You can meet with a Career Exploration member to discuss the form. Submit form by August 26, 2024.
October 2024 Placed participants confirmed with you
2 – 3 weeks prior to placement, receive contact info of your participants.
1 week prior to placement, participants will introduce themselves to you. *Please confirm logistical info with students in the introduction email.
October 28 – November 8, 2024 Placement period: Job Shadowing experience over 1 – 2 days during this period
In-person: Recommended half day to one full day (or two half days) placement.
Online: Recommended three to four-hours placement over one or two days.
November 2024 Host survey
Complete a feedback survey about your experience! This can help inform further development of the program.
WINTER 2025
Date Task
July – December 2024 Meet with Career Exploration team and complete a Host Placement Form
Fill out a form with your host details and placement information to complete registration as a Job Shadowing host. You can meet with a Career Exploration member to discuss the form. Submit form by December 18, 2024.
February 2025 Placed participants confirmed with you
2 – 3 weeks prior to placement, receive contact info of your participants.
1 week prior to placement, participants will introduce themselves to you. *Please confirm logistical info with students in the introduction email.
March 3 – 14, 2025 Placement period: Job Shadowing experience over 1 – 2 days during this period
In-person: Recommended half day to one full day (or two half days) placement.
Online: Recommended three to four-hours placement over one or two days.
March – April 2025 Host survey
Complete a feedback survey about your experience! This can help inform further development of the program.

  • “It was great! I really appreciate this opportunity to engage with students and the university.”
  • “I received great support as a host, I’ve always had a very positive experience.”
  • “I was never active outside the classroom as a U of T student, so this is my second chance of being part of the university community. I enjoy talking with students and learning about their interests and goals – that in turn inspires me and keeps me wanting to grow professionally and personally.”
  • “It’s so incredibly rewarding to hear back from students who have decided to pursue marketing as a career – or who now know it’s definitely not a fit for them & they have more clarity going forwards.”
  • “It was really lovely to connect with current students and feel like I was able to have an impact on them. It was personally also a great experience to be able to reflect on my career and better understand my own path.”