A half-hour interview would be a reasonable planning figure. This opportunity gives the student a specific project to work on for the semester and allows the student to obtain hands-on experience while giving the employer extra help. The student devotes between 40 and 120 hours to a specific project and receives academic credit for the experience. This program provides an opportunity for students to observe employees working in specific areas of interest to the student. The student is able to view several different career opportunities greater in depth.
Job shadowing can be as short as a morning to as long as two days.
There can be a lot of interaction between the student and the employer or very little. A student is there to observe and watch the employee do his or her job. Often an informational interview is done prior to or concurrent with job shadowing. As the student sees the job being performed on a typical day, he or she gains an understanding of how the skills needed for the work-force are used.