Job Shadowing is another method for figuring out whether you might like to work at a particular job or have a certain career.

For one day you shadow a person working at that job to see what it’s like.

The guidelines for conducting an information interview apply:

Show up 10 minutes before the start time. Dress in a professional fashion.

Ask every question you have. There are no dumb questions.

Asking questions is the way to get detailed intelligence about this career.

You need to go home after having had this opportunity satisfied with the outcome: armed with useful information and a realistic view of what the job entails.

Again, send a thank-you e-mail or handwritten note within 24 hours to the people you met while shadowing a person at their job.

How might you obtain a job shadowing opportunity?

This is where having Connections on LinkedIn can help.

It helps if you’re still in school or younger. Yet even if you’re older you can successfully obtain a job shadowing opportunity.

A shadowing position might be conducted over 5 days or two weeks even.

Years ago I had a library school student shadow me. On her last day she gave me a Thank You card and a coffee mug.

I’m going to talk in the next blog entry about the number-one secret to success in the world of work.

This ingredient applies on a volunteer job as well as an actual job. It applies wherever you are “conducting business”–online or off.