Skip to main content
    GET CONNECTED WITH US

Tag: Experience

Job Shadowing Featured Image

What is Job Shadowing?

Posted on by

Have you heard what Job Shadowing is? Job shadowing is the given name to the opportunity to observe or “shadow” someone doing their job. Job-shadowing is also close to informational interviewing, in which career-explores or job-seekers conduct short interviews with people in their prospective professions. It is used to provide an individual within a department the opportunity to work alongside more experienced colleagues so they can learn and develop within their role.

Job Shadowing provides the individual with a unique opportunity to find out how other staff work and what their roles involve. It develops a deeper knowledge and understanding of other roles and functions. But who is involved in Job Shadowing?

The Line Manager will agree to who would be the best host for the job shadowing and arrange the experience for them. If the shadowing is for their individual will expect to do some of the arrangement themselves as they will be the main beneficiary of this kind of shadowing activity.

The Host is the person who agrees to be shadowed. It involves some preparation and thought and is not about having someone follow you around for an agreed time span. The host needs to consider if the time requested is the best time for the shadowing to take place.

The Visitor/Guest needs to consider why they are doing the shadowing and what they hope to achieve. They also need to do some preparation which will involve working with the line manager or the host before the shadowing to set objectives for the sessions.

Here are the following three different types of job shadowing.

Observation – “fly on the wall”

This type of shadowing works best when a visitor guest is looking to gain a greater understanding of what the hosts’ job role actually consists. It is a typical representation of what the “host” individual does on a daily basis.

Regular Briefings – “Burst Interactions”

This works best when individuals work near to the host and the host can then tell them about the date and times of specific activities which are valuable for understanding the role of the host. It provides a short period of focused activity, rather than passive ongoing observation.

Hands-On – “Job sharing”

It is where the visitor/guest starts to undertake some of the tasks they have observed. It provides hands-on experience of the role whilst having the safety net of being supervised by the host.

Job shadowing can be useful in some ways. It helps to decide if the skills match the career field of interest. Since job shadowing is a short-term experience, it is a great way to decide whether to pursue a particular career before applying. It is an opportunity to observe an employee performing their daily work routine in their environment. It allows to explore specific careers and get a realistic picture of the tasks performed for the job.

Here are the following benefits of job shadowing.

  • Hands-on Experience:

    it is not only to observe how the task is completed but also experience hands-on task. It is beneficial to inspire or deter from pursuing a career path further.

  • Scholarship possibilities:

    They offer scholarship and persons who want scholarship/positions must go through an interview process and if selected it will go through an interview process as well.

  • Networking:

    In job shadowing, it is a great way to meet people in the profession that you are seeking.

Job Shadowing can be beneficial as long as you know what you are looking to get from it. It can be used as a testing method to identify possible careers.

Personality VS Skills and Experience featured Image

Good Personality VS Skills and Experience: Which Should the Manager Hire?

Posted on by

Hiring managers can receive various applications from different candidates for a single position. The hiring managers would tell you that the applicant’s experience is the most important criterion. Particularly in the decision-making process where the application forms are filtered out on which are the best possible candidates for the job.

Staffs make it easier to cut off certain candidates based on their lack of experience. The candidate with the most relevant working experience will be called for an interview to further learn more about their capabilities and the potential. While on the other hand, those with the least amount of experience won’t be able to move on to the next round.

Personality: It Matters More than You Think

While there are a lot of things to be said for the technical competence of the candidate, Personality does play a vital role of success in the industry. Some successful establishments look beyond the skill set of the candidate, they are looking for a multi-dimensional experience with their workers.  A person with the right personality excels more than the person who just has the skills for the job. Better relationships and teamwork in the office co-excels only if the personality of that certain candidate fits right in.

Skills Can Be Learned

Skills and knowledge for the certain field the candidate is applying for are always considered more relevant than the personality that person possesses. Yet, the fact of the matter is “skills can be learned, but people can’t change their personalities”. Skills are just skills, if the person is eager to learn, he will be able to master and hone what he aims to do. On the other hand, personality is something that is integrated with who the candidate really is, you can’t suddenly just change who they are.

Why Hiring Managers May Consider Personality Over Skills?

  • Willingness to Learn.

    A thirst for knowledge is something that will show the manager that the candidate has the ability to adapt to certain conditions. It shows that the person can go outside their safe zones and has the potential to expand his horizons.

  • Enthusiasm.

    A person who is enthusiastic and optimistic with what he does can be a valuable player for the company. They are able to create solutions with some twists. The happy go lucky personality they possess will influence the atmosphere and increase the positivity in the workplace.

  • Self-Direction.

    Candidates that know what they want to do and has a clear figure in mind on what they want to happen are early signs of leadership.

  • Ambition.

    A desire to succeed in the industry you are applying for can be very appealing to hiring managers. It will show that you love what you do, and you have every reason to be hired.

Every individual has different personality traits that make up the type of person that they are. They can help employers determine if the candidate will be a good addition to their team and if they are well suited for the job. Employers need to keep an open mind when hiring candidates that sometimes personality does play an important factor, we should not always judge our candidates based on their skills. Employees have the ability to grow and become key assets of the company, why not give them a chance if they have the right personality?