Employer and Alumni
Job Shadow Handbook
Contents
Welcome .................................................................................................................................................... 3
UCF Externship Program: ......................................................................................................................... 4
Job Shadow Hosts’ General Information ................................................................................................... 4
UCF Externship Program Goals ................................................................................................................ 5
Five Points to Consider: Designing a Job Shadowing Experience ............................................................ 6
Frequently Asked Questions – Job Shadow Hosts ..................................................................................... 7
Sample Agendas ...................................................................................................................................... 12
Sample Entertainment Agenda and Welcome Letter ............................................................................... 13
Sample General Agenda .......................................................................................................................... 14
Sample Healthcare Agenda ..................................................................................................................... 16
Sample Marketing Agenda ...................................................................................................................... 17
Welcome
Thank you for your interest in the UCF Externship Program! This packet contains general
information about the Program, addresses the most common employer and alumni questions,
and provides guidance on how to design your organization’s job shadowing experience.
You can sign up to be an externship host by completing our online registration form. If you
have additional questions about the program, please email Brooke Bivins, the Externship
Coordinator, at [email protected].
Thank you again for your interest in the UCF Externship Program. We look forward to
working with you.
UCF Externship Program:
Job Shadow Hosts’ General Information
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Externship = Short-term job shadowing
Duration: Typically one to five days
o Spring Program held May 8-12, 2017
o Winter Break Program held December 11-15, 2017
The Externship Program is open to all UCF students
Through an externship students are able to explore careers or industries while building
their professional network
There are no fees to participate in the program
Hosts create a job shadow experience that provides students with an
overview their specific position and/or their profession/industry
o Students can
Perform tasks
Work on mock projects
Attend staff meetings
Shadow staff members
Interview key staff members
Observe client interactions
View demonstrations of industry-specific tools or software
Visit jobsites, etc.
The job shadow experience provides students with an opportunity to
o Gain a better understanding of a particular job, industry, and work environment
o Identify action steps that will increase their employability
o Build their professional network and potentially identify a mentor
Demonstrate professionalism in a work environment
The Externship Program helps hosts
o Identify talent for internship and/or employment opportunities
o Mentor the next generation of professionals in the field
o Connect and build a relationship with UCF
UCF Externship Program Goals
The UCF Externship Program is designed to provide our students and job shadow hosts
with a mutually beneficial experience. The program is designed to achieve the following:
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Students:
 Gain a better understanding of a particular job, industry, and work environment
 Confirm whether the position shadowed aligns with their career interests
 Identify two action steps that will increase their employability
 Demonstrate professionalism in a work environment
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Job Shadow Hosts
 Identify talent for internship and/or employment opportunities
 Mentor the next generation of professionals in their field
 Connect and build a relationship with UCF
Five Points to Consider: Designing a Job Shadowing Experience
1. Students are job shadowing to learn and grow professionally
a. The program is open to all UCF students – freshmen to graduate students. Some
students will have a lot pf professional experience; some will have little to none.
i. Regardless of experience level, the student(s) will have many questions
b. Make sure your staff is prepared for the students
i. Pair students with staff who have the time and are eager to engage and
educate students
c. By externship week the students have devoted a semester to preparing for their job
shadowing experience; they are invested and want to learn from your staff.
2. Plan ahead
a. Design your externship experience ahead of time. This packet contains sample job
shadowing agendas. Create an agenda that will work best for the student, you, and
your organization. Externships can be observational, hands-on, or a combination of
both.
i. Observational – students may observe meetings, presentations, customer
interaction, and other workplace activities.
ii. Hands-on – students may work on projects that provide them with the
opportunity to experience the job they are shadowing. Students can interact
with students, clients, customers, patients, etc. Projects may be real or mock
projects. Examples include creating marketing campaigns, presentations to
the staff, lesson plans, and patient care recommendations.
iii. Combination – students may spend the first portion of their externship
observing and learning about the organization/industry and the second part
of the externship working on a project, assisting
customers/clients/patients/students, etc.
b. When designing your externship, consider how many days you can reasonably host
student(s) – typically an externship can span from one to five days.
c. If you need help planning your externship, review the resources available on the
externship webpage or contact Brooke Bivins, the Externship Coordinator, at
[email protected]
3. Ensure alignment between your externship description and the actual experience
a. Students choose their externship based on the information you provide on the
registration form. Providing an accurate and detailed description will ensure the
best possible experience for both you and the student.
b. If you need to make any changes to your externship description please let the
externship coordinator know as soon as possible.
4. Provide an educational experience
a. Students look forward to participating in an experience that helps them better
understand a position/industry. Please avoid assigning unrelated projects such as
filling or cleaning.
5. Let us know if you are having issues – We are here to help, if you have any challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions – Job Shadow Hosts
Below are the most commonly asked questions about the UCF Externship Program. If you have
additional questions please email Brooke Bivins, the Externship Coordinator, at
[email protected]. Thank you!
What is an externship?
What are the goals of the program?
How can the program benefit my organization?
Who can participate?
When and how often does the program take place?
How often can my organization participate?
Is there a minimum or maximum number of students that we can host?
Do we pay a fee to participate?
This is our first time hosting student externs, how should we prepare?
Our company has multiple locations, can we host students at each location?
How long should we host students during the externship
week?
How are students prepared?
Can we request specific students to extern with our organization?
My organization can only host students from a specific major, how can we ensure that
we only receive students from that major?
My organization is not hiring, can we still host externs?
Are we able to pre-screen externship students before they are matched with our
organization?
Does UCF provide the resumes of matched students?
How are students matched with our organization?
What if our organization is not matched with a student?
What is an externship?
An externship is a one to five day job shadowing experience where students learn about a
particular career or industry, gain workplace experience, and build their professional
network. Students are required to complete a virtual course to prepare for their externship.
Matched student(s) extern with a host and have the opportunity to observe/shadow
professionals and/or complete hands-on activities. [Back to Top]
What are the goals of the program?
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As a result of participating in the externship program, students will be able to:
o Gain a better understanding of a particular job, industry, and work
environment
o Confirm whether the position shadowed aligns with their career interests
o Identify two steps to increase their employability
o Demonstrate professionalism in a work environment
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As a result of participating in the program, externship hosts will be able to:
o Identify talent for internship and employment opportunities
o Mentor the next generation of professionals in their field
o Connect and build a relationship with UCF [Back to Top]
How can the program benefit my organization?
Serving as an externship host provides you with an opportunity to identify talented
students for internships and/or employment opportunities, mentor the next generation of
professionals in your field, and build your relationship with UCF. [Back to Top]
Who can participate?
We invite employers, alumni, parents, and friends of UCF to host externship students.
The externship host’s organization must adhere to equal employment opportunity
guidelines and comply with UCF Career Services’ policies. Upon registering, the
externship host will be contacted if additional information is needed to verify their
alignment with the aforementioned requirements. All UCF students (undergraduate,
graduate, and doctoral) and recent alumni (within 6 months of graduation) are eligible to
participate in the program. [Back to Top]
When and how often does the program take place?
The program is offered during semester breaks in the fall and spring semesters.
The fall program is held in December and the spring program is held May.
[Back to Top]
How often can my organization participate?
Your organization can participate in as many sessions of the Externship Program as you
would like. Some of our hosts participate in both sessions each year, while others
participate in one session per year. [Back to Top]
Is there a minimum or maximum number of students that we can host?
Your organization can host one or more students. There is not a limit to the number of
students that an organization may host as long as the organization has the capacity to
provide a valuable experience to each student extern. [Back to Top]
Do we to pay a fee to participate?
Hosts are not required to pay any fees in order to participate in the program. While there is
not a fee associated with hosting students, some of hosts choose to provide students with
lunch and/or a parting gift. [Back to Top]
This is our first time hosting student externs, how should we prepare?
1. Plan out the details of your externship! There are some example agendas and other
resources in this packet or on the Externship webpage. If you have questions or
need help, please email Brooke Bivins, the Externship Coordinator, at
[email protected] . We are happy to assist you plan your externship.
a. You can host one or more students in several different departments. If you
are coordinating a variety of job shadowing experiences across your
organization, determine which department(s) will participate and how
many students they will host.
i. For example, an accounting company may host a student in each of
the following departments: marketing, accounting, and human
resources.
ii. Depending on the size of your company and department, you may
be able to host one student in each department or several.
b. Decide how many days will your organization will host your student(s)
i. Choose dates that work for you/your organization
ii. Typically, you can host students for an entire week, a few days, or
one day. Please see below for further guidance.
iii. Other things to consider: any project due dates, conferences,
holiday vacations, etc.
c. Consider what kind of activities you would like students to do while
they extern with your company
i. Observational – students spend most of their externship
observing staff members at meetings, presentations, planning,
customer interaction, and other workplace activities
ii. Hands-on – students are provided with activities that allow them
to experience the job they are shadowing. These can be actual or
mock projects
iii. Combination – students spend the first portion of their
externship observing and learning about a company and in the
second part of the week students work on a project, assist
customers/patients/students, or participate in other workplace
activities
2. Fill out the externship registration form so the Externship Coordinator can process
your registration. If you have hosted students in the past, you can offer students the
same experience or change it, just let the Externship Coordinator know. [Back to
Top]
Our company has multiple locations, can we host students at each location?
Yes! When you register for the externship program you are able to enter multiple
externship site locations. [Back to Top]
How long should we host students during externship week?
We ask that you host your student externs for a least one day and for no longer than
five days during the externship week. You know your organization best, so schedule
your externs accordingly. Here are some scheduling examples used by previous
hosts:
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Monday-Friday: 9am-5pm with an hour lunch
Monday- Friday: 10am-2pm with a 30 minute lunch
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 10am-2pm with a 30 minute lunch
Wednesday: 9am-5pm with a 1 hour lunch
Tuesday: 10am-2pm, with a 30 minute lunch [Back to Top]
How are students prepared?
All student externs are required to complete a virtual orientation prior to their externship.
The orientation addresses various aspects of professionalism, including appropriate and
inappropriate workplace etiquette, communication/networking, proper attire, and privacy
standards and statues (HIPPA and FERPA). The students adhere to a syllabus and are
required to complete their assignments/tasks by specific due dates. Only students who
successfully complete the requirements are paired with externship hosts. [Back to Top]
Can we request specific students to extern with our organization?
Yes, your organization can request specific students to extern. Provide the student(s) first
and last name, telephone number, and email address or submit an Externship Preselect
form (available on the Externship page) to Brooke Bivins, the Externship Coordinator, via
email: [email protected]. Preselected students will also need to complete the virtual
orientation to be eligible to extern with your organization. [Back to Top]
My company can only host students from a specific major, how can we ensure that we
only receive students from that major?
When you fill out your registration form, list any required majors or certifications in the
preferences section. Students are informed that they need to meet the employer
preferences in order to qualify for a specific externship experience. Please consider
opening your experience(s) to students from all majors or to students from a wide variety
of majors. UCF’s academic programs provide students with the transferable skills needed
to succeed in a variety of positions and industries. [Back to Top]
My organization is not hiring, can we still host externs?
Absolutely! Many of our hosts enjoy helping students and are not looking to hire any of
their externs. While some of our students see the externship program as a way to
network with professionals in hopes of landing an internship and/or employment
opportunities, others have different motivations. These include:
 Confirming whether the position/field shadowed aligns with their career
interests concepts learned in their coursework to a professional workplace
 Identifying a mentor
 Building their professional network
 Exploring a new position, organization, and/or industry
Also, some of our students are unable to accept part-time and/or internship
opportunities due to academic or athletic commitments. These students view
their externship as an opportunity to gain career experience and begin
building a professional network. [Back to Top]
Are we able to pre-screen externship candidates before they are matched with our
company?
At this time the externship program does not offer hosts the opportunity to prescreen
and select student externs. [Back to Top]
Does UCF provide the resumes of matched students?
Due to privacy regulations, the externship coordinator is not able to provide hosts with
their student(s) resumes. [Back to Top]
How are students matched with our organization?
Students are provided with a categorized spreadsheet of all of the available job
shadowing experiences and their descriptions. The students have a week to review the
list before submitting their top five externship preferences. Students are matched on a
first come, first served basis. Students are instructed to ensure that they meet the host’s
requirements and/or preferences before choosing to submit the experience as one of their
top five preferences. [Back to Top]
What if our organization is not matched with a student?
While we do our best to match as many externship hosts and students as possible, not all
hosts receive a match. Typically about 90% of hosts receive a match. Common reasons
for a host not receiving a matched student include:
1. Limited student interest in the career field
2. Location of the externship
3. Duration of the externship
If your organization is not matched with a student, you will receive an email from the
Externship Coordinator. [Back to Top]
Sample Agendas
Sample Entertainment Agenda and Welcome Letter
Hello UCF Externs!
We are very excited to work with each of you. If something looks incorrect then please let me
know ASAP.
Student 1: Entertainment Business
Student 2: Entertainment Business
Student 3: Event Planning/Coordination
Student 4: Event Planning/Coordination
Student 5: Event Planning/Coordination
Student 6: Social Media
We are going to set a tentative schedule for all of you and then depending on how each day goes,
we may shorten a day or change the location of where we are meeting.
SCHEDULE
Monday: 10am-6pm
Tuesday: 10am-6pm
Wednesday: 10am-6pm
Thursday: 10am-6pm
Friday: 4pm-12:30am, working a live event
WHAT TO BRING
Paper, writing utensil, laptop, and a great attitude!
WHAT TO WEAR
Mon-Thurs: Casual clothes that you would normally wear to class
Friday: Dress like you are going to a rock concert, neutral colors: black, gray, jeans, white, or off
white.
WHERE TO MEET ON THE FIRST DAY
At our office, 123 Main Street Orlando, FL 328XX
PARKING ON FIRST DAY
You can park in the lot for free right in front of our door.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sample General Agenda
Company X Externship
Day One 9am-3pm
• Orientation
o Complete or submit any required paperwork
Confidentiality agreements
Proof of medical tests
o Introductions – staff and students
o General information for the week
Parking
Daily Schedule
• Arrival, Lunch, and end of day
Company rules and regulations as applies to externs
• Smoking policy
• Cell phone policy
Any other general information
o Company Background/Biography
o Provide students with weekly agenda
Which department they will be shadowing
Which staff member(s) will the student be shadowing
What the students will be working on/learning
• Observation
o Staff meetings
o Client meetings/interactions
o Presentations
o Patient interaction
o View court proceedings
o Student lessons
o Off-site observation
• Tasks or projects
o Mock sales plans
o Mock event plans
o Mock marketing plans
o Programming tasks
o Accounting tasks
o Presentation of plans/ideas
o Drafting of documents
o Create lesson plans and present to students
• Lunch
• Tour of the facility/office
• What skills/information the student will learn by the end of the externship
• Any other material or information necessary for the students to have a great externship at
your organization
• Student questions and wrap-up
Day Two 9am-3pm
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Full day of shadowing a staff member with a break for lunch
o Students are able to observe and interact with the staff member they are
shadowing
o Staff member is able to observe student’s strengths and areas opportunity,
adjusting information as needed
Day Three 9am-3pm
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Full or partial day of shadowing a staff member with a break for lunch
o Depending on the student’s familiarity and knowledge of the field they may be able
to begin to interact with patients, customers, other staff members, or students
through hands-on activities
o Student can continue to observe staff member if that is appropriate
o Student(s) can also begin to work on a project to present to the staff
 Marketing plan, construction diagram, staff schedule, accounting data, or other
applicable activity
Day Four 9am-3pm
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Full or partial day of shadowing a staff member with a break for lunch
o Interact with patients, customers, other staff members, or students through handson activities
o Continue shadowing staff member
o Continue working on any project
Day Five 9am-3pm
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Full or partial day of shadowing a staff member with a break for lunch
o Hands-on interactions
o Student presentation of projects/activities
o Wrap up and any student questions
Sample Healthcare Agenda
Health Care Company X
University Of Central Florida
Career Services
Externship Program
Day One: 8:00 am – 1:30 pm
1. 8:00 am -8:30 am Registration and review of required paperwork and medical tests
2. 8:30 am- 9:00 am Welcome Address
3. 9:00 am – 9:30 am Mission, Vision and Values
4. Services Provided
A. 9:30 am – 10:00 am Hemodialysis
A. Adult
B. Pediatrics
B. 10:00 am –10:30 am Peritoneal Dialysis
C. 10:30 am – 11:00 am Dietitian Department
D. 11:00 am – 11:30 am Social Worker Department
E. 11:30 am – 12:00 pm Biomedical Service Department
F. 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Questions/Closing Remarks
G. 1 2: 30 p m – 1: 30 pm Tour of the Facility
H. Refreshments
Day 2: 8:00 am – 12 pm
Shadow Nurse(s) and patient interaction
Day 3: 8:00 am – 12 pm
Shadow Nurse(s) and patient interaction
Day 4: 8:00 am – 10 am – “Student Graduation” and celebration
Company XYZ
Sample
Marketing
Agenda
Agenda
UCF Externship — Marketing
8:30 a.m.— 4:00 p.m. 1st floor Conference Room
8:30-9:00
Overview
Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing Group
9:00-9:30
The Market
Director of Finance
9:30-10:00
How a Product is Created
Senior Product Manager
10:00-11:00
How to Market a Product
Director of Product Marketing
Product Marketing Manager
11:00-11:30
Financial Perspective
VP Business Operations
Senior Financial Analyst
11:30-12:00
Project Management Process
Senior Marketing Product Manager
12:00-1:00
LUNCH
Agenda
(continued)
1:00-2:00
Branding
Creative Vice President
Creative Manager
2:00-2:30
Video & Photography
Video Producer
2:30-3:00
Event Planning
Author Utilization Manager
3:00-3:30
Digital Brochures
Senior Designer
3:30-4:00
Packaging
Packaging Manager
Senior Project Coordinator