How to put shadowing on your resume: Expert tips and examples
Job shadowing is the practice of following a professional in their day-to-day work life to observe and experience what they do firsthand. Employers value these types of experiences, but job seekers often struggle with knowing how to put shadowing on resumes. In this guide, you’ll gain actionable tips and examples to help you showcase shadowing effectively.
What is shadowing, and why does it matter for your resume?
Job shadowing is a unique type of observational experience that allows individuals interested in working in a role to learn about it by watching professionals who are already doing it.
These opportunities are valuable because they demonstrate a high level of initiative and interest in the role. They also provide you with a realistic glimpse of the role and industry.
Additionally, job shadowing allows candidates to fill gaps in professional experience. This is crucial for students or career changers without a lot of experience. Observing someone else in a role shows you which skills are necessary for success so you can create a plan to acquire them.
When should you include shadowing on your resume?
For entry-level employees, having job shadowing experiences on your resume shows employers that you are already familiar with the daily responsibilities, industry standards, terminology, and skills required by the job. This can put you one step ahead of candidates without this knowledge and experience.
As a career changer, job shadowing shows employers that you have taken the initiative to learn about the role you want to pivot into. With an understanding of what the job entails, shadowing also gives you the knowledge to highlight your transferable skills properly.
You should also consider adding shadowing on your resume and cover letter for industry-specific roles that value direct exposure. These can include jobs in healthcare, finance, sales, law, engineering, or any other role that requires unique technical expertise, complex workflows, or client service and interaction.
Though knowing how to put shadowing on resumes is essential, it's equally as crucial to know when to leave it off. You don’t need to include it if you already have substantial experience in the field, as your work experience will be considered more valuable.
Also, leave shadowing experience off of your resume if it isn’t relevant to the role you are applying for, as hiring managers may be confused about why you have included it.
Where to include shadowing on your resume
Are you wondering how to put shadowing on resumes you’ll submit with your job application? No matter which resume format you decide to use, you can include job shadowing experience in multiple ways. Here are a few ideas that can help you position these opportunities appropriately.
Education section
Including job shadowing experience in the education section is ideal for students and recent graduates to show that they have relevant knowledge and skills despite having less direct experience. Here’s an example of how you can include it in this section:
“Shadowed Dr. Jane Smith, cardiologist, observing patient consultations and procedures over a 3-week period.”
Experience section
Including relevant shadowing opportunities in the experience section is a good idea for career changers or early-stage professionals. It can help you highlight your transferable skills and your knowledge of the industry and role. For example:
Job Shadowing – Smith & Co. Marketing (3 months)
- Observed digital marketing campaign planning and execution
- Assisted with social media content creation and analytics reporting
Relevant experience section
Including job shadowing opportunities in a relevant experience section is best for those who need to highlight multiple shadowing roles.
This example ensures your job shadowing experience doesn’t distract the reader from information about your past professional roles:
Professional Shadowing Experience
- Shadowed John Doe, CPA: Learned tax preparation and audit procedures (summer 2023)
- Shadowed Marketing Manager at ABC Corp: Observed client presentations and ad campaign strategies (fall 2022)
Expert Tip:
Ensure the job shadowing experience included on your resume is relevant to the role you are applying for. Irrelevant information can confuse the hiring manager, distract from your other, more relevant experiences and skills, and obscure the fact that you are the right candidate for the job.
How to describe shadowing effectively
When it comes to how to put shadowing on a resume in a way that gets positive attention, make sure to use powerful action verbs to highlight your level of participation in the experience and the skills you gained. For example:
- Observed the sales agents as they delivered presentations to interested clients
- Assisted the nurse in taking patient vital signs and delivering medication to patient rooms
- Learned how to use the CRM platform to access customer information from previous calls
It’s also crucial to quantify your experience where possible. This shows that your job shadowing was more than just a passive experience and that it had a significant impact on your skills and knowledge. For example:
- Shadowed financial analyst for 20 hours, observing data modeling and client reporting techniques
As you are learning how to put shadowing experience on resumes, you should ensure it is connected to key skills that employers are looking for. For example:
- Observed surgical procedures and patient care, gaining familiarity with operating room protocols
Job shadowing shows potential employers that you are passionate about the field and role and desire to know what it takes to do it well.
Examples of shadowing descriptions for popular industries
Creating a resume that properly showcases your job shadowing experience can be daunting. Even if you’re using a template, knowing how to put shadowing on resume examples is still an essential skill. Here are some industry-specific examples that demonstrate appropriate language and tone to help you get started.
Healthcare
Shadowed Nurse Practitioner: Observed patient intake procedures, diagnostic discussions, and treatment planning
Marketing
Shadowed Marketing Director: Gained insight into campaign planning and client relationship management
Education
Shadowed Secondary School Teacher: Learned lesson planning, classroom management, and student assessment techniques
Technology
Shadowed Software Engineer: Observed Agile development processes and assisted with debugging tasks
Common mistakes to avoid
Learning how to put job shadowing on resumes is important, as the way you present this information can make or break your job application. Avoid making the following mistakes when including job shadowing opportunities on anything you submit to the hiring manager.
Being too vague
Always explain the specific skills you learned. If you’re trying to figure out how to put doctor shadowing on resumes, telling the hiring manager that you “shadowed a doctor” doesn’t show them how the experience impacted you professionally.
It’s better to say something like, “Shadowed Dr. Jane Smith, observing diagnostic procedures and patient consultations.”
Overloading the resume
You should only include relevant job shadowing experience on your resume. This is what adds value to your application and shows why you are the right person for the role.
Not ensuring relevance
In tweaking your resume and cover letter templates to include job shadowing experience, ensure you link the skills you gained to the job you are applying for.
To accomplish this, you’ll want to make sure you comb the job posting for keywords you can use in your resume. Then, use these keywords to frame your job shadowing experience and the skills you gained from it.
This significantly increases the relevance of the experience. It can also help you get past filters in applicant tracking systems, giving you a higher chance of getting your resume to the hiring manager’s desk.
Tips for tailoring shadowing to specific job applications
Just like everything else on your resume, your job shadowing experience should be tailored to the job you are applying for. The following tips can help keep you on track with this:
- Align shadowing experiences with the skills and qualifications listed in the employer’s job description
- Use shadowing experience to address gaps in work experience, highlighting the skills you have gained from the opportunity
- Highlight transferable skills by adding job shadowing to your experience section using customized bullet point descriptions
- Avoid including experiences that aren’t relevant to the industry and role you are applying for
Whether you’re starting with a blank slate or using resume and cover letter examples to get you started, keeping these best practices in mind when presenting your job shadowing experience will help you ensure it stays relevant to the role.
Use your job shadowing experience to land a career you love
Job shadowing experience can be great for your resume, but only when it’s done right. In including this experience on your resume, make sure to use quantifiable, specific, and action-oriented language, and include this information in the right sections.
By sticking to this advice, you’ll be able to craft a polished and professional application package that gets you noticed.
