The University of Miami UShadow program is an opportunity for students to develop career-related knowledge, skills, and values from direct experience. The program provides UM students an opportunity to “shadow” an alumnus or employer of the University of Miami throughout a typical workday. It is also an opportunity for you to mentor a student, re-connect with the University and see your professional experience in a new light. During the experience, students visit and interact with you during one workday. This interaction can take many forms, including a full- or half-day of shadowing, or a lunch meeting followed by a tour of your facilities. This experience can be structured in many ways and the goal is to provide an experience that offers a realistic understanding of a career field.

There are many factors involved in the uniqueness of each job shadow experience. The student does not need to spend the entire time at your side. Students enjoy tours of your workplace, meetings with key members of your team and/or organization, learning about your career path, and receiving career advice from someone already in their interested field. Students are there as observers, however, we encourage you to involve them in your work to help them evaluate potential careers. Click here for some suggestions and best practices.

The goal of the UShadow program is to create a mutually beneficial experience for both the student and the employer. The expectation is that the student will leave with a realistic idea of what it is like to be in your job. Students should have an opportunity to spend at least 3 to 4 hours seeing your work in action and participate in some type of meaningful activity. However, if your work environment is not conducive to a shadowing experience, you can still be helpful to our students through other networking opportunities such as a lunch meeting and tour of your facilities.

The UShadow program takes place at different times of the year depending on school scheduled breaks. If you are interested in becoming a UShadow Mentor please register here.
Once your completed registration is received the student will select who they would like to shadow. Students will rank alumni/employer based on their interested fields and majors. If you receive a match, the Toppel Career Center will send you an email with the student’s major, interest, and contact information. Students are asked to contact you and send you their resume. It is up to you and the student to create a meeting time and discuss how the timing of the shadowing experience. If you do not receive a match, please know that we will hold your information in our database of alumni/employer contacts and will work to find other ways to utilize your expertise.

If you have any further question please contact Samantha Gil, Assistant Director of Experiential Initiatives at sgil@miami.edu, 305-284-1808