How to Shadow: A Day at the Post

Hi, everyone. I'm Alyssa Bailey, a rising junior. Last year, I interned at Washington Post Express in D.C. (Read about my experience and others' in D.C. here.) I've also interned at Girls' Life and USA Weekend (owned by Gannett and based in USA Today's newsroom). This summer, I'll be interning at Cosmopolitan magazine in New York.

Right now, I'm home, packing to move up to the city. I had a month before my internship officially started, and during it, I had the opportunity to get a taste of another part of the journalism industry: newspapers.

In mid-May, I arranged to shadow a UNC alumna for the day at Washington Post magazine. It was a wonderful experience and opportunity to see what her work entails and to get to know how her experience at UNC and interning led her to the Post.

Returning to the Post office was an experience: I had so many memories in that building and leaving it at the end of the day was bittersweet. That said, it was great to return and see the newsroom of the Washington Post reporters whose work I read and admire daily.

A couple lessons I took from the day and on shadowing in general:

• Have questions. Shadowing someone doesn't mean you have to be just that: a silent observer. Shadowing is a chance to learn firsthand what someone does. So interact. The worker you shadow wants to talk to you. Ask about any and everything. Think of it as a consultation for a possible career.
• Be polite. Know decorum by observing the environment. For example, an editors' budget meeting isn't the place to ask a lot of questions. Ask your questions instead while sitting with your editor at his or her desk or chatting with him or her during lunch. There's a right place and time for everything.
• Don't be afraid to get involved. I read through an article that was being edited and helped the person I was shadowing catch errors while at the Post. It was a great way to test the skills I learned at UNC, lend someone a hand who was kind enough to host me and hear from a professional firsthand how my skills are.
• Always say thank you. If someone lets you shadow them, he or she is doing this voluntarily. It can be a lot to host someone for a day and engage them. Make sure you let whoever hosts you know how grateful you are for his or her time and effort. Send a punctual thank-you email and follow up with a handwritten note, too. End your day making as brilliant an impression as when you started it.

How to Find Someone to Shadow

Whether you have an internship or not this summer, shadowing is a great way to network and learn about the industry. Here are a few tips to track down some people in your area:

• Start with alumni. UNC alumni are always so happy to help students and lend a hand. Search the alumni database for j-school alum in your area and then shoot them an e-mail, introducing yourself and asking first if you could meet up (or chat over the phone) with them for an informational interview at their convenience. For me, shadowing was the next step from that. Informational interviews begin relationships, shadowing builds them.
• Target people in different parts of the industry. One of the biggest appeals of shadowing is the opportunity it allows to sample different perspectives. Try to match up with someone in every and all parts of the journalism and communications industry you're interested in.
• Don't be afraid to use your network. Do your parents have a friend in PR? Does a friend at UNC know someone who works in broadcast well? Ask them if they'll set you up. The best way to get a contact is through a mutual link.
• Reach out and politely follow up. Be persistent and reach out to more than one person. The more lines out there, the more likely one will bite and lead to a rewarding experience. Good luck!

Questions about shadowing? Want to know more about the Post environment? Leave a question, and I'll be happy to answer it in the comments!