In Strategic Selling and Buyer Communication (APEC345), Assistant Professor of Applied Economics Kelly Davidson requires her students to seek a one-day job shadow with a sales or marketing professional in place of taking a midterm exam.

"The course is project-based, so I want the students to go out into the field to get a sense of what the real world is like," Davidson said. "Experiencing a day in the life of sales is hugely valuable in any industry; the whole class is about relationship building and through the shadow experience students get to see professional relationships play out in real time."

When Keeley McCormick, a University of Delaware junior food and agribusiness marketing (FABM) major, heard about her midterm job shadow requirement, she was determined to find a company that aligned with her agribusiness interests.

"Dr. Davidson's class is right before a [College of Agriculture and Natural Resources] career fair, so I went and affiliated myself with a variety of agricultural-related companies," McCormick said. "I ended up meeting some people from Mountaire, a significant contributor to Delmarva's poultry industry, explained my project and asked if they did any job shadowing."

McCormick set up a day to shadow one of the sales directors at Mountaire, where she explored the company and learned about the various positions offered in the industry. Her interest in the company and the connections she made through the job shadow helped land her an internship last summer as a prime quality intern.

"Many of my students have received internship or job offers after their shadowing opportunities, particularly in some of the industries that are close to home," Davidson said. "One student ended up working at Perdue, another in real estate and one even in medical device sales."