POV shifts : When and How To Use Them

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A shift in the Point-of-View occurs where you are writing from one character's POV, then are suddenly inside another character's head, and we knew that because you record their thought, or see something that only the second character can, or feel something in that second character's body, or something like that.

Example: (In Bob's POV) A firecracker exploded near Bob's head. He jumped, and his ear felt like an ice pick had stabbed him. Jesus, was he bleeding? He pressed his palm to his throbbing ear and held it there, wincing.

Around the corner, Doug shook with suppressed laughter, trying not to ruin the fun. (In Doug's POV.)

Some writers switch characters between scenes. For example, Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride is written from four characters' POVs. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is solidly only in Patrick Bateman's POV.

Very few books now are written from a purely omniscient POV. If you want to do that, you have to rove around and set up the omniscient POV very early, first thing. Otherwise, shifts look like accidents.