Maree Ferguson of Dietitian Connection and I have been providing Dietetic Career Hack webinars for EatRight_Pro. The March 2020 issue of Food & Nutrition Magazine featured our work. Such an honor! Here's an excerpt. Read the full article on Food & Nutrition Magazine here. - Stacey

Polish Your Profile
Whether you’re actively looking for a job or gainfully employed with no concrete plans to move on, it’s important to keep your online professional profile optimized for opportunity. Options for maintaining your resume include LinkedIn, job boards, hosting a personal website or keeping a file on your computer to print as needed.

Don’t dust off your resume the day before you decide to look for a new job. Instead, Stacey Dunn-Emke, MS, RDN, founder of NutritionJobs and co-presenter of the Academy’s two-part Dietetic Career Hacks webinar series, suggests making it a working document that you refine regularly — even weekly or monthly — and ensure it includes keywords and phrases that accurately reflect your experience and skills.

Network Like Your Next Job Depends on It
According to LinkedIn hiring statistics, the number-one way people discover a new job is through a referral. Becoming someone who others think of when they hear about a job requires networking. “This can be really difficult if you’re an introvert like myself,” says Maree Ferguson, PhD, MBA, RD, FAND, director of Dietitian Connection and co-presenter of the Dietetic Career Hacks webinars. “I’ve had to learn some strategies over time to be successful at this,” such as tapping into your friends’ and colleagues’ networks, attending events and volunteering for your organization.

Prepare Like a Boss
There are three forms of interviews — telephone, virtual and in-person — and filling a position may require one or a combination. Be prepared: Dress professionally, be on time, turn off your phone. Bring a printed copy of your resume along with examples from your portfolio that might be helpful.

If it’s a virtual interview, test your technology (such as your computer’s microphone and camera), close all other apps and make sure you’re in a quiet room with a stable internet connection. Stage your backdrop by clearing clutter; make your environment look as professional as you do.

“Understanding the interview from the perspective of recruiters and hiring managers can help you shape your responses,” Dunn-Emke says. She adds that question content can generally be categorized as getting-to-know-you, technical skills, interpersonal qualities, transferable or foundational knowledge and assessing your understanding of the position and organization.

Most interview questions take the form of behavioral or performance-based inquiries (“Tell me about a time that X…”), so prepare responses with examples. Don’t just think about questions you might be asked and how you would answer; write out questions on flash cards and practice your responses out loud. “Avoid generic answers,” Dunn-Emke says. “Instead, give specific examples that tell your professional story.”

Dietetic Career Hack: The Complete Networking and Resume Guide

Dietetic Career Hack Part II: Interviewing Tips and Tricks

The Dietetic Career Hack webinar series is available on eatrightSTORE.org and can be accessed through eatrightCPE.org. The first webinar, “The Complete Networking and Resume Guide,” includes tips for expanding your network, creating your personal brand, avoiding common resume mistakes, writing a standout resume and optimizing your LinkedIn profile. The second webinar, “Interviewing Tips and Tricks,” covers actual interview preparation, such as anticipating different kinds of questions, finding your own genuine voice and handling day-of logistics.