Become a Successful (and profitable) Second Career Dietitian

Leaving a previous career and embarking on a brand new one can be intimidating and scary. Some people may have been well-established in their last career, which can make the transition as a newbie challenging. NutritionJobs caught up with Second Career Dietitians to find out their secrets and insights to becoming a Successful Second Career Dietitian (and profitable).

Top Tips from Second Career Dietitians

Here are some top tips and insights from second career dietitians who have leveraged their prior experience to optimize their new dietetic careers for success and profit. Previous experience enhances your value and worth. Use it to your advantage. It makes you more versatile and knowledgeable.

1. Leverage your first career as a point of differentiation. “Leverage your first career as a point of differentiation. You have unique skills and experience as a second career dietitian. Take time to think through how these can apply to current and future work as a nutrition professional. Develop, refine, and know your narrative so you can effectively and concisely share your story with employers, colleagues, and others in the field.” Vanessa Costa, MS, RDN, CDN, Registered Dietitian, KIND Snacks. Twitter: @vanessacostardn
2. Do not devalue your previous experience as a professional. In fact, your skills you developed in your previous career can actually work in your favor when negotiating your salary for the higher end of the pay range. You likely have more skills than your competition! “Do not devalue your previous experience as a professional. I transitioned from fashion to nutrition and my previous experience in social media and business development is what allowed me to make the switch to a RD who specializes in branding and marketing. Instead of selling yourself short because you lack experience as a RD, focus on the skillset and experience you can bring to the table from your previous career.” Stefanie Dove, RDN, CDN, School Nutrition Marketing Specialist, Loudoun County Public Schools. Twitter: @StefanieDoveRDN
3. Whatever career you had prior to becoming an RD, use it. “Whatever career you had prior to becoming an RD, use it! It is helpful to look at your former career skill set and utilize it in your new role as a Registered Dietitian. It is typically something that will and can make you stand out and will likely offer a unique perspective. I constantly use my background in consulting and finance to run my business today and have fully integrated my culinary training to be a vital part of my brand.” Abbie Gellman, MS RD CDN, is a Chef and Registered Dietitian and owner of Culinary Nutrition Cuisine. Twitter: @CNC_Abbie
4. Be creative and put all of your experience to good use boosting our profession. “Don't be afraid to use your first career in your second (or third!) career. Some of us wanted to become a dietitian and never look back, but there is tremendous value in your years of prior work experience. Combining old and new will likely fill a valuable niche in our industry. Be creative and put all of your experience to good use boosting our profession.” Sandy Pagán, RND, LD, Founder at Dietitian Hub. Twitter: @DietitianHub
5. Find your new niche and then find (or create) the job in your new niche. “Enjoy what you do. Find your niche and then find (or create) the job in your niche. But primarily, this is your second career, enjoy it!”. Sharon Richmond, RD, LDN, CLT, Founder of Nutrition Your Weigh. Twitter: @TareahSR
6. Make an effort to volunteer and get involved in your new field to make more connections. “Make an effort to volunteer and get involved in the field. What you learn in the classroom will vary to what you see and do in practice. When it comes time to applying for internships, you'll be in a better position than those without that experience.” Ryan Whitcomb, RD, CLT and Owner of GUT RXN Nutrition. Twitter: @gutrxn
7. Follow your fascination to figure out your next steps. “’Follow your fascination.’ When I was deciding what to do with the rest of my life, at age 43, I gave myself a year to figure it out. Everything kept coming back to food and how fascinating it was to me. So many of life's happenings came back to the influences of food - celebrations, illness, and good health! It was that thought process that led me back to school to become a dietitian and I've been fascinated ever since.” Stefanie Williams, MA, RD, CLT, LDN, Making Nutrition Simple. Twitter: @swilliams6987

7 steps to take to successfully get back into the dietetic industry

If you took time off to leave your existing job as a dietitian, whether it was to raise a family, go back to school, or focus on other endeavors, returning to the workforce can seem intimidating. Here are 7 steps to take to successfully get back into the dietetic industry, which can seem like a second career!

1. Assess your situation. “Determine what your work needs and wants are, advises Mandy Unanski Enright, MS, RDN, RYT, Team with ME: Nutrition & Fitness and Creator of Nutrition Nuptials. Your views and goals may have changed since last working. By figuring out what your ideal job may be and what type of working environment you would like to have, you will have a better focus on what jobs to look for.” Enright returned to the workforce after attending school for a career change and asked herself all the right questions such as full time or part time work? What population did she want to serve? What environment: clinical, academia, media, sales, etc? Weekends or weekday work?
2. Gain confidence. People who have not worked for a while may have lost confidence in their belief that they will do a good job. They may think they don’t have the right skills or technology needed. Get rid of these thoughts. Surround yourself with those who uplift you. Practice your elevator speech with them to “sell” yourself when necessary.
3. Update your skills and technology. Madeleine Berg, MS, RDN, CDN, The SuperNutritionist, has personal experience returning to the workforce after being gone to raise her family. Berg recommends a “brain refresh.” For example, you can attend a webinar to learn or you can also jump back into the workforce and present a webinar like she did for Dietitian Central. She also had to retake the RDN exam. Updates can grow confidence and skill sets.
4. Resume Makeover. “Update your resume or curriculum vitae and make all your experience matter. Take the previous jobs or volunteer positions you had and use them as leverage for selling points as to why you should get hired for the jobs you apply to,” instructs Enright. Berg also suggests filling in the gaps between jobs by highlighting relevant skills you have. Download NutritionJobs Dietetic Resume Guide eBook to enhance your resume.
5. Faux Interviews. Being prepared for an interview is important. Think of potential interview questions that may be asked such as why there is a gap in your work experience. Berg proposes, “Practice your answers to questions you will likely be asked out loud. You want to present yourself as a confident professional.” Get more Interview tips with NutritionJobs’ Essential Interview Guide.
6. Network. Network. Network. Many times, getting your foot in the door is all about who you know or who recommended you. Both Berg and Enright never stopped networking even during their work hiatus. “You never know who you’re going to encounter, so don’t be afraid to talk about what you do,” states Enright. She is constantly introducing herself at meetings, conferences, yoga salons, etc, to meet new people and make connections. Berg mentions that her resume would get read when she had a personal connection at the place she was applying to versus finding a job online where her resume seemed to fall into a black hole.
7. Persevere. Determination is necessary in order to keep on going even if you get rejected. Our enthusiasm and optimism can dwindle when we are told “no” or we are denied. Accept that this is part of the growing process and you will find your ideal job. Take each opportunity you have as a flourishing experience and use it to learn about what gaps you need to fill in your presentation.
   

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts" - Winston Churchill

Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist specializing in Weight Management and Sports Nutrition for youth and adults. She writes articles for multiple publications, provides customized nutrition coaching, and is a brand spokesperson. She is founder of MIJA, a superfood supplement company, and Haumea Health, a fertility wellness clinic. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.