Building Your Professional Brand From Day One: First Step

First Step - Determine Your Focus

Are you struggling with where to begin in your dietetics journey? Over the next month, I will be discussing the steps to take to guide you to your path of where you want to go and how to create your own personal brand.

This week, our focus will be on the first step, determining your focus. This is where you need to think of what excites you, what you are good at, and what things you like to do. Focus on a goal that will help shape where you want to go in your career.

If you’re like “Amy, I have no idea!”, dive deep and start asking these questions to narrow your focus. Depending on where you are in your dietetics journey, here are a few things to consider:

Students and Interns

• Choose mentors and start networking with those in your field of interest
• Join organizations (Academy’s Dietetic Practice Groups) and dietetic associations (schools and local organizations)
• Interns – choose rotations where you can experience this type of job

Intern to RD Transition

• Volunteer in areas of interest
• Don’t just wait around for something to come to you, get out there and find a job to get experience
• Start networking with people in your area of interest

New RD’s

• If your current job is not in your area of interest, volunteer outside of that in places you are interested in
• Join local dietetic associations, networking groups, and dietetic practice groups in your area of interest
• Attend webinars on topics of interest
• Go to conferences based on career paths that interest you