Food Protection Trends - February 2009 - 68

“perspectives” from your president here are many reasons for attending industry-related meetings and joining organizations such as the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). Participation in organized groups allows us to benefit by learning from the experiences of others, continuing our education through participation in seminars or workshops, and keeping abreast of developments or trends in our industry. Another key reason for involvement with organizations is for networking opportunities. In these times of economic instability, which has resulted in many companies downsizing and many employees being dismissed, networking has never been more important. Networking is consistently cited as the number one way to get a new job. It has been suggested that 80% of the jobs available never get advertised. This is how you find them and get them! The folks who do the hiring would much rather talk to someone who has been recommended by someone they already employ. It is easier for them because they have your first reference, and it saves them considerable effort in advertising the position and sorting through all the resumes and phone calls. What is networking? Networking is the art of building alliances, of getting to know people and having people get to know you. It is not contacting everyone you know when you are looking for a new job and asking if they know of any job openings. Networking starts long before a job search, and you probably don’t even realize you are doing it. Ultimately, your accomplishments and personality will define you, but there are things that you can consciously do to affect your “brand” or other people’s perception of you. T By STAN BAILEy PRESIDENT “Networking is the art of building alliances, of getting to know people and having people get to know you” 2. Identify your core values. What really matters to you? 3. Identify your passions. What things or ideas do you love? 4. Identify your talents. What have you always been recognized for (particularly as a kid)? What do you do better than most other people? What skills do people seem to notice in you? 5. From your hopefully long list of talents and qualities, choose the top five, the ones you do best and enjoy doing the most. 6. Weave the items on all your lists into a statement of your specialty. What are you particularly gifted at delivering? 7. Write a paragraph emphasizing your specialty and your five key talents, weaving in your most important values, passions and skills. 8. Now add a tag line to your brand. A tag line’s shorthand helps other people remember a key point about you and having someone not only remember you, but what is unique about you, is the key to establishing yourself within a network. Once you have developed your tag line it is time to take you and your brand public. Keeping them secret is a sure way to never act on them. The road to career disappointment is littered with lists, dreams and goals never shared with anyone. So get your “brand me” musings out into the light of day. Creating and building your unique brand is an ongoing process. Consider yourself and your career a work in progress, and reach out to get and give as much help as possible as your brand shifts and matures across the expanse of your career. As you begin to network, it is important to understand who you are and other people’s perception of you and to recognize that you can influence this perception. Robin Fisher Roffer, author of Make a Name for Your self, suggests eight steps to help women (should work equally well for men) develop and project their own brands. 1. Identify the primary “product” (service, resource, special ability, etc.) you have to offer others. 68 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | FEBRUARY 2009

Food Protection Trends - February 2009

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