Monash's BND Careers Night- Part Two

Haven't read part one? Check it out here.

***

"One of the things that seems like a huge opportunity to me, as an outsider and particularly someone interesting in branding/marketing/communications ... is for you guys to start taking the narrative back from the self-appointed experts that are currently dominating the landscape."- Josh Sparks

Josh doesn't have a nutrition degree, but he has got a lot to offer in regards to business and marketing and I would love if he spent some more time talking to us, because you can tell there's a wealth of knowledge in there.

His top tip for marketing yourself or your business is to find your niche, find what differentiates you from Joe Blow down the street and clearly be able to articulate the features and benefits of your business, or yourself. To cut through the noise, you need to be able to know who you are.

As nutrition students, our courses do not go into internet use or marketing and many of us don't have any electives left after we do the extra dietetics units. The problem we have there is we go out into the world with all this amazing knowledge about food and the human body but no real clue about where to share it and how to get our information across in a way that the consumer will understand.

"The good news is everything that has already been discovered, all the smart guys and girls that have ever done anything great have written a book at some point"

The book Josh recommends is The Hero and the Outlaw (buy it in hardcopy or kindle here) but he says to also look at books written by people who run brands that YOU care about. The good thing about that is if you like their ethics and marketing you can emulate it in a way that truly reflects who you are as a health professional.

"The thing I love about working in paediatrics ... people don't tend to put their kids on fad diets" -Miriam Raleigh

Responding to diet trends can be difficult and you need to be diplomatic about it. You won't build rapport or trust by tearing someone else down. If someone comes to see you to ask how to make their fad diet better, you need to support them on their journey to a healthier body and keep it practical.

Trying to understand what the diets are about and the motivation behind the people touting them (and those falling for it!) is important because you can't fight what you don't understand. Seeing the positives is important.

Miriam sees a lot of good in the paleo diet, she just doesn't believe that it needs to be so extreme. She believes less processing, more home-cooked meals and fresh foods are fantastic, but how far people take it to the extreme end of the scale makes her mind boggle!

When these things get really heated in the media (refer to the recent blow-up between Pete Evans and dietitians) Miriam recommends that we keep to the facts. Keep to the science and keep your 'professional face' on. The last thing you want is to have your profession called out in front of 1 million people.

Karen recommends reading women's magazines and Sunday papers, because that's where the latest diet trends will crop up. What's trending is really important to keep abreast of, and this can also be done over Twitter. Hip new cafes are also a good place to research as you will learn all about the new popular foods

Karen likens diet fads to fashion, it all comes around again but with a slight twist. She also talks about how diet fads she thought were 'bunkum' 30 years ago turned out to actually have some science behind them. She says we should embrace the bloggers and the chefs. They are challenging us and it will make us stronger because it forces us to reflect and make sure we are on top of the latest science.

People want a quick solution to their problems, and that's why I feel these diet trends will keep perpetuating. Josh doesn't think we should give him a simple answer (to what is clearly very complex) but empathise with their need. Tell a story with your science simplified, engage them and get them excited to listen to you. 

Karen wants us to concentrate on the things that are going to cause harm, not the ones that won't hurt them.

"Never attack a person for their beliefs. Respect them ... You might challenge what they're saying, but don't challenge them on a personal level. There's more than one way to have a healthy diet" -Karen Inge

So keep an open mind and don't discount the trends as soon as they come out. As scientists, we need to be open-minded. More development and understanding more about food means that things WILL change.

When applying for jobs, the general advice is take whatever you can at first. The industry is quite competitive at the moment and any experience is good experience. Karen recommends volunteering, as they will 'feel bad' after a while and try to find some money to pay you. Or if a job comes up they will already know a lot about you and how well you work. Miriam agrees. She says once you become 'part of the furniture' they will want you to stay.

All experience is good experience. Head out to the country, try something you don't know much about, check public health and community health opportunities.

If you are thinking about private practice, Miriam's advice is to meet your referrers. Go and talk to them, put a face to the name and watch your referrals jump. Same as if you get a job in a gym, you can't just expect everyone will want to come and see you. Get yourself out there, talk to the staff and members. Selling yourself, in person or online using search engine optimisation, is a big part of private practice.

Karen's advice on writing a book for the average person: 

"We train in a very scientific way... The best thing I did is I bought a dictaphone and just talked into it. And then I got my secretary to type it up! That would be my first draft. So I would do the planning, and then I would speak. It was quite simple and it was the best way."

When writing her first book, Karen asked her sports dietetics colleagues to contribute to the book. They were acknowledged as contributors and they all recommended the book. That's the way, if you don't want to write every chapter yourself, get the people you know and admire to also contribute.

Karen finds it weird that dietitians aren't the ones running businesses like Jenny Craig or Boost Juice, and she postulates that it could be because, as health professionals, we are bogged down with HECS debts or not clear on how to run a business.

Josh says no one has the money to start a business, but Australia has an 'epic' amount of money just waiting to be invested. Private investors within your own network, aka angel investors, who believe in you, who know you have a cool idea, are where you should be looking before venture capitalists. there's tons of capital out there looking for a brain to back.  Many investors struggle to find smart, passionate people to put money behind. If you can show yourself as both of those, you could start your business.

I would like to say a public thank you to the panel for coming to speak to us, and to the BND Society of Monash Uni for inviting other students to the night. As students, we may have our 'dream job' but oftentimes it is best to be realistic about what is available and what we can really expect. I think these guys did a fantastic job of speaking honestly and clearly about our potential futures.



Professional organisations you might like to join:

Dietitian's Association of Australia
Sports Dietitians Australia
Sports Medicine Australia
Nutrition Australia
Nutrition Society of Australia
Coeliac Australia