Career Development

Just over a month ago I put a bow on my twelve-year career as a retail dietitian. I ended my time in the retail grocery industry as the Senior Director of Marketing & Communications for Festival Foods, but my role as a retail dietitian without a job description was where it all started.

If you are applying for a job, your first challenge may well be getting your resume past robots and into the hands of a human. Data suggests that about 75% of resumes don’t beat the algorithms that filter through applicants. Here is a quick checklist of “do’s and don’ts” to run through as you build your resume. Some simple adjustments can greatly increase your chances of getting that interview with HR.

A key skill looked for when retailers hire dietitians is culinary ability. Proficiency as a good home cook is often a requirement for retail RD roles. Today we’re seeing that the pivot many programs made to digital food demos and cook-alongs is likely to continue into the foreseeable future, making culinary chops even more important for success in reaching shoppers. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to gain skill, expertise, and even certification, in culinary arts.

As a member service exclusive to retail dietitians, the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance is pilot testing mastermind groups. The goal of these groups is through peer-to-peer engagement and accountability, Retail Mastermind Alliances (RMAs) challenge members to set and accomplish strong goals to drive professional success in the retail setting.

The role of the retail dietitian is continuously evolving and the next decade will bring expanded opportunities for driving health and wellbeing at retail. This session will address how RDs can best prepare themselves to thrive professionally in the next era of healthy living at retail.

This session will be focused on career building tips and advice for retail dietitians seeking career advancement opportunities in retail. This session is ideal for dietitians willing to take on challenges or roles outside of traditional dietetics to gain broader retail experience. Elisa shares her career path and lessons learned along the way.

Dietetic professionals operate under a defined code of ethics, which requires use of science-based information and unbiased guidance. During this session, hear from a panel of retail dietitians on how they balance professional ethics with product and brand promotion. Panelists include Molly Hembree, MS, RD, LD, Retail Dietitian Coordinator at Kroger Health, Judy Chodirker, RD, MHSc, Loblaws in Canada, Yvette Waters, MS, RDN, CISSN, Nutritionist and Brand Influencer at Raley’s. Panel moderated by Judy Dodd, MS, RDN, LDN, former President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

2020 proved to be a challenging year for retail dietitians as the pandemic shifted many priorities and the ways in which they had to communicate with shoppers - so what's next? Future proofing is all about anticipating what is likely to happen in the future and managing those events. This session will explore the future trends in grocery, e-commerce, emerging food categories and media and offer specifics on just how retail dietitians can use those to build their careers and power within their organizations.

As the only organization committed specifically to the career development of dietitians working in the retail environment, this topic was a key focus of the RDBA Virtual Experience held earlier this month. Recordings of three sessions designed to help retail RDs advance their careers are now available to all RDBA members. Below are links to and summaries of each session.

Professional and personal life run in intertwined patterns these days, and during a casual conversation with friends recently, the topic of identifying high potential employees within telecommuting work environments was discussed.