Food Protection Trends - February 2009 - (Page 69)

How does all this advice about networking and building your own brand affect you and me as food microbiologists? I have been actively working in the area of food safety for over 35 years and have had the fortune to know and work with some of the best microbiologists and food scientists in the world. Many of my colleagues have served as mentors and provided advice that has helped to shape me and my career. I believe that two pieces of advice that I received influenced my career more than anything else. My major professor for my Ph.D. told me something the first day that I talked to him that I have never forgotten and which I think has played a key role in my career and the success that I have had. What he told me relates very much to the discussion above about “establishing your brand”. The advice was to find one or two areas where I could establish a reputation for myself as an expert so that when people thought about this area they would think of me. I am sure that many of you remember the first professional meeting you attended and like me, you were probably overwhelmed. You met so many new people, many of whom you were familiar with, whether by having read about them or having read their papers. When I was just starting to attend professional meetings, I often traveled with a colleague who was a few years older than I and seemed to know everyone. I asked him how he could know so many people and he told me that he always made a point of introducing himself and then when he got home he would write a short letter (now we would probably use email) to the person telling them it was nice to meet them and a short comment about something they had talked about. By doing this, the person receiving the letter would have to recall whom it was who had sent the letter, and the next time they met they would be more likely to remember. Clearly, networking is important whether it is to help us be more effective in our current jobs or when seeking new employment. As food safety professionals, I can think of no better place to network than the International Association for Food Protection. IAFP has about 3,400 food safety professional members from over 60 countries, and each year 1,800 or more of these attend the Annual Meeting. In addition to over 500 technical presentations or posters there are many other opportunities provided at IAFP Annual Meetings where you can network with you colleagues, including 16 Professional Development Groups. I invite you to join IAFP and meet us in Grapevine, Texas, July 12–15, 2009 for IAFP 2009, the Association’s 96th Annual Meeting. I welcome your comments or feedback. Please email me at stan.bailey@ na.biomerieux.com. FEBRUARY 2009 | FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS 69

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - February 2009

Food Protection Trends - February 2009 Contents Sustaining Members Perspectives from Your President Commentary from the Executive Director Assuring the Safety of Not-Ready-to-Eat (NRTE) Products: Industry Guidelines for Validation of Consumer Cooking Instructions Cooking Food Safely with Microwave Ovens: Challenges for the Food Industry Special Interest Series: Newly Developed Workshop Series on “Molecular Methods in Food Microbiology” 2009–2010 Secretary Election Abstracts – IAFP’s Fourth European Symposium on Food Safety Audiovisual Library Audiovisual Library Order Form New Members What’s Happening in Food Safety Industry Products IAFP 2009: Networking Opportunities IAFP 2009: General Information IAFP 2009: Registration Form Coming Events Advertising Index Journal of Food Protection Table of Contents Booklet Order Form Membership Application

Food Protection Trends - February 2009

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