As many of the attendees at the World Pork Expo look forward to rekindling old connections and building new ones, DSM-Firmenich offered guidance to those who haven’t quite entered the workforce yet. “Building Your Future” was an event for graduate students from universities across the country featuring Brian Deverman, DSM-Firmenich strategic accounts director, along with a panel of experts including: Sara Huff, a swine technical services professional at DSM; Laura Greiner, Iowa State University assistant professor; and Jason Woodworth, Kansas State University research associate professor.
During the event, Deverman shares his “Three C’s” - career, culture and compensation, and discusses some characteristics to be gained through time in their careers to come.
Career
“My first boss gave me two pieces of advice in my first job: first, your career is a marathon, and second, own your own career,” Deverman states.
Deverman notes, your career is a marathon and you shouldn’t be focused on the next thing, one after another. Additionally, in owning your own career, set your own goals and expectations for what you want to do and how you want to achieve that, he adds.
Culture
“Twenty-five years ago when I was joining the industry, I would have never talked about culture,” Deverman says. “As I’ve transitioned to different roles and opportunities, culture is something I ask about every time. ‘What type of company am I joining?’ ‘Am I going to fit into that culture?’ ‘Am I going to like it?’”
Compensation
Compensation is not just money and the perks of a job, Deverman explains. “From a compensation perspective, the greatest joy you will have from your career is what you put into it and what you take out of it,” he says.
Network
“Your network is your superpower,” Deverman says. “Create a network in your career so that when you have retired, you will have pride and admiration for the network you have created.”
He also shares his main characteristics to gain through the workforce, including personal development, communication, self-confidence, maximization of each job and personal resilience.
“The other five add up to personal resilience,” Deverman says. “You’ll continue to have tough conversations, overcome challenges and build your confidence, which in hand, increases your personal resilience that will pay off in every opportunity you have throughout your career,” he adds.
When the expert panelists were asked, “If you could go back to when you first graduated from school, what would you tell your younger self?” the panelists agreed – find a work life balance and have an open mind to be teachable.
Sara Huff, a swine technical services professional at DSM, shares how being teachable was really the best piece of advice she had.
“Being out in production with farmers at 4 a.m. was really the best teacher,” Huffs says. “Being open to being teachable to others I worked with is where I learned the most and also fostered the relationships and rapport I had with them.”
When asked what their biggest challenge, both professionally and personally, was during the transition from graduate student to the workforce, Jason Woodworth explained how asking mentors questions was much harder from his home office than being down the hall in graduate school.
“You’re not alone on an island, don’t be afraid to send that email or pick up the phone to make that call and realize how many people are there to help you,” he says.
Read More World Pork Expo Coverage:
The Most-Asked Question at the 2023 World Pork Expo
NPPC’s Bryan Humphreys: Advocating for U.S. Pork Producers, Beyond World Pork Expo
From Farms to Borders: Ensuring Biosecurity in the Pork Industry
