Written by Nadine Ferreira, UF Animal Sciences, Integrative Specialization student.
The International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) occurs annually at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA to showcase the newest developments in the allied industries of poultry and meat production. This includes everything from animal feed ingredients and manufacturing to food processing and packaging equipment. In conjunction with the IPPE, USPoultry hosts students from various universities to participate in open interview sessions for internship and job positions with companies in the poultry, feed, and processing industries. This year, I was fortunate to attend with fellow University of Florida students and faculty.
I had the opportunity to participate in three interviews as a part of the College Student Career Program and had some productive conversations with other professionals in animal agriculture while exploring the vast expo halls. My first interview was with Case Farms, in which we discussed the typical interview questions such as, “What are your strengths, and how would you apply them to an intern position at Case Farms?” My second interview happened by chance, I walked by Miller Poultry’s booth, and nobody was signed up, so I simply asked if the interviewer was interested in a walk-up. I talked with their representative for a few minutes and we discussed our common grounds with horses. The last interview was with Mountaire, in which the interviewer focused on my resume to guide the conversation. Overall, I had a great interviewing experience, as each of them represented a very different style of interview. The first one was a questionnaire, the second a conversation, and the third a reflection on my previous experiences.
Walking around the enormous expo halls, I had plenty of opportunities to engage with company representatives with questions about their products or to collect the free goodies on their tables. As I was walking by the BestMix booth, a man approached me, having seen that my badge states that I’m associated with the University of Florida. He explains that they’re in the process of incorporating their feed formulation software into universities. After a bit, he introduced me to an employee of the company, who completed her Master’s in animal nutrition. We sat down for a conversation as I inquired about the transition from animal science to software, and how the two correlate. Another by-chance encounter that led to productive networking and a possibility for more in the future.
As a group, we were invited to dinner with Buckhead Meats, and Chaz Blackwell sat at our table. We had great conversations, as he inquired about each one of us and asked insightful questions about our interests and field of study regardless of whether they were related to Buckhead or not. I was reminded of the fact that networking doesn’t necessarily mean business discussions, but that they can also be simple conversations to get to know people.
I had the goal of improving my interviewing and networking skills through attending the IPPE, and I feel as though I succeeded. This experience broadened my understanding of the poultry and processing industries and allowed me to build my professional skills without the pressure of needing to succeed right away. In addition to new connections on LinkedIn, I also gained valuable friendship among my peers, both of which could lead to professional relationships in the future as we all collaborate on advancing the various industries of animal agriculture.
Find more information about the UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences on our website. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Read more on UF/IFAS ANS here: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/animalsciencesdept/.
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