CPEU ARTICLE 2
How You Can Interpret and Negotiate Contracts To Get What You Want and Deserve B O N N I E TAU B - D I X MA, RDN, CDN
Until I began a media coaching business for RDs to show them how to get their names in the news and how to work with brands, I never realized how many RDs didn’t regularly rely on contracts to clarify and solidify the terms of their professional relationships. Yet in looking back, I know what that’s about. Years ago, I also believed verbal agreements were good enough. But they’re not. Here’s an example of what happened to me: I got my first job in dietetics many, many years ago as a clinical dietitian and then went on to become an assistant chief dietitian, with both jobs in major New York City hospitals. Although those were my full-time day jobs, they were just the beginning of my simultaneous explorations in the field of dietetics. Since as a hospital dietitian, my hours started early in the morning and ended later in the afternoon, I spent the rest of my days writing stories for magazines, giving presentations, conducting media interviews and counseling private patients. Our profession was like the Wild West; not many people were dipping into the types of activities I was doing, so since there was no one to learn from, I had to carve my own path. The words “niching down” never crossed my mind.
draw up one of those wordy documents laced with legalese because I didn’t want it to jeopardize my chances to get that job. But eventually, I caved. As it turned out, when presented with a contract, the restaurant owner had no interest in treating me fairly: the fee he was offering and the time he demanded were not worth the experience. I took a pass on that job and wound up working with a much more prestigious restaurant soon afterward. As my mother always said, “When a door closes, a window opens,” and I’ve believed in that mantra throughout my career. I did, however, learn an important lesson from that first encounter with a contract. You might think that having a solid contract could limit the jobs that you’re
offered or that you might be thought of as a dietitian diva if you’re asking for too much, but it’s more important to consider what you’ll be giving up if you don’t have something in writing. A contract could protect you and your business from being taken advantage of and help you get all that you deserve. I used to have a love-hate relationship with contracts. Basically, I loved to get them and I hated to read them! Despite the importance of knowing how to interpret contracts and how to adjust these agreements to meet our particular needs, there is very little content addressing this need in the dietitian community. For example, many dietitians don’t realize the importance of having a contract or non-disclosure agreement when hiring interns, virtual assistants or collaborating with other RDs.
During that time, I hadn’t even thought about having contracts for my business. For me, in those days, it was just conversations and handshakes that set projects in motion. It wasn’t until years later, when I met my husband, Mitch, that a contract (besides a marriage contract) came into my life. Here’s what happened: I had an offer to consult with a restaurant and re-design its menu to include healthier options. When I gleefully described this unique opportunity to my husband (my lawyer boyfriend at that time), he immediately asked if I had a contract with the restaurant. I was reluctant to have him
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