Quality and Regulatory Manager in Pet Food Manufacturing: Career Insights with Aparajhitha Sudarshan | That’s a Food Job! #131
Aparajhitha Sudarshan is a Quality and Regulatory Manager in pet food manufacturing and the founder of Food Strategy Consulting, where she helps small and medium food businesses with compliance, training, and food safety systems.
In today’s episode, we talk about the 80/20 rule of food safety leadership, how to build soft skills nobody teaches you in school, and practical ways students can network at conferences without it feeling forced.
Watch the Episode Below
Key-Take-Aways
- Technical skills are only 20% of the job.
- Soft skills aren’t taught in school, but they can be built.
- You have a very short window to make an impression.
- Toastmasters and community events are low-stakes practice grounds.
- Prepare before you network, don’t wing it.
- Reframe mistakes as data, not failure.
Links
Timestamps
- 00:00 – Intro: The 80/20 Principle
- 00:42 – Meet Apara
- 01:41 – Her Role Today
- 02:59 – Foundations of Food Safety
- 03:56 – Building Team Culture
- 05:50 – A Typical Day on the Floor
- 09:26 – Pre-Op Conversations
- 11:06 – The Soft Skill Nobody Teaches
- 15:44 – Most Surprising Part of the Job
- 17:46 – Her Career Path
- 20:10 – Comparing Industries
- 22:22 – Practicing Soft Skills Early
- 24:05 – What Is Toastmasters?
- 27:56 – Reframing Mistakes
- 30:34 – Conference Networking Advice
- 40:14 – Low-Stakes Ways to Start
- 42:27 – Closing Thoughts
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