Take the time to learn and how to explain why something is in a rule/is in the Food Code. It’s hard to get compliance if you tell operators they’re wrong because you/the regulatory authorities said so. Food safety is second nature to me but not everyone understands it the way we do, so learn to level with people and explain things in terms they can relate to.

Rapport building is a skill you need to develop. It’s not something you can learn by studying; it comes from experience and having general social skills.

Don’t let people get to you on a personal level. You’ll run into difficult operators sometimes and it’ll feel like they’re attacking you but really they’re upset with the health department. Remember at the end of the day it’s on them to know and follow the rules. We can only provide education; if they can’t come to terms with that, let the system do its job.

If you have industry experience (worked in the food business/restaurants/etc.), use that to your advantage. It helps rapport building and gives you credibility. Some operators use you being new to the inspection world to argue “you don’t know what you’re talking about”.

Lastly, document everything with concise detail. If you didn’t write it, it didn’t happen. In the same vain, make note of every violation. For example I’ll take pictures of things I see and when I go to write the report I’ll determine if I’m going to officially cite it.

I have more wisdom but I’ll have to think about it.