UC Berkeley staff members are gearing up for the fourth annual Next Opportunity at Work Conference, a free, all-day event designed to support professional development through keynote speakers, workshops and career-planning resources.
Dr. Na’ilah Suad Nasir and Clara Chorley, this year’s NOW Conference keynote speakers (UC Berkeley photo)
Six hundred staff members have registered for the Thursday, July 28, conference, which is sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor. This year’s theme is “Reflect, Envision and Act,” and attendees are being encouraged to think critically about the next steps in their careers.
This year’s keynote speakers are Dr. Na’ilah Suad Nasir, the vice chancellor for Equity and Inclusion at Berkeley, and Clara Chorley, CEO and founder of Clarity Unlimited, a career counseling organization. About 20 breakout sessions and workshops are also scheduled at locations across campus.
Registration reached full capacity within five hours of going live, said Cristina Bentley, a project coordinator for Staff Diversity Initiatives in Nasir’s office. The wait list is also at capacity, but many sessions will be recorded and viewable on the NOW Conference website .
Norton Mitchell discusses skill-building activities in a workshop titled “Manager Best Practice — How to Develop Your Staff,” led by Jennifer Chizuk at the 2015 NOW Conference. (UC Berkeley photo by Anne Brice)
Certain staple sessions are returning from previous years, including workshops on interviewing and resume building, Bentley said. New this year is the Career Genius Lab, where coaches will help staff make LinkedIn profiles and develop career action plans to help them follow up after the conference. A few of the sessions will be repeated throughout the day in order to accommodate both full and partial day attendance.
To learn more about career development opportunities on campus, visit the UC Berkeley Learning Center .