As we navigate this unprecedented time, UC Berkeley People & Culture wants you to know that we’re here to support you. Now, more than ever, we feel it is important for UC Berkeley staff to safely maintain community while continuing your learning and career development. In light of this, we have decided to transform today’s challenges into an opportunity and are thrilled to announce that this year's Next Opportunity at Work (NOW) Conference will continue virtually.
The 2020 Next Opportunity at Work Conference: Envision Your Future was held virtually on Thursday, July 30, 2020 In the virtual format, we remain committed to setting you up with career resources, skills, and inspiration that will help you to be successful today and in the future.
What to expect:
Our virtual conference will go far beyond replicating PowerPoint presentations online. Our theme, "Envision Your Future," has been chosen with the goal of inspiring you, our hard working staff, to continue seeking out opportunities to grow your career here at UC Berkeley with the evolving future of work! Join us for this amazing opportunity for learning, networking, and growth so you can continue to bring your best self to work at UC Berkeley each and every day!
We have reimagined the 2020 conference by developing a program designed to give you the same dynamic learning experience and networking opportunities that you have come to expect from the NOW Conference. The conference will include:
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2 Inspiring Keynote Speakers
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15 dynamic breakout sessions available throughout the day
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1:1 Career Coaching Sessions with professional coaches
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1:1 Recruiting Sessions with our People & Culture Talent Acquisition Team
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Group wellness activities and strategies
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Career Planning Resources
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Raffle prizes
Registration:
Based on your feedback and the success of last year’s registration process, we will be following the same process again this year. Our goal is to give as many staff as possible an equal opportunity to attend.
On June 26th, an email was sent to all campus staff announcing the opening of a lottery/interest form to attend the NOW Conference. All staff have until July 3rd to enter the registration lottery. During the week of July 6th, we will randomly select 1,200 participants from the lottery pool and provide instructions for those selected to confirm their attendance.
There will be a waitlist for the event, so if you are not selected in the lottery, you will have an additional opportunity to register as people cancel their registrations.
Conference attendance:
July 30, 2020 marks the 8th annual Next Opportunity at Work (NOW) Conference for UC Berkeley staff. Over the years, the NOW Conference has proven to be an exciting opportunity for staff to grow their UC Berkeley careers. Two years ago, the People & Organization Development team at Berkeley People & Culture was able to secure the necessary funding to move the conference off-campus, allowing us to open the opportunity to 600 staff. This year, with our move to a virtual format, we’re able to double our attendance cap, opening the opportunity to 1,200 UC Berkeley staff.
In line with UC Berkeley’s Staff Participation in Campus-Sponsored Activities, Including Sponsored Staff Organizations, Campus-Sponsored Fellowship Programs policy, and PPSM-50, managers and supervisors are encouraged to approve requests from staff to attend the 2020 NOW Conference.