Career Development Workshops

S taff career development workshops and career coaching sessions continue to be held remotely. Registrants will be sent a link to participate online.

If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) to fully participate in any Grow Your Career staff programs or services, please contact Lisa Rykert at lrykert@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible, and at least 7 - 10 days in advance of a program or service offering.

Fall 2022 Workshops

Download, print and share the Fall 2022 Staff Career Development Flyer.

These workshops help UC Berkeley staff develop clarity and action plans to connect their interests and abilities with career opportunities. All fall offerings will be held virtually via Zoom.

To register, click on workshop titles below or log in to the UC Learning Center and search by title.

Cover Letter Writing Practice Lab

Thurs., 8/4/22, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Here’s a common scenario: You come across an ideal job posting and you’re eager to apply. However, you feel stuck because you want to write that standout cover letter to communicate that you are the most skilled and enthusiastic candidate for the role. Yet, you are not sure how to best focus your message. In this experiential practice lab, we will review the purpose and elements of compelling cover letters. We will share examples and guide you through writing your own exceptional draft cover letter. For optimal engagement, please come to this practice lab with a selected job posting of your choice that you would like to use as the focus for your cover letter draft.

Presenters: Linda Lundberg, (she/her), Transition Services Lead, People & Culture and Lisa Rykert, (she/her), Career & Professional Development Lead, People & Culture

Resume Writing Practice Lab

Thurs., 8/11/22, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

You know your skills and experience are a great match for that job you applied for and you didn’t even get invited to an interview. It’s also important to know that on average recruiters spend 7.4 seconds scanning a resume before they decide yes or no on the next step (source: Ladders, 2018). In this experiential practice lab, we will review strategies and give you time and guidance to effectively format and tailor your resume to help you stand out and get the interview. For optimal engagement, please come to this practice lab with a selected job posting of your choice that you would like to use as the focus for your resume draft.

Presenters: Linda Lundberg, (she/her), Transition Services Lead, People & Culture and Lisa Rykert, (she/her), Career & Professional Development Lead, People & Culture

Interests in Life & Work

Wed., 8/17/22, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

The term “interests” has very specific meaning in career development. Clarify how your interests influence the work you enjoy through the Strong Interest Inventory assessment. Explore how interests relate to job families and opportunities on campus. PRE-WORK REQUIRED. Instructions for taking the Strong Interest Inventory (at least 3 days in advance) will be sent in your registration confirmation.

Presenter: Chris McLean, (he/him), Ph.D., Assistant Director, Career and Academic Programs, University Health Services

Achieve Together – Preparing Yourself for the Process

Wed., 8/24/22, 12:30 – 4:30 pm

This offering for non-represented employees will provide an overview of the Achieve Together performance program. This interactive workshop will also include planning and practice activities such as creating and communicating goals, engaging in productive check-in conversations, and optimizing your coachability, to prepare you to fully engage in your own performance development process with your manager.

Presenters: Colin Gerker-Junsay, (he/him) Sr. Talent Strategy Partner, People & Culture, and Lisa Rykert, (she/her), Career & Professional Development Lead, People & Culture

LinkedIn Basics

Thurs., 9/29/22, 12:00 – 1:30 pm

LinkedIn is a great tool for establishing an online presence, conducting career research, and facilitating connection with other professionals. This workshop addresses the basics to help you set up a complete and effective LinkedIn profile.

Presenters: Esha Bharati, (she/her), Talent Acquisition Advisor, and Miah Compton, (she/her) Talent Acquisition Advisor

Work Style and Your Career (MBTI)

Thurs., 11/3/22, 12:00 – 1:30 pm

It’s no surprise that people like to approach tasks differently. Understanding your preferences and those associated with various work roles can help you make informed effective choices. This workshop uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). PRE-WORK REQUIRED. Instructions for taking the MBTI (at least 3 days in advance) will be sent in your registration confirmation.

Presenter: Kate Zuby, (she/her), Career Counseling Outreach Coordinator, University Health Services

Design Thinking: Skills to Build Your Career

Wed., 11/16/22, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Feeling stuck? Unsure about your next career step? Curious about how to get started in a new field or role? This workshop employs design thinking to explore how you can create a sustainable life and work where you thrive. Learn tools to help you navigate your career path, get unstuck, and try out easy changes to increase your wellbeing and satisfaction at work.

Presenters: Rebecca Andersen, (she/her), Senior Director of Student & Alumni Career Development, Berkeley School of Information, and Julie McShane, (she/her), Director of Career Development and Alumni Relations, Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership

The Skills You Bring

Wed., 11/30/22, 12:30 – 2:30 pm

The skills you enjoy and feel confident about contribute to strong performance and job satisfaction. Explore your transferable skills – the ones you enjoy that support your career mobility, adaptability and satisfaction.

Presenter: Kate Zuby, (she/her), Career Counseling Outreach Coordinator, University Health Services

LinkedIn II: Maximize Your Online Professional Presence

Thurs., 12/8/22, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is serving you by understanding how to best communicate to your target audience. This workshop is a chance to incorporate tips from a UC Berkeley Talent Acquisition Advisor. We encourage you to login in to LinkedIn and view your profile to assess and apply what you learn during this workshop.

Presenter: Tara Hertstein, (she/her), Talent Acquisition Advisor, People & Culture

Get in Gear for a Breakthrough Year in Your Career!

Thurs., 12/15/22, 11:30 am – 1 pm

During this experiential workshop, participants will explore current workplace trends, in-demand skills and resources, complete a career self- assessment, identify career drivers that support job satisfaction, and integrate insights to create a plan of action to support a breakthrough year.

Presenters: Linda Lundberg, (she/her), Transition Services Lead, People & Culture, and Lisa Rykert, (she/her), Career & Professional Development Lead, People & Culture

Fall 2022 NOW Encore Series

We have expanded the NOW Conference to offer a series of post-conference career development workshops for staff. Presented by internal and external subject matter experts, these live, virtual workshops will be smaller in audience size than the full day NOW Conference and are structured to invite deeper engagement. Each NOW Encore Series workshop will be recorded and posted on the NOW Conference website for broader viewing access.

To register, click on workshop titles below or log in to the UC Learning Center and search by title.

Managing Your Personal Energy for Optimal Performance

Thurs., 9/15/22, 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Learn basic Personal Energy Maintenance tools that when actively used, will immediately relax your body, ease your mind and set you up to be optimally effective in your work and life. Career benefits: enhance self-acceptance, self-awareness, peace, respect, acceptance of others, reduction of fear - in asking questions, self- confidence to manage in a complex environment, influence w/out authority, community of belonging for DEIBJA+ - critical skills for individual contributors and managers for being of service to self and others.

Presenter: Michael Bean, (he/him), Training Manager, EH&S

(Re)Designing Your Worklife: Making Work Work for You

Wed., 9/21/22, 11:30 am - 12:45 pm

Feeling stuck in your job? Wondering where the joy went? Contemplating the great resignation? Let’s chat about it. Utilizing tools from Bill Burnett and Dave Evan’s new book “Designing Your Work Life”, we will discuss ways to re(define) what work satisfaction means to you, re(energize) your work-joy, and (re)design a meaningful work experience. This workshop highlights the themes of RESKILL & THRIVE, as it focuses on reimagining the way we think of work and aims to have participants leaving with a new sense of excitement for their current position.

Presenter: Kandis Rodgers, (she/her), Career and Internship Specialist, UC Berkeley - School of Public Health; Center for Public Health Practice and Leadership

Growing Self Awareness and Resilience at Work through Simple Mindfulness and Yoga Practices

Thurs., 9/22/22, 3:30 - 4:45 pm

This experiential workshop will include questions for reflection and meditative and somatic practices to facilitate participants’ connecting inward to build self-awareness and self-management skills so they can take charge of disruptive thought patterns and clear the way for more focused, intentional, and satisfying work.

Participants will 1) learn concepts from yoga as touchpoints for self-reflection that can be used on a daily basis to improve one's mindset at work, 2) practice meditative and somatic exercises to build self-awareness and self management skills, especially in stressful work situations (upskill & reskill), 3) open possibilities for new ways to interpret and respond to situations, combat stress and burnout, and manage energy, and 4) gain a sense of agency and empowerment by learning ways to address mental habits to thrive at work.

Presenter: Dinorah Meyer, (she/her), MS, NCC, RYT, Assistant Director/Career Counselor, UC Berkeley Career Center, and Yoga Teacher

Self-Onboarding Strategies to Thrive in Your New Job Now and in Your Career

Tues., 9/27/22, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Research shows that new employee onboarding is critical for successfully adjusting to a new job, thriving in your new organization, and also for a more satisfying career. This workshop will provide a set of self-onboarding strategies that can complement the process that an organization may have in place, and serve as a new job toolkit to support those who are recent hires or in new roles to be proactive in their onboarding process.

The target audience for this workshop includes any staff new to their role, or those who are considering a change. We also welcome all managers who want to enhance their skills and knowledge on how to effectively onboard staff and cultivate an environment of belonging.

Presenter: Angela Rogers, (she/her), doctoral candidate, Workforce Education and Development, Onboarding Specialist

UC Berkeley - Past, Present and Future from a DEIBJ and Staff Experience Lens

Thurs., 10/6/22, 3:00 - 4:30 pm

UC Berkeley provides plenty of colorful examples of how individual agency changed the course of history. Through dynamic drone and go-pro video footage and narration, this presentation provides an overview of what makes Berkeley so special. The next time you're walking through campus, or talking about campus, you'll remember and be able to share fun and meaningful anecdotes and feel more connected to the rich history that is all around us.

Participants will 1) learn and be able to cite some of Berkeley's history, 2) understand how Berkeley has become a beacon of diversity for the world, 3) appreciate how important every individual is to Berkeley's legacy of excellence, and 4) deepen their knowledge and connection to UC Berkeley’s past, present and future.

Presenter: Pamela Gleason, (she/her), Director of Student Services, School of Education

Accelerate Your Career Through Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself -

Wed., 10/19/22, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

When we use the term marketing, people think of products and services. How about ourselves – marketing our talents, accomplishments and value – inside the university and outside within our profession, industry and community? Are we comfortable talking about ourselves in this way, both in-person and virtually? Do we know our story and are we prepared to share it with passion and purpose? This interactive session will offer tips, tools and strategies to understand and leverage your differentiators to be your best authentic self. Participants will 1) acknowledge the importance of personal brand and embrace a new mindset to feel empowered to take charge and own one's career, 2) learn how to establish a personal brand and market their talents, accomplishments and value using the 3 Ps Marketing Technique, and 3) begin to create an Action Plan with steps for moving forward.

Presenter: Rita Balian Allen, (she/her), MS, PCC, President, Rita B. Allen Associates

Interviews that Result in Offers: Becoming the Candidate of Choice

Thurs., 10/27/22, 12:30 - 2:00 pm

Getting invited for an interview is huge accomplishment! Next, you must meet the interview committee and demonstrate that you are the most qualified candidate for the job. We will explore 5 critical areas that you must know to 'become the candidate of choice' for that position, including: interview types and formats, preparing for and conducting the interview, post interview follow-up, interview do’s and don’ts, and offer and salary negotiation.

Presenter: Kim Sapp Dinwiddie, (she/her), Med, Learning & Organizational Development Manager, Talent Management & Workforce Planning, University Development and Alumni Relations

Give It All: Level Up Yourself and Your Career by Leveling Up Others!

Thurs., 12/1/22, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

As a result of adding new skills during the pandemic via courses, books, hands-on labs, and most importantly, creating events to help others do the same, I landed a dream job working for UC Berkeley. I went from learning via consuming content to now producing content with multiple weekly events, a YouTube channel, am preparing to write a book, and have helped a lot of people all while continuing to learn. I will share my process which includes 1) adopting a growth mindset to develop confidence in one’s ability, 2) applying a 4-step process to move from learner to leader in any content topic, and 3) identifying ways to effectively promote projects, programs or events for broad engagement.

Presenter: Jeffrey Williams, (he/him), Google Tech Lead, Berkeley IT

Nourishing Our Whole Selves

Wed., 12/7/22, 3:30 - 4:45 pm

In this experiential session, we will explore a variety of tools and approaches to assist you in building work days that support deep work, collaboration, and self-nourishment, including: designing the ideal bookends to your work day, adapting our workspaces to better support temporal and emotional boundaries, creating a routine to fully end the work day and transition into personal time, and mindfulness and simple movement practices to support our bodyminds throughout the day. This session will include some gentle chair yoga, so please wear comfortable clothing - no experience or fancy props required!

Presenter: Liza Schlosser-Olroyd, (she/her), Communications Specialist, Research, Teaching and Learning