In an ideal world, training would equal skills development; but the fact is, school-based training programs can only approximate the skills any particular employer needs in its workers. Sadly, the best-case scenario, workplace-based training, may be a thing of the past as employers eliminate expenses.

Working Strategies by Amy Lindgren

Let’s start over with some basic information and the questions you will need to bring to employers. First, remember my …

Three years ago JoAnne Nelson was a real estate agent who saw many beautiful custom-made draperies and upholsteries in clients’ homes and decorated model houses.

But having custom drapes made for her own home proved to be a tedious process. Locating a shop, communicating her needs and wondering about the quality of the workmanship made her think there had to be a better way. She bought an established upholstery workshop in an old house in Smyrna and revamped it into Atlanta Custom Interiors.

JoAnne Nelson (left) owner of Atlanta Custom Interiors, talks with Marsha Peterson, owner of Trade Secrets Interiors, about window treatment designs. Photo by Leita Cowart, for the AJC.

Last year she knocked down the old house to rebuild the …

Last week’s column discussed the fundamentals of developing a career plan. Today’s looks at choosing a job target. The following weeks will explore steps for building skills, revising your resume and conducting a job search outreach.

If you feel as if you’ve been hitting your head against the wall in your job search, you may be right.

Job searches that rely on online postings are doomed almost from the beginning by one of these two failings: Either you know exactly what you want and you’re being very selective, or you’re very open and you’re responding to everything.

Working Strategies by Amy Lindgren

With small but distinct signs of life in the economy, companies are plotting their recovery strategies for 2010.

“Recovery will not be restoration of the pre-recession market. Trying to get back to where we were will be like chasing a red herring,” said Jean Martin, executive director of the Corporate Leadership Council of the Corporate Executive Board, a global business research network. It’s a whole new ballgame.

Dana R. Hermanson is a professor of accounting at the Kennesaw State University's Coles College of Business. Photo by Leita Cowart, for the AJC.

In its “Executive Guidance 2010” report, the Corporate Executive Board identifies six hidden enemies that could …

The five columns in this series will cover the fundamentals of developing a career plan, choosing a job target, building skills, revising your résumé and conducting a job search outreach.

Working Strategies by Amy Lindgren

Did you choose your career and build steps to achieve it, or did you tumble into it backward? Some days I don’t know what the word career means. But there is a point inherent in the concept that I think is important: Planning.

Whether it is at the onset or later in the process, one must engage in planning in order to build a career. Dumb luck and hard work will carry you only so far.

In the old days, a career plan meant something like this: Go to school, get trained, work your way up in a company, retire. …

We know the recession has not been kind to big business. We’ve read about the layoffs, bankruptcies and plant closures. “It’s not been good for small business either,” said Karen E. Ervin, inspirational speaker, author and founder of Entrepreneur Enterprises, which offers online courses to help entrepreneurs plan and start a business. “People are working harder than they were last year, struggling to meet payroll or taxes and watching as their colleagues’ businesses fold up.”

Karen E. Ervin is the founder of Entrepreneur Enterprises and an author and inspirational speaker. Ervin has advice for small business owners on navigating the recession. Photo by Leita Cowart, for the AJC.

Nobody knows how long the current economy and unemployment numbers will be in place. There have been predictions of unemployment as it is until 2014 due to the automobile industry and housing market in a tailspin. So what do you do if you need a job? The best way to find a job is to use your contacts. 60% of jobs are found by networking. So don’t be shy. Talk to those around you about employment opportunities.

Look at the job you have now and picture it in 5 years, 10 years and so on.

Then think of other jobs that are expected to flourish in the future. Where are you? Now don’t quit your job and go for another job just yet, just be thinking of your future and industries that look optimistic.

There are a few industries that are looking strong in the future. One is healthcare simply because the baby boomers – just the sheer number of this population have secured this industry. Computers and …

Working Strategies by Amy Lindgren

Shelly Cryer, author of “The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job That Makes a Difference” (Fieldstone Alliance, 2008, $18.95), has this to …

It’s a familiar cycle to corporate educators and trainers. In good times, companies often expand their corporate learning programs. In belt-tightening times, training is usually the first thing to go.

“The demand for corporate training has dropped dramatically in the last 18 months,” said Kim Groves, marketing director for continuing education at Kennesaw State University, which offers professional management courses and customized programs for individuals and organizations. But she knows that when companies can fund it, business will pick up.

“Most companies realize that not developing their talent isn’t good for the long-term health of the organization,” she said. “Education is power.”

Tough times are when companies should maximize their employee training, said Gary Cruze, a senior instructor with Emory Corporate Learning.

“People like to be developed, and companies that provide those opportunities generally find their …

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