Seminars will focus on finances, job searches

A popular New Year's resolution includes taking better care of personal finances.

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A community educator with the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the CSRA hopes to spread some fiscal knowledge during a program Thursday at the Columbia County Library in Evans.

Cindy Tesch, the counseling service's community outreach director, said she will discuss financial goals, personal money management, the importance of budgeting for a household, the three divisions of a budget, debt, the value and cost of credit in addition to obtaining a free credit report and new consumer laws.

Eight Steps to Financial Freedom will take place 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday downstairs in the library's meeting room. Registration is required by Wednesday. To register, call the library's reference desk at (706) 863-1946.

The seminar is designed for people of all ages. Tesch said she hopes the information will help those in attendance to better handle their finances and relieve themselves of the stress of credit card debt.

"You're not stressed and you're not worried about the economy if you're not in debt," Tesch said. "But if you are, you're not sure what the future holds."

Aside from purchasing a winning lottery ticket, few things promote financial success more than gainful employment.

To help in that quest, the Georgia Department of Labor is putting on a two-seminar series focusing on resumes and job searching.

Manfred Edelmann, an employment marketing representative with the labor department's Augusta Career Center, will teach a free resume-writing seminar at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the library.

"It will be a discussion about understanding your skills, networking and the resume process," Edelmann said. The two-hour seminar will include information about the three types of resumes and the importance of targeting your resume for your future employer.

"It is going to be really worthwhile. It is so much more cutting edge than it used to be. This is not your mother's or your father's resume anymore. It has definitely evolved."

The second seminar, set for 10:30 a.m. Jan. 15, will focus on using the Internet in the job hunt. Edelmann said he'll talk about using search engines and other online resources, including the labor department's site, when looking for employment.

Both labor department seminars are free, but registration is required.

To register, call the library's reference desk at (706) 863-1946.

Crown Financial Ministries will hold a "Journey to Financial Freedom" seminar from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Little River Marina and Family Resort in Appling. That seminar costs $25 and registration is required. To register, or for information, visit www.crown.org or call (800) 340-5066.