Maintaining a functional space that allows for the efficient operation of a business or retail storefront is the main focus of a space planner. Space planners are similar to interior decorators in that both are concerned with the design of internal space. The work of a space planner focuses more on the efficient organization of space. You can gain work as a space planner in various professional settings. Completing interior design school and earning a space planning certification will help your job search.

Register for a course of study in space planning at a collegiate institution focusing on interior design. Many of the same concepts of interior design are covered in a space planning curriculum, although space planners are more concerned with the functional organization of a facility than appearance. Ask a local interior design school what course offerings it has for space planners, or ask if it could suggest other local schools to check.

Involve yourself with any aspect of your current job that deals with space planning. Job openings for space planners may require anywhere from three to eight years of experience. By taking the initiative in your current job, you may be able to include that space planning experience on your resume.

Earn a space planning certification through a national organization with certification standards for space planners. Certification courses for space planners teach how to design retail floor space for optimum sales, how to utilize space effectively and how to properly analyze your floor space to see if it meets the needs of the company and those of the customer. Certification as a space planner will help you earn additional work.

Purchase space planning or interior design software and become familiar with its use. As technology becomes increasingly applicable to interior design, space planners must be able to understand and use computer-aided design, or CAD, software. The most effective space planning software programs use floor plan templates, can depict floor plans in perfect scale, display visible room dimensions and allow you to resize objects easily.

Apply for job openings. Seek a full-time space planner position at a facility or store. The principles of space management that space planners understand and utilize are applicable in most facilities, including schools, research facilities or major corporate offices. Alternatively, you could try working as a freelance space planner by contacting multiple businesses in your area and asking if they could use your services.