We are currently seeking the following positions:
 
 

Our business continues to expand both in the U.S. and abroad.  To better serve our clients, we are seeking dynamic, warm, proactive independent contractors with at least five years experience in training and meeting facilitation, who reside in one of the following cities:

• CHICAGO
• LOS ANGELOS
• SAN FRANCISCO
• SYDNEY
• LONDON (anticipated need in 6-12 months)

Since we often facilitate executive strategy sessions as well as train other facilitators, we try to hire people who might be considered among the top in our  profession. If you often hear, "You're the best I've ever seen," we are interested in speaking with you! Certification by the International Association of Facilitators is a plus.

You may already be aware that great trainers do not necessarily make great meeting facilitators.  Trainers frequently lack the intense analytic, questioning and listening skills required for directing a facilitated discussion.  Likewise, great meeting facilitators do not necessarily make great trainers.  Meeting facilitators can lack the superb presentation skills and energetic delivery often characteristic of great trainers.  Successful candidates will likely be superb in both environments.

The key qualities we are seeking:

Love of people and a sincere desire to be of help
Dynamic, energetic delivery
Strong analytic skills (i.e., the ability to rapidly compare, contrast, and translate to action)
Superb questioning and listening skills

Warm, personable communication style

Boardroom presence (i.e., the ability to project confidence and authority as needed)

A knowledge of self, your needs and your impact on others

At least five years experience as a meeting facilitator/trainer

Experience facilitating IT requirements, workflow design, data or process modeling is a plus

Following an intensive certification process to learn to teach our facilitation methodology, "The Effective Facilitator," you will deliver training and meeting facilitation services to our clients on an as-needed basis.  Contractors are typically utilized from 3-8 days per month.  There are several components to compensation.

Training fees are $900 per day after completion of certification.
Meeting facilitation fees range from $800 to $1200 per day depending upon discounts to the client and your experience level in our methodologies.
Expenses are typically covered by our clients.
We pay a computed rate ($40-50/hour) for travel time outside of your metropolitan area.

You can receive from 1 to 3% of total fees for assisting in a sale.

You can receive up to 14% of total fees for leading a sale to a first-time client, and up to 7% of total fees for any additional sales to that client, regardless of your involvement in the sale, during the subsequent 12 months.

Step 2.    Within three weeks, we will contact you concerning our interest in proceeding forward.  If appropriate we will hold an initial interview to better assess fit for the type of work we do.

Step 3.    Following a successful initial interview, we will provide you a sample instructional video tape and detailed materials which will allow you to prepare to teach a module of our facilitation class.  The materials we send you will include the relevant portions of the instructor and participant manuals and the evaluation criteria we will use in reviewing your instruction/facilitation. Other candidates have told us the preparation requires 2-4 hours.

Step 4.     If you are in proximity to one of our centers in Atlanta or Dallas, we will schedule a date for you to visit with us to demonstrate a 30-45 minute segment of the module you prepared.  If you are remote from our existing centers, we ask that you create a VHS-formatted video tape of you teaching the module to two or three of your friends, family members or acquaintances.  Whether done in person, or remotely, you will receive detailed feedback on your instruction/facilitation.  Numerous prior candidates have indicated that the detailed feedback was highly valuable, even if they were not selected to continue into the certification process.

Based on our evaluation of your abilities with our material and your continued interest in going forward, you will become a certification candidate and begin the certification process.

Certification Process

Upon your selection as a certification candidate, the certification process requires the following:

Attend The Effective Facilitator course as a full participant.
Review instructional videotapes and prepare to teach Sequence A (or B) of the course. (Each sequence represents half of the modules of the course.)
Participate in a one-day, one-on-one session with a certified instructor in which you present and receive detailed feedback on the course sequence you prepared.
Serve as a co-instructor for a full offering of the course (3-days). In the co-instructor role, the certification candidate teaches the sequence previously prepared. A certified instructor serves as a co-instructor or observer/coach for the class session. The certified instructor provides you with written feedback and rating of performance following each module.

Review instructional videotapes and prepare to teach the sequence not previously taught.

Participate in a one-day, one-on-one session with a certified instructor in which you present and receive detailed feedback on the course sequence you prepared.

Serve as a co-instructor for another full offering of the course, teaching the sequence not previously taught. As before, a certified instructor serves as a co-instructor or observer/coach for the class session. The certified instructor provides you with written feedback and rating of performance.

Receive a satisfactory rating of performance by the certified instructor following the second co-instruction.  This completes initial certification.

Leadership Strategies offers over a dozen programs to our clients.  The initial certification in facilitation serves as the foundation and covers the programs that account for approximately 40% of our revenues.  Subsequent certifications, in such areas as strategic planning and consulting skills training, are considerably less intensive.

What Next?

If after reading this information, you believe our program meets your needs and that you have the qualities we are seeking, please take the first step:  send a cover letter and resume to Michael Wilkinson - mwilk@mindspring.com - describing your experience and qualifications with respect to the key qualities described above.  We will contact you within three weeks.  We look forward to hearing from you.