Resumes & Bios for Board Opportunities

My career goal is to serve on a board of directors. What are the basic steps to work toward that goal?

Executive and board seat openings are often filled through networking. Many candidates are approached by colleagues and presented by recommendation. Through your network you can uncover opportunities and learn more about an organization you are exploring.

Board search firms often recruit, vet, and present potential candidates. Some firms specialize in helping candidates, and some aid candidates to prepare and match candidates with opportunities.

If you don’t have a strong presence in your industry, the time to start building a presence is now. Elevate yourself as an expert and thought leader in your domain. You can accomplish this through postings, articles, speaking engagements, podcasting, and media interviews.

Don’t wait until you receive the board of director packet to conduct your research. Research the organization and the current board matrix before you submit yourself. A matrix identifies the special skills, expertise, and roles of each board member. What gaps in skills, connections, and expertise can you identify? With that information, you can begin to work with a writer who can help you uncover examples from your career history. A writer can help you develop a resume and bio that positions you for your target board opportunity.

What are recommendations for a resume and bio aimed at a board target?

Like an excellent executive resume, a resume for board positions starts with an engaging profile to summarize the candidates career accomplishments and skills. An executive with comprehensive expertise will focus on the most relevant to the opportunity. Based on your research of the organization and the board matrix, you can determine which of your skills, expertise, and accomplishments you should highlight on your resume and bio. Weave those examples throughout your resume.

Streamline the resume to facilitate a quick read. Weed out anything that does not support your goal. In most cases this will be less information as you go further back in time. In some cases, it might be wise to add a highlights section after the profile section where you can insert the top four or five career achievements that demonstrate you can fill the needs of the target board.

Your bio should be one page, unless otherwise requested. It should take the reader through the journey of your career, including your motivation and in some cases, values. It should present your unique value proposition in an easy-to-read narrative format. Avoid cliches and repetition of sentence structure.

How is a board bio and resume different from an executive bio and resume?

Depending on your history, you may employ a different resume structure or order. Bringing highly relevant history to the top below the profile section is wise in some cases, such as a board of director seats section if you currently serve or have served in such roles. Also, if the board target is in a different field, you may add info or even a section to show that aspect of your history.

There may be details that do not support the goal. So, carefully analyze the history and remove details that are not relevant to the goal. This makes room for achievements and experience that are valuable and relevant.

The executive bio and board bio may be similar. Although if you are seeking a role on a civic or nonprofit board and your history is in corporate settings, it is necessary to include information to demonstrate nonprofit or civic experience. For all types of boards, it is also necessary to demonstrate essential board of director functional skills.

Depending on the type of organization and the current composition of the board, the organization will have specific needs/requirements. They might have a hole to fill based on an outgoing member or change in organization’s direction. Both the resume and bio need to show the candidate is a fit. The bio should also show that the candidate’s values align with the organization.