DISTINCTIVEEXECUTIVERÉSUMÉWRITING&CAREERMARKETINGSERVICES

“Hi Michelle. Since our mailing, I

have had six phone interviews

with recruiters leading to being a

candidate for Chairman of a [name

of state] based company and be-

ing introduced to two private equi-

ty firms by another recruiter for

Board Directorships. Two others

want to introduce me to private

equity firms they partner with for

proprietary deals. Finally, [Name

of Recruiter] of [Firm] out of Silicon

Valley said the resume was

among the best five he has ever

seen from both a format and con-

tent standpoint (maybe all five are

your clients!)...Thanks for the

great work.”

- T.R. Indiana

Copyright © 2016 All rights reserved Visit us: www.executiveresumewriting.services | Call: 800-644-9694

Executive Resume Writing Cheat Sheet:

How To Write a Board of Directors Resume and Position Yourself For Board Seats Business execu ves, whether currently employed or engaged in a job search, can

benefit from becoming a member of the board. It’s well worth it for a busy exec

to take the me to be involved at this level with his/her own company, another

leading firm in the industry, in a different field altogether, or within a nonprofit.

There are many reasons for this statement, not least is furthering your career.

Besides the poten al for being personally rewarding, being involved at board

level in a business or non‐profit is evidence of thought leadership, industry

knowledge, experience and desirability as an employee/execu ve. It’s a great

professional development step. It’s a key move for building your personal brand

and increasing your perceived value to your own firm, to the industry and to

those seeking to hire you.

The #1 Service of Choice for Discrimina ng Leaders, Managers & Execu ves www.execu veresumewri ng.services

Joining the boards of a different type of business than your core industry can help establish your influence in another. On your

resume, board posts indicate high‐level decision making skills, strengths in collabora on and governance, management acu‐

men and responsibility. All this

raises your profile significantly,

strengthening any future job

search.

You’ll find that this valuable

experience raises your confi‐

dence as well. Further, having

gained one board seat sets

you up for success in ge ng

another if you like. You’ll have

been ve ed by peers of those who may consider hiring you as CEO, now or in future. Many mes, you’ll also earn a fee for serv‐

ing. Need more convincing? Hopefully not.

How To Write Your Resume for Board Positions Wri ng a resume to land a posi on on a board is much the same as wri ng any other execu ve resume. There are those who will disagree with this statement, but these are individuals who tend to expect resumes to all follow a specific, prescribed format.

We recommend a far more customized approach for wri ng any resume, including those for board of director posi ons.

As with any execu ve resume, before you begin wri ng, it is essen al that you first fix your audience in your mind. Now ask your‐self: What will be most important to the nomina ng and governance commi ees that will be selec ng and interviewing candi‐dates to fill vacancies of the board of directors?

This is the same ques on you must ask yourself before wri ng any resume. In other words, you must:

1) Know your audience and be clear about who you are wri ng your resume for

2) Iden fy what is most important to your audience in rela on to the open posi on

3) Structure your resume to showcase how you are the most ideal candidate to meet those needs

What are the factors that are most important for a board seat? The answer will vary according to the company or organiza on that you are targe ng, but some of the most common experiences, areas of exper se, and qualifica ons that you will want to emphasize include:

Visionary leadership and execu ve oversight experience

Goal‐se ng and strategic planning skills

Proven value as a strategic advisor

Proven ability to work collabora vely within a mul disciplinary group

Strong communica on skills and ability to build consensus

Industry exper se

Financial acumen

Demonstrated problem‐solving abili es

Financial acumen

Fundraising abili es

Public/community rela ons and experience as a spokesperson

Other board interac on experience, internal governance experience, or commi ee work

When you write your board of directors resume, you should selec vely include and emphasize accomplishments and past experi‐ence that show how you have demonstrated these traits and skills in ac on.

Now spend some me defining your differen a ng value proposi on. Exper se in “Leading so ware companies through IPOs, VC and equity fundraising campaigns, and mergers and acquisi ons” is far more powerful and compelling than simply sta ng that you have “15 years of experience in the so ware industry.”

Example Board of Directors Resume Page 1

Example Board of Directors Resume Page 2

Contact Us

Michelle Dumas, Founder and CEO of Distinctive Career Services, LLC

Are you an executive who needs help with your resume and career marketing? Book an introductory consulta-tion with Michelle.

(800) 644-9694

Visit us on the web and learn more about Michelle’s highly person-alized, one-on-one exec-utive resume writing and career marketing pro-gram designed specifical-ly for top-tier executives and professionals.

Multiple Certifications:

Featured in more than 12 top-selling books:

Numerous National Resume Writing Awards:

More Considerations Do you bring a skill set the board lacks? In this day and age of bad investments and bailouts, having a financial expert on the board is a necessity to lower risk.

Are you experienced in a synergistic industry into which they may want insight?

Develop a target list of company boards where you might be a good fit and re-search current members: Are they missing key skills you can offer? Is there a di-rector who may soon retire?

Get out of the box. Do you feel pigeonholed as a creative-only (get on a bank board) If you’re the IT expert who’d like to showcase your other management ca-pabilities, try the local symphony board or a try a media firm. Work for a locally known business? Aim for a nationally respected firm’s board seat.

Put your ear to the ground in your industry for executive search firms that special-ize in the industry. Recruiting firms don’t typically make much money by filling board seats. But introducing the perfect candidate for a vacant board seat may be the “in” the recruiter is seeking to develop relationships in a company for future business.

Seek recommendations from your own board, if your board allows executives to serve elsewhere.

Raise your profile by being more active on LinkedIn, joining professional organiza-tions, attending industry conferences or speaking at them.

Get registered. The NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) has a prospective director registry. You can create a profile by answering a series of questions that can be referred to by boards seeking new directors.

Can you offer board diversity? The Executive Leadership Council helps connect African-American executives with board opportunities. Catalyst maintains a list of women executives. For Hispanic executives, The Hispanic Association on Corpo-rate Responsibility may serve as a resource.