Writing a board resume? Here’s what you need to do to stand out

Did a new position open in the board of directors in your company? Are you planning on putting your name in the mix? Then, you should start prepping your resume for fierce competition right away. Writing a board resume is not that different from writing an executive resume. The only thing that you need to do differently on your board resume is to let the right experiences and achievements have the spotlight.

Since this is a valuable opportunity, you will have only one chance to land your application. If you want to get it right the first time, talk to a professional resume writer at Resume Mansion. We write resumes that always get our clients chances for interviews. If you decide to do it yourself, here’s how you can get a start on your board resume:

Ask yourself the question, “What am I targeting with this resume?”

You can’t simply answer, “A board seat,” to this question and move on. You need to have all the specifics figured out before you start writing your board resume. Here are some of the factors that will affect the way your resume is written:

• The type of board – There are different types of organizations. Your resume needs to highlight different achievements to seem the right candidate for a corporate public board, a non-profit board, or a for-profit public board.
• The company type – You can apply for a board position in a large-cap company, small-cap company, mid-cap business, or startup.
• The industry - Are you targeting your own company or a different company of the same size? Or are you planning on applying to as many companies as you can within a particular industry? You can also choose to take a multi-industry approach.

Figure out what the employer wants

This is easier said than done. Sometimes, this step will take longer than all the other steps combined. Once you have figured out the exact employer that you want to target, you can identify the skills, knowledge, and experience that are sought out by the employer. You can use online job boards to find a few job descriptions for your target job title in your industry. Analyzing these job descriptions will give you all the information you need to streamline your resume for the job. Here are a few questions that will help you figure out the employer’s needs:

• What are the challenges the employer faces right now?
• What are the goals of the organization?
• What are the qualities they admire in their workforce?
• What qualifications will help you stand out from other candidates?
• In what ways will you be required to contribute to the company?

Go strong with the opening statement

Once you have all the answers, you know exactly what to do with your resume. Your resume needs to start with a strong summary statement that shows potential employers why they need to hire you for their business. Although we mentioned this step now, you must wait until your entire resume is completed to write your resume summary. That way, you will already know the most important achievements, qualifications, and skills to bring out in your summary to make the biggest impact.

Highlight the right things on your board resume

You are not simply writing a resume for an entry-level position. You are writing a resume for a position that affects the integrity of the entire business. Therefore, you need to highlight all the right information on your resume and show the employer that you are the person for this job. We have talked previously about how to tailor your resume to a job description. You should also take a look at this article where we explain everything you have to do to write the perfect resume. Once you have completed your resume, all that is left to do is to write a killer cover letter and apply for your dream job.