The format and content of a Board CV that will get results

Style and format of board CV

Board CV writing is a skill that not everyone has (or wants!) and one I have developed over many years as a board recruiter and Non-Executive Director (NED) Career Coach. I have written over 3,500 for my clients. Today I want to take you through, in more detail, the steps and content needed to write a compelling Board CV. One that will dare them not to appoint you or at least interview you.

First, focus on your board-level success 

This is where most people go wrong when writing their board CV. They focus on their executive successes and industry expertise but are unable to define their value at board level. Don’t get me wrong; your executive successes are fundamentally important, but if you focus on them alone, you will be suggesting to the reader that you are an executive and not a board member. Instead, what you have to do is articulate how your experience as an executive is valuable at board level.

Always include a board profile

You need to include your board profile. If you haven’t yet written one, you need to write this immediately. In essence, this section briefly summarises your board or committee experience (either as an executive or non-executive) and how long you have been working with or on boards. Don’t make any aspirational statements. Also, make sure to add any relevant qualifications or extra-professional successes you have had – particularly ones focused on governance.

Evidence of your success at board level

The next section includes a list of your board and executive successes. Although it will replicate some of the content in the following section, it is important to include it, as you want to highlight these.

Next, list all of your Non-Executive Director & Committee Experience

Do it in descending order, starting with your most recent role. Do not limit your examples to just formal non-executive directorships. You can legitimately include sub-committee or committee memberships and other formal responsibilities that have a strategic or governance perspective.

Under each example, as a board member, you should provide a list of:

    • The sub-committee positions you have held – for example, audit, governance, remuneration or nominations committees.
    • The key responsibilities you held as part of the board.
    • Include some key achievements at board level. Be specific and try not to make statements that you cannot support with evidence.
    • If you haven’t had any board or committee experience, you should not include this section or combine it with the section below. Once you have gained your first appointment, you can insert it.


Board-level experience or lack of board experience

The next section provides a bridge between your independent board-level and executive experience. It is particularly useful for individuals without formal non-executive director or board experience. The operative word here is ‘level’ – that means your experience working with and on boards in an executive capacity.

Regardless of your level of experience, here is the place to include the executive committee or executive board roles you have held as part of an executive role. For example, if you were a CEO but also sat on or reported to the board, this is the place to include it. If you were an executive director or MD and sat on a management committee, include it here. Likewise, if you sat on a policy, risk management or an audit committee (or the like), then include it here too.

If you have no formal board experience, this is the area to work on. Gaining an internal committee role can be relatively easy as opposed to an external board role, which can then be used to demonstrate having some governance experience. Again, if this section is irrelevant to you, it can be removed.

Following is your Executive Experience

This section lists, again in descending order, your executive career roles.

Whilst you might be tempted to cut and paste this entirely from your executive CV, you should first edit it. Focus on your successes and your strategic success. Include evidence of your success as an executive in the organisation, including statistics or numerical evidence. In the context of applying for a board role, the reader is going to be interested in your governance, strategic and macro experience. You should not include the level of detail about what you do on a day-to-day basis in this section.

Your Qualifications, Memberships & Extra-Professional Activities

Next, you need to list your tertiary qualifications and any professional qualifications you might have undertaken. This is straightforward but important, as organisations are looking for experienced and qualified board directors.

After your qualifications, you should list your professional memberships, special interest groups, languages spoken or relevant personal activities that might positively impact a board appointment. Your list of memberships might include memberships to Governance or Professional bodies.

Also, list extra-professional activities and personal interests. Extra-professional activities are things that you have done outside of your professional life but are not purely social. For example, you may have presented at conferences, written papers, been invited as an industry expert to contribute, or been given an award. These can all be included in this section.

Finally, include a little of your personal life—what you enjoy doing outside of work. This section alone is unlikely to get you a board position, but it is always read, and you might gain a connection with the reader that might ultimately work in your favour.

Include Referees

The final section lists your referees’ names. We include them here as they can influence a board when appointing or interviewing you. Your referees should preferably serve on a board, ideally a Chair. Having said that, any high-profile individual who can vouch for you can be a valuable referee.

I recommend never including the contact details of your referees, as you don’t want anyone to speak to them prior to you getting their permission. If you put the name of a referee on your board CV, you should assume that they will likely be spoken to informally about you.

How can we help?

I can not stress enough how important your Board Profile and Board CV is, regardless of who you are submitting it to. If you are struggling to put pen to paper or not making the shortlist, my personal Board Writing CV service is included in 2 of our 3 Member Packages

Related Articles

How to write a powerful Board Profile

Where to begin with no board experience

About the Author

David Schwarz is CEO & Founder of Board Appointments – The UK’s leading board advertising and non-executive career support firm. He has over a decade of experience of putting people on boards as an international headhunter and a non-executive recruiter and has interviewed over one thousand non-executives and placed hundreds into some of the most significant public, private and NFP roles in the world.

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