Rachel Slattery, Partner in the Chair and Non-executive Director practice at Odgers Berndtson, offers a framework to select which types of boards to target in your search for a NED role.

Firstly remember your diversity is a strength – headhunters are working hard to build diversity in the boardroom as the clarion call for more women (and increasingly other aspects of diversity) remains strong. Diverse candidates with senior business leadership and/or financial management experience, in particular, are in a strong position.

Whilst it is important to stay open-minded about which non-executive roles you will consider, targeting your search will help enormously. Making it clear what you can bring and what you are looking for will help headhunters to place you. This focus can also concentrate the power of your own personal networking (which is a vital ingredient to securing roles). As Rachel puts it, “go tell it on the mountain – but choose the right mountain range!”

To identify what type of board will value your contribution the most, Rachel suggests asking yourself the following questions:

What scale of business have you been involved in?

This informs the size of organisation you are likely to contribute to as a non-executive director.

What sectors have you worked in? But don’t be limited by them.

Sector experience is useful but not a pre-requisite for non-executive appointments. However there should be some affinity between your sector of experience and the one/s you are targeting. Think which businesses have similar characteristics or drivers.

What is your functional expertise?

This is the most obvious question to answer and often the one companies recruit specifically on. Remember to consider not only your technical knowledge (e.g. law / HR) but also the type of roles you have experience in (e.g. change leader /digital transformation).

What ownership structures are you familiar with?

Whether a company is listed, family-owned, private equity backed or other type of model has a huge impact on how the board runs. Consider what experience you can bring to bear.

What stage of business is your experience in?

Have you worked in a fast-growing business or one in a declining industry? Have you gone through a meaningful disruption, and of what type?

Why do you want to be a non-executive director?

Different types of companies use NEDs in different ways. A small, private company will want something completely different to a FTSE 100. Be clear on what type of involvement will suit you.

Who are your referees?

Boards are risk averse and bringing on an unknown new member represents a risk. If you have referees who are familiar in the circles of the boards you are targeting, they can allay those fears.

Overall you are trying to answer the question: What boardroom question am I the answer to?

Our Elevating your NED brand Masterclass can help you articulate what value you add to a board and includes access to our Board CV course, covering letter templates and sample Board CVs.