New Financial Year prime time get board ready

By Nicole Donegan
COO, Women on Boards 1 July 2019

The new financial year heralds the ideal time to take stock of your board pathway and either:
- assess where you are now and what your next steps should be, OR 
- if you’ve been procrastinating, MAKE A START 
 
With many companies' financial year ending on 30 June, they are entering the reporting and AGM season, with board appointments and elections. So now’s the time to take stock and get moving.

There are critical questions to ask yourself around three key areas - whether you have a portfolio career or are yet to make a start:

1. Build your Board Collateral
Your board collateral is the written information you have about yourself to communicate your story to position you for board roles. With social media and email, this is now required across a number of mediums. 

Ask yourself:

• Do I have a board CV / Is my board CV up to date? (a board CV differs greatly from a professional CV).
• Is my WOB Profile complete / up to date? – so we can forward you relevant vacancies.
• Is my LinkedIn profile current and does it list my NED attributes?
• Is all of my collateral consistent?

2. Allocate a regular time slot each week (make time!)
For most of us it’s challenging to find the time to devote to finding a board role, but critical if you're to be successful.
We recommend allocating a regular time slot each week to do what's needed to progress your board pathway. Develop a routine so it becomes enshrined in your normal week, including:

• Reviewing weekly vacancies (sent every Tuesday by WOB).
• Making phone calls / coffee dates to find out more about vacancies of interest and to express your interest.
• Finessing your Board CV to meet criteria.
• Drafting covering letters to meet key selection criteria.
• Searching your contacts to see who you know and who can refer you (including second and third degree contacts).
• Applying and following up.

3. Proactively develop your network
Most people with a successful board portfolio will tell you that they used multiple sources and contacts to find their NED roles, including:

• Board recruiters
• WOB Vacancies
• Professional contacts
• Your network (including second and third degree networks)

Make sure key actions each week encompass the above.

How WOB can help

• Attend a Board CV Masterclass (held in every state and via webinar) to draft your Board CV.  Check out EVENTS near you
• Attend a Getting Started workshop (to activate your Board Journey)
• Engage WOB for one on one advice
• Review the Vacancy Board (subscribers only)
• Join the WOB Mentoring Program

Good luck and remember, WOB is here to help.