You have an impressive resume, with unmatched experience. So why did that coveted board seat go to another person?
It’s a common situation for many executives, and a bitter pill to swallow. While most assume the problem comes down to another person having a stronger track record than the other, it’s often something completely different. In most cases, it’s simply that one executive mastered the art of online presence better than the other.
When executive board opportunities arise, board positioning doesn’t simply mean referring to a generic LinkedIn profile or using claims that cannot be backed up with visible evidence. Around 90% of employers research potential employees online before inviting them to interview, and 79% have rejected a candidate simply because of what they found.
A strong candidate can easily be overlooked simply because their online presence doesn’t fully reflect their expertise, creating a true visibility problem.
How Board Recruiters Find Candidates
Board recruitment is nuanced and complex, yet often revolves around a search and referral approach. Nomination committees spend considerable time Googling candidates to assess their credentials and thought leadership. At this point, search rankings can make or break the experience, as they’re looking for not necessarily the best, but the most visible industry experts.
While LinkedIn still remains the main tool for professional screening, with 72-78% of use cases, it isn’t considered the gold standard for decision-making. The reason is because LinkedIn profiles don’t rank well based on name search alone. While the information contained within a profile is taken into account, it doesn’t impress in the same way visible expertise does.
Ultimately, a resume shows the past. It demonstrates what a candidate has done before, yet doesn’t give a large amount of detail. Online presence shows not only current expertise and influence, but it can also be updated in real-time. Consider that 84% of executives choose reputation as their main concern, and it’s clear why online presence is so key in terms of board member credibility.
Enter The Visibility Gap
The biggest issue for executives isn’t a lack of experience or qualifications but the fact that board nominators simply don’t know they exist. Creating searchable leadership content should be a number one concern. Otherwise, competitors who have clear interview content are discovered, while you go unnoticed.
Creating a corporate governance profile may sound complicated but Q&A format profiles are an excellent route toward reducing this troubling visibility gap. Platforms such as Discussli make visibility easier, simply asking you to answer a series of curated questions and upload a headshot. From there, a profile with SEO-optimisation is created, ticking the visibility box and shielding you from troubling invisibility. The Q&A format is also what AI engines love to index and reference when generating their answers – future-proofing your professional presence.
Rather than making vague claims that cannot be backed up with direct evidence, an interview format can be made with the most common questions board panels have. It’s a way of targeting your job search and ensuring the best executive board opportunities make their way in your direction.
For more information, visit discussli.com.
