In-House Counsel

Targeting A Board Seat? Here’s How To Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

A strong and current LinkedIn profile will give you visibility to network with other board candidates and board leaders.

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linkedin-logoAs you reach the later stages of your legal career, you might contemplate targeting a paid board seat. After all, you’ve risen into the C-suite and spent the past decade-plus (or two decades) overseeing the legal department across multiple changes, including growth, turnaround, and restructuring. You’ve also spent time volunteering your leadership efforts by sitting on an array of nonprofit or community-based boards in a nonpaid capacity.

You may first turn to updating your resume; however, a current LinkedIn profile will give you enhanced visibility and opportunities to network with other board candidates, current board leaders, and even engage with executive and board search firms. Here are some tips to help you improve your LinkedIn profile for a future board seat opportunity.

Create A Board-Focused Headline And Summary

When it comes to creating your LinkedIn headline for a board seat, you’ll want to make sure it’s updated and optimized with language that specifically targets a board role. That means utilizing the right keywords and details regarding your C-suite executive leadership, board advisory, board interaction, and relevant board leadership, as well as related industry experience. Risk management, corporate governance, ESG strategy, financial management, and strategic planning are just some of the keywords (I recommend only three or four areas of expertise max for the LinkedIn headline) you’ll want to put in your LinkedIn headline and summary, depending on your strongest areas of expertise.

One key strategy I recommend for your LinkedIn summary if you have existing board leadership experience is to list it with a header in your summary section entitled, “Board Leadership.” This will allow a reader to scroll through the LinkedIn summary and easily recognize the board leadership titles you hold without having to scroll down through the entire profile. Typically, nonpaid board seat roles will end up in the “volunteer” section of your LinkedIn profile, which is buried at the end of the profile.

Don’t overlook unpaid board leadership, including experience involving board leadership for nonprofits, charities, government boards, or even your local HOA. Serving in a volunteer board leadership capacity or advisory capacity gives you valuable skills that can still impress a prospective board’s nominating committee.

Make Sure Your Executive Leadership Experience Stands Out

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The details of your LinkedIn experience section should be short paragraphs but should also focus on key areas that make you a strong board candidate. These include strategic changes to the companies you’ve led, such as a major acquisition, leadership succession, turnaround management, or leadership transition. Consider areas of financial management you’ve effectuated (without disclosing nonpublic financials) and due diligence reporting you’ve handled.

If you’ve been the general counsel or chief legal officer for a publicly traded company, consider leveraging the SEC filing experience you’ve participated in as well as any shareholder reporting. Don’t overlook the ESG strategy work you’ve been a part of and who you’ve worked alongside on the C-suite. If you’ve handled both ESG strategy and ESG reporting, include that language in your experience section.

Another consideration is making sure your job titles align with the targeted areas. If you’ve operated as a corporate secretary for a company, consider adding in the high-functioning skills that would be relevant to your corporate governance and board reporting. Don’t overlook giving those details — they can be a terrific door-opener.

Showcase Your Board Skills 

In the skills and endorsements section, your board skills need to stand out and your three most-valued board skills should be pinned to the top of your LinkedIn profile. Here are some keywords you’ll want to consider in the skills and endorsements section of your LinkedIn profile: private equity and venture capital (especially if you’re targeting a VC or PE board and have that experience), board of directors, board relations, board governance, advisory boards, mergers and acquisitions, business strategy, strategic planning, due diligence, fundraising, P&L management, risk management, and corporate identity. Again, these are just some of the important board skills to include.

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If you’re a midlevel or senior corporate counsel who is rising into an executive corporate counsel role and thinking about targeting a board role down the road, start acquiring leadership opportunities that will help develop your career toolkit for a future board seat. This means seeking volunteer advisory roles within boards to better understand the intricacies and dynamics. Consider shadowing the company’s corporate secretary to learn some of the work they are doing or volunteering to assist on a key corporate governance or ESG matter or project. The key is to be involved and build up your experience, knowledge, and subject matter relevance.

Have questions about writing a board resume or writing a board LinkedIn profile? I look forward to reading them.

Wendi Weiner is an attorney, career expert, and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for attorneys, executives, and C-suite/Board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications about alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at [email protected], connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.  

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