Are you ready for your first board appointment? Or perhaps you have a couple of unpaid advisory or board roles and would like to land your first paid one. One of the things you will need in order to begin your journey is a good resume that has a board focus. Below are several key tips for creating one.

Define your board goals.

First, you will need to establish what kind of board seat you are looking for. Is it a nonprofit or an advisory role? Then you may want to focus on key points, including diversity, fundraising or a volunteer organization. Be prepared to financially give to the organization as part of the responsibility, and to that end, the nonprofit should align with your core ethics and interests.

For advisory roles, focus on a particular area such as sales, marketing, branding, customer service or human resources, to name a few.

If your interest is a venture capital or a private corporation board role, your focus may be on efficiency, quality, corporate fit and ability to not only complement the corporate culture but to candidly and ethically advise the CEO.

If you want to be appointed to a public board, be prepared for a more thorough vetting, including background checks and a longer process. Your focus should be on identifying areas where you can specifically bring value (more on those points below). These nominations tend to manifest through your network of contacts.