Welcome to Edition #15 of Ask Gorick Anything. This AMA is part of Gorick's Newsletter, where Harvard career advisor and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Gorick Ng shares what they don't teach you in school about how to succeed in your career.
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ASK GORICK ANYTHING
“How can I get appointed to serve on a corporate or nonprofit board?”
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Subscriber’s question:
“How can I get appointed to serve on a corporate or nonprofit board?”
—Dr. Frank Azeke from McAllen, Texas, USA
Gorick’s response:
Hi Dr. Azeke,
Thank you for your question!
The labor market is a chicken-and-egg problem where you need relevant experience to get experience—and few people are willing to give a chance to someone who is unproven.
This is why it’s so hard to get an internship, to land your first job out of school, or to switch careers. Because you’re unproven.
So, how do you prove yourself? The same 4 steps as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel took:
- Reach out
- Volunteer
- Prove yourself
- Climb higher
Here’s what I’d do…
1. Make a list of the people you know* who run startups or non-profits that satisfy 4 criteria:
- A) You’re interested in what they do (bonus points if you have a personal connection to the cause or, if it’s a non-profit, you even volunteered for or benefitted from their programs)
- B) Your skills, knowledge, connections, or credibility can help them achieve their goals
- C) You live close to their headquarters (ideally—so you can meet in person)
- D) They have a Board of Directors, Board of Advisors, or Advisory Committees (ideally—so they know what to do with you)
*Don’t know anyone? Use your second-degree network by seeing who the people you’re connected to are connected to—and then ask for an introduction.
2. Contact the head of this organization pitching your background, interests, and desire to contribute as an advisor (i.e., sell how competent, committed, and compatible you are)
Here’s an email template to get you started:
Subject: Pro bono advising from a [experience]?
Hi [name],
My name is [name] and I am a [background] who loves [your mission], especially [specific details—make this personal!].
Given how important [what you have to offer] is to your mission and [everything you’ve done that makes you a no-brainer], I wanted to ask: Could I lend a hand, perhaps as a part-time advisor?
Here are a few areas where I could contribute on a pro bono basis:
- Area 1
- Area 2
- Area 3
Let me know if you’d like to discuss further. I’m free at [these times].
Looking forward to hearing from you,
[Your name]
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3. Do a great job by flexing your Three C’s, add the experience and your contributions to your resume and LinkedIn profile, and keep an eye out for an even bigger, more legitimate, and more well-resourced organization* to join to continue building your advisor track record.
The only difference is that next time, you’ll be able to drop lines like this:
- “When I was on the advisory board of [this organization], I…” (which elevates others’ perceptions of your competence—because you’re showing that you have prior experience)
- “I was on the board of [this organization] for [this number of years] and…” (which elevates others’ perceptions of your commitment—because you’re showing that you’re not just joining things, but following through with things)
- “Have you met [this former colleague]? We both served on the board of [this organization] where we…” (which elevates others’ perceptions of your compatibility—because you’re showing the depth of your network in a given area)
*Here’s the reality of career building for those of us who didn’t win the lottery of birth: We may have started with nothing, but we can build ourselves up bit by bit, one experience at a time, starting with what’s attainable. After all, it takes a decade to get established in a given career.
And when it comes to board roles, generally it’s easier to become an advisor…
- …for a non-profit than a for-profit…
- …for a startup than an established company…
- …for a small organization than a large organization…
- … for a local organization than a national (or international) organization…
- …for a board of advisors than a board of directors…
- …for an organization you have a history with than an organization you have no connection to…
- …on a pro bono (volunteer) basis than on a paid basis…
You’ll get there! Just start by, well, starting.
See you next Tuesday for our next story + unspoken rule!
—Gorick
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