“We’ve recruited some great people in the past, but I’ve found you get the same pool of people applying. We really wanted to improve the diversity on our board so I came to realise we needed to do something different“.
Claire Howe, Executive Director, B3Living
We launched Dynamic Boards to do just that. Something different. UK boards would be more dynamic if we opened the doors to allow the best possible mix of people to view board roles and consider applying. After years of frustration with jobs boards behind paywalls and exclusive access networks, Dynamic Boards arrived on the market in May 2020 as a friendly, welcoming and free Non-Executive Director advertising website. We advertised over 1,254 non-executive boards roles in 2022. You can view our advertising options here.
B3Living have advertised their non-executive board roles on Dynamic Boards on three occasions. We’ve recorded a video with their Executive Director of Corporate Services, Claire Howe, to reflect on her experience of using our service.
What we did for B3Living on each occasion (our ‘Gold‘ package):
- We reviewed their draft advert and gave suggestions of small but important changes they could make to encourage people to apply.
- We recorded a video interview with a member of the board so our candidates could learn more about the organisation, role, and feel warmly welcomed to apply. You can see our video interviews with their team: Claire Howe here, Rebecca Lewis here and Vipul Thacker here.
- We featured their role at the top of our jobs board. We usually have 65-110 roles listed so featuring the role means it won’t get lost in the crowd.
- We shared the role in our fortnightly newsletter. We have a very engaged community, with a 56% open rate, which as you can see here is significantly above the market average of 21.33%.
- On each occasion we sent an email to 200-500 candidates on our database who met their brief to particularly encourage them to apply. These were different candidates each time, according to their spec for that advert. In the first campaign, they were particularly seeking candidates from Black/Asian/Minority Ethnic backgrounds as they were under-represented on the board. Our approach worked- 71% of their applicants were from that group of backgrounds, far higher than they had achieved previously.
- We shared the role on our social media channels (LinkedIn and Twitter).
Insights from B3Living’s experience:
- Being honest and transparent about the perspectives that were under-represented on the board really helped encourage candidates from under-represented groups to apply for the role. Hear Claire’s honest reflection in our interview from March 2021 here: “the board is not representative of our community, or of our staff”.
- B3Living chose to manage the process in house, so applicants that viewed the role on Dynamic Boards or their own website were reviewed personally by Claire. She did this because she wanted to “remove any additional opportunities for bias, unconscious or otherwise”. She wanted to be able to view the full list of candidates.
- One of B3Living’s reasons for using Dynamic Boards was that they didn’t want to create an extra hurdle for candidates to view their board vacancy. They were aware that many platforms charge candidates to view board roles, or run their own vetting processes before allowing candidates to view roles.
- B3Living wanted to welcome first time non-execs to apply. 25% of candidates on Dynamic Boards have no prior board experience, 23% have experience in a remunerated Non-Executive Director role, and the remaining 52% have some experience either in a Trustee position, as a board advisor, or as an Executive Director.
- On each occasion, B3Living chose to work with a search firm as well as advertising with us. We are happy to work with or alongside search firms. It’s up to you whether you want to manage the process in-house or through a search firm.
- Each of the B3Living interviewees were approachable and friendly. And on each occasion Claire Howe offered to have a phone call with any candidates who wanted a chat before applying. We know Claire invested time in conducting these three processes in a way that reflected strong values of honesty, openness and inclusivity. She gave people who weren’t successful feedback and created a positive lasting impression of the organisation, even for those who weren’t appointed to the board.
Finally the outcome:
“I’ve been really delighted with the response we’ve had to the campaigns we’ve run with Dynamic Boards. We’ve had strong pools of candidates applying from much more diverse backgrounds than we’ve had previously; particularly when considering their ethnic background and the number of people with disabilities applying. Dynamic Boards are great value for money and bring a much needed inclusive and welcoming approach to Non-Exec recruitment!”
Claire Howe, Executive Director, B3Living
- Advertising campaign #1 – B3Living appointed two candidates: Vipul Thacker and Caroline Abomeli. You can view their board here. Vipul was introduced to the role through Dynamic Boards, Caroline was through the search consultant they used.
- Advertising campaign #2 – No candidates were appointed. “We did get through to the interview stage, we had a good pool of candidates. It’s not clear why we didn’t appoint on that occasion. We did have less candidates. I’ve had to chalk that one up to experience and move on.”
- Advertising campaign #3 – B3Living appointed two candidates: Soon to be announced. Again, one was introduced to the role through Dynamic Boards, and another was introduced through the search firm they used.
Are you interested in advertising your board role?
- View our advertising options here. And contact us directly on hello@dynamicboards.co.uk
