Tag: candidate advice

1. Should your next move be a Non Executive Director role?

   January 26, 2026 10:16 am

   

   Should your next move be a Non Executive Director?

   Why Becoming a Non-Executive Director in Housing, Property & Regeneration Can Level Up Your Career (and Your Impact)

   Affordable housing and regeneration is where big, messy, high-stakes decisions live: resident safety, service standards, financial resilience, development risk, and public trust. If you’re looking for a way to broaden your influence and do work that actually matters outside your day job, becoming a Non-Executive Director (NED) is one of the sharpest moves you can make.

   And no, you don’t have to be a “full-time NED.” Most people aren’t. Many NEDs hold a board role alongside a permanent leadership role (CEO, FD, Director), or alongside interim assignments and consulting. It’s often part of a portfolio, not a replacement for your career.

   What a NED is (in plain English)

   A NED is an independent board member who helps steer the organisation by providing:

   • Strategic oversight (are we aiming at the right things?)
   • Constructive challenge (are we kidding ourselves anywhere?)
   • Governance and accountability (are we safe, compliant, ethical, well-run?)
   • Support to exec leadership (especially the CEO and senior team)

   You’re not there to run operations. You’re there to improve the quality of decisions and reduce the odds of preventable disasters.

   The career benefits (the stuff that follows you back into your day job)

   1) You build strategy muscle fast Board work forces you to think long-term: risk appetite, investment priorities, development strategy, asset management, resident experience, and organisational resilience. It’s a different kind of leadership than “delivery.”

   2) You become better at influence, not authority In the boardroom, you can’t rely on hierarchy. You learn how to ask sharper questions, challenge without antagonising, and steer outcomes without owning the execution. That skill translates directly into stronger executive leadership.

   3) You widen your perspective beyond one organisation Housing, property and regeneration are shaped by regulation, funding, planning, contracting capacity, supply chains, community dynamics, and politics. Seeing how different organisations manage these pressures makes you smarter and more adaptable.

   4) Your credibility deepens Being trusted with governance responsibilities signals judgement, integrity, and composure under pressure. In a sector where reputation and compliance matter, that credibility is powerful.

   5) You expand your network in the rooms where decisions are made Boards connect you to senior leaders, local authority partners, investors, advisors, and sector bodies. These aren’t “nice to meet you” connections. They’re high-trust relationships built around accountability and outcomes.

   The impact benefits (why this sector needs good NEDs)

   This isn’t abstract “giving back.” Board decisions affect:

   • resident safety and building compliance
   • service quality and complaints culture
   • investment in existing homes (repairs, retrofit, decarbonisation)
   • whether developments are viable and deliverable
   • how organisations respond when things go wrong

   Strong governance makes organisations more resilient. And in housing and regeneration, resilience is not a “nice to have.”

   Who boards want (and it’s not just ex-CEOs)

   Registered Providers (including not-for-profit and for-profit), property companies, and regeneration organisations often look for specific expertise such as:

   • finance, audit, treasury, risk
   • development, construction, planning, asset management
   • building safety, compliance, consumer standards
   • digital, data, transformation
   • HR, culture, organisational development
   • customer/resident experience and service improvement
   • legal, governance, regulation

   They also value lived experience, community connection, and people who can keep the organisation honest about how decisions land on residents.

   Time commitment: realistic, but manageable

   Many NED roles sit alongside full-time work. Typical commitments include board meetings, committee work, reading time, and occasional workshops or site visits. The key is being honest about capacity and treating it like real responsibility, not a branding exercise.

   Bottom line

   A NED role in affordable housing, property or regeneration can make you a better leader, broaden your options (permanent or interim), and let you contribute to something tangible: safer homes, stronger places, better-run organisations.

   We appoint to Executive and Non-Executive roles across the affordable housing and wider property sector. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss becoming an NED, or if you are looking to strengthen your Board.

2. Crafting an Effective Supporting Statement for Job Applications

   December 13, 2023 11:20 am

   

   In the realm of job applications, the significance of a well-crafted supporting statement cannot be overstated. Unlike traditional cover letters, some applications require a dedicated supporting statement to compliment your CV or Resume, where you are tasked with detailing the skills, experiences, and qualities that highlight your suitability for the role. This supporting statement holds considerable weight in the evaluation process, potentially serving as the deciding factor for progressing to the next stage of the recruitment process.

   Structuring your supporting statement is a crucial step in presenting a compelling application. Begin with a succinct and positive introduction, setting the tone for what follows. Align your statement with the person specification, adopting the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) outlining how your experience meets the criteria for the role. Unfamiliar with STAR? Don Georgevich explains the technique on his YouTube channel.

   For ease of review, consider incorporating headings for each point in the person specification. This facilitates a streamlined evaluation process for those tasked with shortlisting applications. The more specific and unique your examples, the clearer the mental image you convey to prospective employers. Crafting a vivid portrayal of yourself in the role enhances your chances of meeting with the employer’s expectations.

   Conclude your supporting statement with a brief but optimistic summary, leaving a positive impression on the reader.

   To enhance your supporting statement, adhere to these top tips:

   • Thoroughly research the job and person specifications to ensure your responses meet with the employer’s requirements. Find out as much as you can about any projects you would be working on to ensure your examples are relevant.
   • Substantiate each claim with concrete evidence, ensuring your supporting examples are both relevant and specific.
   • Take the time to select the most fitting examples that vividly illustrate the demanded skills and qualities.
   • Leverage the STAR method to structure your examples in a coherent and meaningful manner.
   • Draft your statement in a separate document, such as Microsoft Word, before transferring it to the online application form. This aids in review and editing.
   • Avoid assumptions—explicitly reference each essential skill to ensure it is acknowledged in the evaluation process.
   • Be mindful of word count or space limitations. Aim for conciseness, ideally around 500 words, to maintain focus and impact.

   Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

3. Feeling stressed?

   May 19, 2020 1:47 pm

   Its mental health awareness week, and there’s probably no one on the planet who hasn’t felt stressed at some point in recent weeks. No one knows what the future may hold and that means many people are feeling under huge strain at the moment.

   Financial pressures and concerns about job security are causing many to feel worried and anxious. Yet, despite the lockdown and the resulting uncertainty we’re all feeling, now may be a good time to consider your future career options. You’ve got time on your hands to research the market, hone your CV and take stock of where you want to go and what you want to achieve. Organisations are still hiring even during the lockdown so try and see this time as an opportunity rather than a reason to get stressed.

   Changing your mindset will help to change your stress levels too and hopefully result in an improvement to your general mental health.

   We have outlined some ideas and recruitment advice below that we hope will be useful in the current situation and will help you to turn your worries into positive actions.

   Consider your transferable skills – Many of the organisations we work with are looking for people who can hit the ground running at this time. If you’re looking to move departments or even careers, think about how your workplace skills and experiences can easily transfer to other areas.

   Hone your CV – there’s a lot of people looking to move or find a new job at the moment so that means every advert receives more than the usual number of applicants. Make your CV stand out from the rest with our advice articles on creating an outstanding CV.

   Use the time to learn – if you want to plug any skills gaps in your CV now is the perfect opportunity to undertake online training and research. Keep an eye on the industry and keep your eyes open for new opportunities, sign up to our jobs alert and receive all our latest roles straight to your inbox.

   Struggling to cope with home working? – read our useful guide on how to get the best from your home working experience.

   Don’t be afraid to move to the next level – the lockdown isn’t an excuse to stay in a job that isn’t fulfilling or enjoyable. We are still actively recruiting for clients at this time, so if you’re considering a move talk to us and see how we can help move your career to the next level.

   Choose to be positive – don’t dwell on the negatives, even if it feels like nothing is going your way. Take time to think about the positives in your personal and professional life. Consider your achievements and think about how your skills, experiences and personal attributes could be of value to a potential employer and could help secure your next promotion.