We’re extremely proud to be kicking off our first ‘Life Stories’ featuring Lee Biggins, the Founder of CV Library!
Lee shares some great facts about his life and talks us through his early career and how he ended up where he is today.
As the Founder and Managing Director of one of the UK’s largest job boards and CEO of one of America’s fastest growing job sites, Lee and his team at CV Library have over 9.5 million registered job seekers and advertise over 150,000 live jobs!
Did you have any heroes or role models when you were a child?
My dad was definitely someone I looked up to (and still look up to!). His dedication, commitment and belief in hard work has been essential for helping me have the same success; he’s accomplished so much, and has been a great teacher and sounding board for me throughout my career.
What was your first job? What did you like or not like about it?
I worked for my dad’s carpet fitting business when I left school. I definitely learnt a lot, especially the value of working hard and doing a good job for customers, which helped to lay the foundations of my own future business success. But I knew it wasn’t quite right for me and that I wanted to spread my wings further afield.
How did you get your current job and what positives and negatives did you experience along the way?
It’s been a rollercoaster ride to say the least: there have been many highs, most recently hitting the 11 million CV mark at the start of this year and opening up regional offices in London, Birmingham and Manchester in 2016. But there have also been lows, as any business owner would tell you. The company wouldn’t be where it is today without them and we’re constantly evolving and growing in reaction to the lessons that we’ve learnt. As managing director, I’m still very hands on and involved in the day-to-day running of the business and this is important to me.
What words of wisdom can you pass on to the next generation of job seekers looking for a career in your industry?
The recruitment industry is changing and in order to stand out you definitely need to exert innovation and confidence. It’s also important to be passionate about what you do – don’t force yourself to love something if you don’t. Find your niche, stick with it and work hard!
What words of wisdom would you share with your 21 year old self?
Stick with your guns! Don’t feel the need to enter the corporate world if it doesn’t feel right. Stay confident, work your socks off and it will pay off in the future. I’d also say don’t forget to give yourself some time away. When you’re young you think you have all the time in the world, and life can be pretty fast-paced. Travelling and exploring the world and taking time to discover new places and cultures is important to me and is one of my favourite things to do.
Which do you think you have the most of: talent, intelligence, education, or persistence? How has it helped you in your life?
Definitely persistence: it has got me where I am today. Being a business owner, particularly in the early days, can be really hard and you have to have that drive and persistence to motivate not only yourself, but the team around you. It’s not easy but it’s important.
List 3 things you couldn’t live without.
My phone, hair clippers and sleep!
What’s the highest honour or award you’ve ever received?
We’re extremely fortunate to have won a tonne of industry awards which recognise our job board, staff, management team and without sounded big headed – me! It’s hard to pick just one as they all mean so much and are testament to the hard work that every single person in the company contributes.
When all is said and done, what do you want to be remembered for?
For creating an easy-to-use job site, beneficial to candidates and recruiters, which revolutionised recruitment in the early days of the dot com era!