Vizzy founders say the UK-based hiring platform was built to help candidates stand out.
Many entrepreneurs attest to starting their businesses from the kitchen table. For the founders of Vizzy, the UK-based hiring platform that is reimagining the traditional CV, it was a case of mulling their idea over drinks in a greenhouse during COVID.
Six years ago, Joe Woodward was set to take up a role as chief marketing officer at IPL cricket franchise Rajasthan Royals. Having left for Mumbai, he was soon forced to return to the UK. He formed a support bubble during the pandemic with his sister, Jess Woodward-Jones, and her husband, Chris.
As Woodward began writing his CV and building his portfolio on platforms such as Wix, he found it difficult to portray what he had achieved and where he wanted to go with his career.
The trio used his unmodernised CV as a template on the greenhouse flip-chart and conjured a plan to create a platform that could showcase everything a CV could, but in a better way. They also wanted it to be more geared towards "the swathe of young talent coming through”.
With the widespread use of AI, a shrinking jobs market and surge in applications, Vizzy’s co-founders latched on to the fact that traditional CV-led hiring was becoming increasingly strained.
Vizzy CEO Chris Woodward-Jones says the platform is an alternative to CVs, one with a multimedia-driven professional profile and storytelling at its heart. More than 115,000 candidates have used the platform since its launch in late 2023.
Vizzy was founded in 2020 by Chris Woodward-Jones, left, Joe Woodward and Jess Woodward-Jones. ·vouttphotography
“One person told us ‘it is like my CV had a baby with Pinterest.’ That was always at the heart of our inspiration and being candidate-first,” says Woodward-Jones.
The trio spoke to various groups and people, including relatives who were at university at the time. They joined forces with career-readiness programmes to build business tools based on what candidates wanted to show on their CVs, while also supplying data and insights to help companies make hiring decisions.
“When you give candidates the freedom to express themselves, it is incredible how much they are willing to share when they feel engaged in the process,” says Woodward-Jones. “That’s when you get into the detail and the insight which is missing from most applications at the moment.
“We were surprised by how little disruption there had been in the space. Video is quite alienating to a lot of people, but that’s why at the heart of what we’ve built is versatility, taking it away from that single CV page and giving a more accurate representation of the person recruiters are taking into their business.”
When Burberry used Vizzy to run a global campaign instead of using external applications, it proved a “pinch yourself moment” for the trio and a catalyst for the firm’s growth, which has raised more than £7m investment since launch.
Woodward-Jones continued his management consultancy career as Vizzy took shape. With Woodward working full-time on the project, they would meet between 6am and 8am, for an hour in the evening and every Saturday morning. After landing the Burberry deal, the trio went full-time, with Jess acting as client director and Woodward as creative director.
Vizzy says its platform enables candidates to present a fuller picture of who they are.
Clive Woodward, who coached England to 2003 Rugby World Cup glory, is also the CEO’s father-in-law. “You get close to understanding how important it is to find the right talent to execute a plan,” admits Woodward-Jones.
“Talent is everywhere and opportunity isn’t. You need the tools and the ability to bring those two together. That is what we are doing and a huge part of that is learning from Clive.”
Woodward-Jones admits that a Vizzy profile would have boosted his own black-and-white, lightweight CV after he finished university. He worked in bars and dug sewers to earn cash and is a fan of musical theatre. Some business owners look at the bottom of CVs first to find talent and Woodward-Jones says that Vizzy, which employs 11 staff members, “flips the CV on its head”.
The platform’s sweet spot demographic is the 18-35 age range but the company said it is also a good option for older applicants.
When it comes to the early careers market, which sees about £270bn spent annually, Woodward-Jones says AI is having an impact. Their figures suggest that more than 60% of CVs and covering letters have some element of AI contribution.
“It’s hitting a very competitive market hard,” adds Woodward-Jones. “It is widely reported that AI is taking entry-level jobs, with the same number of candidates going for a smaller number of jobs.
“With AI writing the CVs and applications, it’s almost like tech is killing trust and businesses don’t know if they are assessing a human.”
Denis Machuel, CEO of Adecco Group, told the BBC recently that people need to send an average of 200 applications to get a job offer. The recruitment firm uses AI in its candidate pre-screening.
The B2B product launched in 2023, with Burberry as Vizzy’s first client. ·vouttphotography
Being a “human-focused hiring solution”, Woodward-Jones sees Vizzy as a step change for its clients due to AI being unable to fill in a profile.
Vizzy claims to deliver screening reductions of between 35% and 75% for its big business clients and has saved 80% of the hiring team’s time.
“When you are talking about 20,000 applications [in some cases], we are delivering a much smaller, higher engaged talent pool," adds Woodward-Jones.
CEO Says: Chris Woodward-Jones on…
Tips for raising investment
Passion backed up by conviction shows that you are making progress. The problem we are solving is relatable to a lot of investors. How you talk about it is the No. 1 thing that has to come through.
You have to knock on a lot of doors, and way more than I thought. But once you start to get a bit of proof, you have to knock on fewer doors but prepare harder for them.
The lens through which you are looked at is then slightly different: it is about success, potential, and how thought-out your future is. Passion, drive and enjoyment have to be at the top. Then, preparation and detail will come through in increasing amounts.
