Are you looking for your first job? CGTN Europe has been speaking to business leaders to find out how they started their careers, how they got to the top and what advice they might have for those just starting out.

From window dresser to retail leader

"Ego is a good thing - it helps establish you as a leader," that's according to Desiree Bollier, the Global Chief Merchant for Value Retail, which owns 11 designer shopping centers worldwide, popular with Chinese tourists. 

She was "dying to be in fashion, didn't know where to start," back in the 80s. Her first job was as a window dresser for $4.50 and hour.

No such thing as bad experience

Steve Nash's first job was emptying rubbish bins and it gave him a  respect for how hard ordinary people work.

Nash is now the CEO of the Motor Industry Institute in the UK, but in his first job he worked as a bin man. He had to empty metal rubbish bins which could only be carried over the shoulder as they did not have wheels. 

READ MORE

The Secret Betrayal: China's WWII sailors

Why are UK nurses on strike?

Austria's Krampus parades too violent to insure

It taught him the importance of working hard and he enjoyed the camaraderie with his colleagues. He tells young people to get as many different roles as they can because "there's no such thing as bad experience." 

'Pursue the biggest dream you can imagine'

Syngenta's Chief Digital and Information Officer Feroz Sheikh has always been interested in exploring the various ways in which technology can help.

So it is no surprise that his first job in technology was to use Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to identify learning gaps for 200 million children in India.

"Don't limit your imagination to the possibilities of what we can do with technology. It is endless and it's only limited by our own imagination," says Sheikh.

"I would say go out there and pursue the biggest, the scariest of the dreams that you can imagine. And they are all doable."

Passion for travel and tourism

How did Kelly Craighead, the CEO of Cruise Lines International Association get her start in the industry?

Working as a destination manager for a travel company, Craighead's first job was to bring clients on site visits of potential tours.

She says it was challenging to master how to host wine tours as a young person, having to encourage her clients to enjoy the wine tasting experience but refraining from it herself.

She says travel and tourism is one of the most exciting sectors of the global economy and would encourage young people to consider it as a career option.

From milkman to entrepreneur

Simon Haworth is an entrepreneur now, focused on bringing biotechnology and agriculture technology from the UK to China, but his first job was milking cows on his family dairy farm.

The farm was bought by Haworth's grandparents where he continued to work while studying at university. 

He went on to start his first business from there, growing fresh herbs, and has since set up 17 companies.