Beyond the CV.

Recognising Resilience. Unlocking Potential.

A national campaign encouraging employers to look beyond employment history and recognise the skills, resilience and potential behind every military spouse candidate.

Sign the Charter

"Every posting changed my postcode.

It never changed my work ethic."

Meet The Beyond The CV Team.

Joanne Bowmer

Founder of JB Property Law & Veteran Spouse

Amy Lovley

Beyond the CV Champion & Military Spouse

A message from Joanne our founder.

Beyond the CV wasn't created in a boardroom. It wasn't the result of a marketing strategy or a business plan. It started with a simple job advert. As a Veteran spouse and business owner myself, I've always understood how difficult it can be to build a career around military life. Every posting, every move and every deployment brings uncertainty, not just for the serving person, but for the family standing beside them.

When JB Property Law reached a stage where I needed support, there was never any question about where I would advertise. I wanted to create an opportunity for a military spouse. What happened next completely exceeded my expectations. Within just 24 hours, 121 military spouses had applied. As I worked my way through application after application, I expected to see a wide range of backgrounds and experience. I did.

But I also saw something else. The same story. Again. And again. And again. Talented administrators. Project managers. Teachers. Lawyers. HR professionals. Marketers. Accountants. Business owners. People with incredible experience, qualifications and determination. Yet almost every application carried the same underlying message.

"I just need someone to give me a chance."

As I read each CV, it became obvious that I wasn't looking at a lack of talent. I was looking at a lack of opportunity. The frequent job changes weren't because people couldn't hold down a job. They were because military life required them to move. The employment gaps weren't a lack of ambition. They were deployments, overseas postings, childcare, rebuilding lives in new communities and starting again.

The CVs didn't tell the whole story. The people behind them did.

That's when I realised this wasn't just about filling a vacancy at JB Property Law. It was about challenging the assumptions that prevent talented people from even getting through the door. Because employers aren't overlooking a lack of experience.

They're overlooking resilience. They're overlooking adaptability. They're overlooking loyalty, determination and problem-solving. They're overlooking people.

That's why I created Beyond the CV. Not to ask for special treatment. Not to lower recruitment standards. But to encourage employers to pause before dismissing a CV that doesn't follow a traditional path. To recognise that sometimes the most valuable employee isn't the one with the perfect career history. It's the person who has spent years adapting, overcoming challenges and succeeding wherever life has taken them.

Beyond the CV is about changing that conversation.

Because talent isn't always written on paper.

Sometimes, you have to look beyond the CV to find it

At JB Property Law, we're committed to practising what we promote. Beyond the CV isn't just a campaign. It's how we recruit, how we support our community and how we hope to inspire others to think differently about talent. We believe resilience, adaptability and lived experience deserve to be recognised alongside qualifications and employment history. Because real change begins when we choose to look beyond the CV.

At JB Property Law, we've already committed to putting the principles of Beyond the CV into practice by:

Employing military spouses within our own business.
Championing flexible and genuinely remote working where roles allow.
Creating the Beyond the CV campaign and Charter.
Working alongside Armed Forces charities and community organisations.
Volunteering our time to support veterans and military families.
Mentoring aspiring professionals through the GROW mentoring programme.
Promoting opportunities across our networks to help others succeed.
Encouraging businesses to see potential, not just employment history.

Supporting Businesses, Free of Charge

We know that many businesses genuinely want to support military spouses, veterans and people with non-traditional career journeys. They're simply unsure where to begin. That's why we're happy to share our time, experience and knowledge completely free of charge.

If your organisation wants to make a meaningful impact, we're always happy to have a conversation and share what we've learned through our own experiences, partnerships and advocacy work.

We can help by:

Sharing the realities of military life and the unique challenges faced by military families.
Explaining the incredible strengths and transferable skills military spouses, veterans and reservists bring to the workplace.
Offering ideas to make recruitment more inclusive and accessible.
Helping you create genuinely flexible opportunities where roles allow.
Introducing you to military charities, organisations and networks that may support your objectives.
Sharing our experiences of supporting the Armed Forces community and developing initiatives such as Beyond the CV.
Speaking to leadership teams, HR professionals or colleagues about creating meaningful opportunities and challenging recruitment assumptions.

There is no consultancy fee, no obligation and no sales pitch.

If sharing our experiences helps just one more organisation discover an exceptional employee who may otherwise have been overlooked, then we've achieved exactly what Beyond the CV was created to do. Because meaningful change doesn't happen through one campaign or one conversation. It happens when organisations work together, share ideas and create opportunities that genuinely change lives.

The Beyond the CV Charter is more than a signature on a piece of paper. It is a commitment to recognising people for their potential, not simply their employment history. By signing the Charter, organisations pledge to challenge unconscious bias in recruitment, value resilience alongside qualifications and create opportunities for talented individuals whose careers may not follow a traditional path.

The Charter asks employers to look beyond career gaps, frequent moves and unconventional employment histories, recognising the skills, determination and life experience that often sit behind them.

"Every organisation that signs the Beyond the CV Charter becomes part of a growing community committed to changing the way talent is recognised across the UK."

It isn't about lowering recruitment standards or guaranteeing jobs. It's about ensuring every candidate is given the opportunity to be considered fairly, judged on their abilities and recognised for the value they can bring. Whether your organisation employs five people or five thousand, signing the Beyond the CV Charter demonstrates a commitment to building a workplace where talent is recognised in all its forms.

Together, we can create a future where recruitment is driven by potential, not assumptions.

A simple version of the pledge

By signing the Beyond the CV Charter, we pledge to:

Recognise potential alongside experience.
Challenge assumptions based on employment history.
Value resilience, adaptability and transferable skills.
Treat every applicant with fairness, dignity and respect.
Consider flexible and inclusive recruitment practices where appropriate.
Champion opportunity over assumption.
Help create workplaces where everyone has the chance to succeed.

You can download the Charter pledge here:

Document.docx

Every organisation starts somewhere. The Beyond the CV Recognition Programme celebrates businesses that are committed to creating fairer recruitment and recognising talent beyond traditional career paths. Whether you're taking your very first step or leading the way, every level represents a genuine commitment to changing lives through opportunity.

Supporter

"We believe in the movement."

Supporters are organisations that have signed the Beyond the CV Charter and publicly committed to its principles. By becoming a Supporter, you're showing your employees, customers and community that you believe people should be recognised for their potential, not simply their employment history.

As a Supporter you'll receive:

Digital Supporter badge
Certificate of Recognition
Listing on the Beyond the CV website
Access to campaign resources
Permission to display the Supporter logo

Champion

"We're putting our commitment into practice."

Champions have taken the next step by reviewing their recruitment practices and actively considering how they can create opportunities for people with non-traditional career journeys. This isn't about changing who you recruit it's about ensuring everyone has a fair opportunity to demonstrate their potential. Champions receive everything in Supporter, plus:

Champion digital badge
Recognition on our Champion directory
Invitations to campaign events and discussions
Opportunities to share best practice
Priority access to Beyond the CV resources

Founding Partner

"We believed from the very beginning."

Founding Partners are the organisations that stood beside Beyond the CV during its earliest days. They didn't wait for the campaign to become established—they chose to help build it. This status will only ever be available to the organisations that join during the campaign's founding period, making it a permanent recognition of their belief in the movement from day one. Founding Partners receive:

Exclusive Founding Partner badge
Permanent recognition as a founding organisation
Featured profile on the Beyond the CV website
Opportunities to collaborate on campaigns and events
Early access to new initiatives and resources
Recognition across our marketing and social media where appropriate

Gold Partner

"Leading the movement."

Gold Partners are organisations that actively champion the values of Beyond the CV every day. They don't simply support the campaign—they help shape it. Gold Partners work alongside us to raise awareness, create opportunities, support events and encourage other organisations to recognise resilience, adaptability and potential. They are ambassadors for the movement and leaders in creating more inclusive workplaces.

Gold Partners receive everything included in the previous levels, plus:

Exclusive Gold Partner status
Featured case study on the Beyond the CV website
Speaking and collaboration opportunities
Joint awareness campaigns where appropriate
Gold Partner logo and branding assets
Recognition as a leading supporter of the campaign

Every Organisation Can Make a Difference.

You don't have to transform your recruitment overnight. You don't have to employ hundreds of people. You simply have to believe that talent deserves to be recognised. Every Charter signed, every conversation started and every opportunity created helps us move one step closer to a future where no one is overlooked because their career journey looks different.

Together, we're building a movement that recognises people for who they are, not just what's written on their CV.

Our News & Advice hub is where we share the latest updates, practical guidance, employer insights and real-life stories from the people at the heart of the movement.

Whether you're an employer looking to build a more inclusive workplace, a military spouse rebuilding your career, a veteran transitioning into civilian employment or someone whose journey doesn't fit the traditional mould, you'll find advice, inspiration and resources designed to help.

This section is still developing but eventually, here you'll find:

Campaign News – The latest updates from Beyond the CV, new partnerships, Charter signatories and community initiatives.

You can read our first blog here

Employer Advice – Practical guidance on inclusive recruitment, flexible working and recognising transferable skills.

You can download some starter tips here

Career Support – Tips, encouragement and resources for military spouses, veterans and those returning to work.

Success Stories – Inspiring stories from individuals and businesses who are proving that talent goes far beyond what's written on a CV.

Community Voices – Perspectives from employers, charities, military families and professionals helping to shape the future of recruitment.

No matter where you are in your journey, we hope our articles encourage conversation, inspire change and remind you that every career has a story worth telling.