About Beyond The CV
This didn't start with A business plan.
It started with
One flexible job. 121 applications in 24 hours.
And behind almost every application was a story that made us realise this was much bigger than recruitment.
One job changed everything
We advertised one flexible, remote role to the military spouse community.
The people applying weren't people without, experience or ambition simply looking for anything. They were graduates. Managers. Teachers. Administrators. Project professionals. Business owners. People with years of experience and an incredible range of skills.
But again and again, we saw the same story.
Careers interrupted by postings. Deployments. Childcare. Geographical isolation. Starting again in a new place. Jobs left behind because military life moved on.
These weren't gaps in talent. They were the realities of supporting someone who serves.
The problem wasn't a lack of talent.
The problem was how that talent looked on paper.
The moment it became "we"
121 applicatons, One of them was Amy
Amy wasn’t initially a co-founder of Beyond the CV. She was one of the 121 military spouses who applied for that one flexible job.
She got the job. And what happened next proved the entire point of Beyond the CV.
Given flexibility, trust and the opportunity to show what she could do, Amy didn’t just fill the role she was recruited for. She grew, took on more responsibility, learned new skills and became an integral part of everything we were building.
Eventually, the conversation changed from “I work for Beyond the CV” to “we’re building Beyond the CV.”
Because Amy never lacked potential. She just needed an opportunity that allowed her to show it.
Two Women. Two Stories
Joanne's Story
“I’ve spent my adult life with one foot in the military world and the other in business.”
Joanne is first and foremost a veteran’s wife.
She was with her husband before he joined the Army, throughout his service and after he left. Military life hasn’t been something she has observed from the outside, it has been woven through their life together.
Alongside that, Joanne built her own career.
She is a lawyer, has worked in the legal profession for over 25 years and now owns JB Property Law, where she has built a business around doing things a little differently.
And that is where the two parts of her life collided.
Joanne was the employer who advertised the flexible role to the milpso community that started all of this. She already understood why flexibility mattered to military families. What she hadn’t expected was the response.
It made her look at the issue differently. Not only as the wife of someone who had served, but as an employer. Because businesses make recruitment decisions every day based on what is written on a few pages. Length of service. Career progression. Gaps. Locations. Previous roles.
Joanne knew the stories that could sit behind those few lines because she had lived in that world herself.
And she began asking a different question: If I understand the context behind this CV because of the life I’ve lived, what happens when the employer reading it doesn’t?
That question became much bigger than one vacancy at JB Property Law. Joanne couldn't employ 121 people. But she could start a conversation with the employers who might employ the other 120.
And that is why Beyond the CV matters so much to her.
Not because employers need to give military spouses special treatment.
Because sometimes they simply need the context to see the whole person.
Amy's Story
“I was one of the 121.”
Amy is a military wife, mum of four and now co-founder of Beyond the CV.
But when this story started, she was simply one of 121 people applying for one flexible job.
Like so many military spouses, Amy had spent years trying to make work fit around a life that doesn't always fit neatly around work.
Deployments. Solo parenting. Different working hours. Being miles away from family and the people you would usually rely on. And the knowledge that military life can change the plan at very short notice.
For a long time, Amy felt like there was a choice to make.
Her husband or her career.
Her children or her ambitions.
Being there for her family or building something for herself.
She genuinely wasn't sure whether the kind of job she needed actually existed. Meaningful work, genuine responsibility and the flexibility to manage the realities of military family life.
Then she saw Joanne's advert. Amy applied. And she got the job.
What started as an admin role became something neither of them could have predicted.
Amy became Joanne's PA. She took on social media. Website design. New projects. More responsibility. She began exploring further training and, eventually, found herself sitting alongside Joanne building the very organisation inspired by those 121 applications.
Not because somebody did her a favour. Not because expectations were lowered to accommodate her circumstances. Because when work was designed in a way that allowed Amy to contribute, she showed exactly what she could do.
Today, Amy isn't just part of the story behind Beyond the CV. She's its co-founder.
And perhaps that's the best example of what we're trying to say:
Sometimes a CV can only tell you where somebody has been. An opportunity can show you where they could go
Different stories. Different experiences.
One shared mission.
Our Commitment
We're committed to creating opportunities, championing flexible working & recognising potential.
From employing military spouses, mentoring aspiring professionals to working alongside Armed Forces charities we're committed to turning our values into action.
Many organisations want to better support military spouses & the wider Armed Forces community. They just don't know where to start. That's why we're happy to share our experiences, practical guidance and lessons learned completely free of charge.
Whether you're reviewing your recruitment process, exploring flexible working or looking to create more inclusive opportunities, we're always happy to help.
No consultancy fees. No obligation. Just a shared commitment.
Join the Movement
By signing the Charter, organisations pledge to challenge recruitment bias, value resilience & transferable skills, and create fairer opportunities for military spouses and others with non-traditional career journeys.
Whether you employ 1 person or five thousand, signing the Charter demonstrates your commitment to more inclusive recruitment & a workplace where talent is recognised in all its forms.
By signing the Charter, you pledge to:
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Recognise potential alongside experience.
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Challenge assumptions about employment history.
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Value resilience, adaptability & transferable skills.
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Recruit with fairness, dignity & respect.
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Support inclusive & flexible recruitment where possible.
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Help create opportunities based on talent, not assumptions.
Address
500 Terry Francine St.
San Francisco, CA 94158
Phone
123-456-7890
