UR Hired was founded by Owen Murray, a recruitment professional with over 13 years’ experience at companies such as LinkedIn, Accenture, TikTok and Facebook, who saw first-hand how traditional interview processes often exclude talented candidates, particularly those who are neurodivergent. Being Neurodivergent himself, Owen draws on both professional and personal experience. The platform was created to help job seekers build confidence and perform at their best through structured, AI-supported interview preparation. Now operating only as a B2B solution, UR Hired partners with universities, community organisations and employers to scale access to inclusive hiring tools, with a broader mission to reshape recruitment practices and unlock neurodivergent talent at scale.
1. What was your background before you created UR Hired?
I spent 13 years in recruitment, working across some of the world’s most recognised organisations, including LinkedIn, Accenture, TikTok and Facebook. I’ve sat on both sides of the table, placing thousands of candidates and advising companies on how to hire. That experience gave me a deep understanding of what interviewers are actually looking for, but more importantly, it showed me who was consistently being left behind in the interview process.
2. What inspired you to create UR Hired, and what gap in the job market were you trying to fill?
I’m neurodivergent myself, and I’ve experienced first-hand the anxiety and self-doubt that comes with interviews. Throughout my recruitment career, I watched talented, capable people fail at interviews not because they couldn’t do the job, but because the format didn’t suit how they think and communicate. 85% of neurodivergent individuals are unemployed or underemployed in Ireland and the UK, and that statistic stayed with me. UR Hired exists to close that gap, helping organisations unlock neurodivergent talent by giving jobseekers the tools, confidence and structure to perform at their best when it matters most.
3. How does UR Hired support people who feel anxious about interviews or who may be neurodivergent?
The platform is built around the reality that neurodivergent people often know exactly what they want to say; they just need a safe space to practise saying it. We offer a structured programme that covers everything from CV and LinkedIn optimisation to interview frameworks and mock interview practice. At the centre of it is Tessa, our AI coaching agent, who allows users to practise as many times as they need, without judgement, and at their own pace. The programme has a 70% success rate, with users securing roles within three to four weeks of completing it.
4. How have you pivoted since you created the company to where it is now?
UR Hired started with a strong B2C focus, coaching individuals directly. Over time, it became clear that the bigger opportunity, and the greater impact, was in B2B. We now work with organisations such as universities, football club foundations, Women in Football, and community organisations, who fund access to the platform for their communities or students. That shift has allowed us to scale in a way that individual coaching never could. We are currently partnered with Bridge of Hope in the UK and working with universities in the US. The platform is now fully scalable without any face-to-face dependency.
5. You have been based in Dogpatch Labs. How have they assisted you in developing the company? Have you used any other services that you have found useful?
Dogpatch Labs has been a great environment for connecting with other founders and staying close to the Irish startup ecosystem. Beyond that, we have been supported by Enterprise Ireland through the New Frontiers Programme Phases 1, 2 and 3, which provided funding and structure at a critical stage. We are also engaged with MentorsWork and our Local Enterprise Office, who have been a huge support since day one.
6. Why do you think traditional interview processes can disadvantage some candidates, and what can employers do better?
Traditional interviews are essentially a performance format. They reward people who are naturally articulate under pressure, who make strong eye contact, and who can think on their feet in a formal setting. For neurodivergent candidates, that format can actively mask their ability. Someone with ADHD might struggle to structure their thoughts in the moment, someone autistic might find unspoken social cues confusing, and someone with severe anxiety might freeze entirely, not because they cannot do the job, but because the environment is working against them. Employers can do better by offering questions in advance, allowing structured written responses, removing unnecessary time pressure, and training interviewers to recognise that different communication styles are not a red flag.
7. What does inclusive hiring look like in practice, from your perspective?
It starts before the interview even begins. It is about how a job description is written and whether it includes unnecessary requirements that screen people out. It is about whether the application process is accessible, whether there are alternatives to the traditional face-to-face panel, and whether reasonable adjustments are actually in place once someone is hired. Inclusive hiring is not about lowering the bar; it is about removing the barriers that stop talented people from reaching it in the first place.
8. What trends are you seeing in how candidates prepare for interviews today?
AI has completely changed how candidates prepare for interviews. People are using tools to generate answers, prepare for likely questions and even simulate interviews. The risk is that preparation becomes generic, with everyone sounding the same. The opportunity is that platforms like UR Hired can make high-quality, personalised preparation accessible to people who previously could not afford a coach or did not know where to start. We are also seeing a shift in awareness, with more candidates understanding their own neurodivergence and actively looking for preparation methods that suit how they actually think.
9. What are your goals for UR Hired over the next few years, and where do you see the biggest opportunity for impact?
The immediate focus is scaling the B2B model across the UK and US, working with more football club foundations, universities and community organisations. We are building a bespoke platform to replace our current tech infrastructure, bringing on a Founding Engineer, and continuing to develop Tessa into a genuinely world-class AI coaching experience. Long term, the goal is to become the go-to interview preparation platform for neurodivergent talent globally. The biggest opportunity for impact is in the US, where the scale of the neurodivergent population and the institutional support within universities make it a natural market.
10. Are there any other people, companies or programmes in DEI or neurodiversity that you are a big fan of?
Uptimize and Enna are doing interesting work in the neurodiversity space, and I have a lot of respect for what they have built. Bridge of Hope is a genuine pioneer in inclusive employment, and their model of connecting prepared candidates with inclusive employers reflects the kind of systemic thinking the sector needs, as well as being a perfect partnership for UR Hired. On the football side, the foundation model, using the trust clubs have built in their communities to deliver employability impact, is something I am particularly passionate about. Closer to home, the New Frontiers Programme at Enterprise Ireland deserves enormous credit for backing founders who are building businesses with real social impact at their core.