Are You Overlooking the Best Candidates for Your Team?
You’d Hire This Person in a Heartbeat... But Would You Even Notice Them?
Picture this: You need to hire someone who is skilled, reliable, hardworking, and motivated. Someone who will show up, contribute, and make your company better.
If I put that person in front of you right now, you’d say YES without hesitation, right?
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But here’s the problem.
This person might never apply to your company.
Not because they don’t want to. Not because they’re not qualified. But because they’ve been overlooked so many times that they no longer believe they belong in your hiring pipeline.And that’s the real issue.
Talent is Everywhere—Opportunity is Not
There’s a vast pool of skilled, motivated candidates who want to work, can work, and would be incredible employees. But they aren’t getting hired—not because of a lack of ability, but because of invisible barriers that make traditional hiring nearly impossible.Many companies unknowingly filter out top-tier talent by relying on outdated hiring practices that prioritize familiarity over skill, networks over merit, and rigid processes over potential. What groups of talented individuals are the traditional systemic barriers unintentionally filtering out? Who is being left behind?
Barrier #1: The Government Assistance Stalemate
For many job seekers enrolled in government assistance programs, breaking into the workforce feels like trying to push open a locked door.
Many of these individuals have valuable skills, work experience, and the motivation to succeed—but they face an uphill battle:
🚧 Bias against employment gaps. Recruiters often overlook candidates who have extended periods without traditional employment, assuming they lack consistency or drive. But what if that time was spent caregiving, earning certifications, or taking on gig work?
🚧 Limited access to job networks. Many job seekers from low-income communities lack the professional connections that others take for granted. They don’t have a mentor to refer them for an interview, a LinkedIn network to vouch for them, or the ability to “network their way in.”
🚧 The ‘Experience Paradox.’ Many hiring managers require experience for entry-level jobs—a contradiction that keeps talented candidates in a cycle of rejection before they even have a chance to prove themselves.
🚧 Punitive work policies. Some individuals risk losing benefits like healthcare or child support services before they’re financially stable enough to be independent. Without transitional employment support, they face a no-win situation: stay on assistance or take a job that doesn’t yet sustain them.
💡 The Truth: The best way to help people transition out of assistance is to hire them into stable, meaningful jobs—not to dismiss them based on outdated assumptions.
Barrier #2: The Hidden Workforce—People with Disabilities & Neurodivergence
📢 Fact: Over 61 million adults in the U.S. live with a disability, yet companies often don’t realize they’re filtering out qualified candidates before they even get to the interview stage.
How?
🚧 Rigid job descriptions that prioritize the wrong skills. Phrases like “must have strong verbal communication skills” or “thrives in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment” can unintentionally discourage neurodivergent candidates, individuals with disabilities, and even introverts—even when the role doesn’t actually require those traits.
🚧 Inaccessible application processes. Online hiring platforms aren’t always screen-reader friendly. Video interviews without captions or alternative formats exclude qualified candidates who just need simple accommodations.
🚧 Misconceptions about productivity. Many companies wrongly assume that hiring people with disabilities means needing expensive accommodations. But the average cost of an accommodation? Less than $500—and many cost nothing at all.
🚧 Social bias in interviews. Some of the most brilliant technical minds may not thrive in a traditional interview setting that focuses on small talk and “culture fit” rather than actual job skills.
💡 The Truth: Companies that embrace neurodiverse hiring programs consistently report higher productivity, innovation, and retention—because when you remove barriers, people thrive.
Barrier #3: The Marginalization Loop—Systemic Hiring Disparities
🚧 “Unwritten” hiring rules. Many jobs aren’t publicly advertised—they’re filled through internal referrals, personal networks, or selective recruiting processes. This automatically excludes job seekers who don’t have the same professional connections.
🚧 Biased name and location filtering. Studies show that resumes with “ethnic-sounding” names receive fewer callbacks than those with traditionally Western names—even when qualifications are identical. Similarly, candidates from low-income neighborhoods often get filtered out based on ZIP codes.
🚧 Lack of access to mentorship & skill-building. Not everyone has family connections, access to professional development, or the ability to take unpaid internships—yet these factors heavily influence hiring decisions.
🚧 Microaggressions & workplace bias. Even when candidates do get hired, many face exclusionary workplace cultures where they feel like they must “prove” themselves more than their peers—leading to higher turnover and fewer advancement opportunities.
💡 The Truth: Hiring diverse talent isn’t about lowering standards—it’s about removing barriers that prevent qualified candidates from competing fairly in the first place.
The Hiring System is Broken—But You Can Change That
Most companies don’t set out to exclude people. But when outdated hiring systems remain unchallenged, talented candidates are left behind—while businesses miss out on game-changing employees.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be this way. Employers who proactively rethink their hiring strategies gain access to a largely untapped talent pool.
Something to think about: How many ready, willing, and eager candidates is your system filtering out?
The Cost of Overlooking Great Talent
Here’s what happens when companies continue to hire from the same limited talent pools while ignoring overlooked candidates:
🚨 Missed innovation. Diverse teams drive better problem-solving and fresh ideas. When the same types of candidates keep getting hired, creativity stalls.
🚨 Higher turnover. Hiring people who fit into a culture instead of enhancing it leads to lower engagement and retention.
🚨 Limited perspectives. A workforce that isn’t reflective of the world around it struggles to connect with customers, clients, and communities.
The businesses thriving today aren’t the ones hiring the same way they did 10 years ago. They’re the ones expanding their reach, diversifying their teams, and creating an environment where every voice is valued.
How Can You Hire Better?
Your system filters out non-traditional talent, so you need non-traditional solutions.
Here’s some ways you can hire better:
✔ AI-Driven Talent Matching – Look past the traditional resume and find transferrable skills that connect qualified, job-ready candidates with your business needs.
✔ Personalized Support – Be flexible and navigate accommodations, training, and inclusive hiring practices to set up both your new hires and their managers for success.
✔ Empathy-Based Hiring Solutions –Go beyond filling positions. Educate, integrate, and create sustainable hiring practices that benefit both businesses and employees.
The result? A stronger workforce, higher retention, and a company culture that people want to be part of.
The Future of Work is Inclusive—Will Your Company Lead the Way?
The question isn’t whether hiring overlooked talent is the right thing to do. It is. It always has been. But now, they are needed more than ever.
This isn’t about charity. This isn’t about meeting a quota. This is about building a workforce that works—better, smarter, and stronger.
The best candidates are out there. The only question is—will you be the company that finally gives them the opportunity they deserve?
can help. We want to help you!
About RangamWorks
RangamWorks is a Rangam workforce solution that connects companies with job seekers who have overcome challenges, built resilience, and bring fresh, innovative perspectives to the workplace. These are professionals who might not follow a traditional career path, but they have the drive, adaptability, and skills to make a real impact.
