Small Business Showcase: HireBridge Recruiting

At HireBridge Recruiting in Manchester, Brian Burdick’s team has kept a true, human-centered approach to finding the right candidates—even as the company immerses itself in the latest technology. 

“We use things like AI to move across our day faster, or to save our clients time and money,” Burdick said. “Of course, AI could completely take over, but we don’t want it to.” 

“We want to keep what we do as personalized as possible—especially because technology is moving so fast.”  

That means when he’s talking to a candidate in aerospace, advanced manufacturing or construction, it’s either in person or face to face virtually—instead of on the phone.  

“We’re always using video meetings—they create a bond you can’t create over the phone,” said recruiting coordinator and HireBridge “tech guy” Matt Kerr. 

‘Sets Us Apart’

The company’s six-person team also uses AI-powered tools for note-taking during candidate screenings and for creating personality profiles, he said.  

Then, along with clips of relevant video recordings, the company shares curated packages with their clients that paint full portraits of one to three highly qualified candidates. 

“We want to keep what we do as personalized as possible—especially because technology is moving so fast.”  

HireBridge’s Brian Burdick

“It sets us apart,” Burdick said. “It helps reinforce that the candidate is a good fit for the job by letting them see us interviewing the person so HR doesn’t have to.” 

“It also shows we’re focusing on what the client wants to focus on,” Kerr added. “We’re doing the legwork to get them the right candidates, instead of sending them piles of resumes to sift through.” 

“Once we send a candidate, there’s an 80%-90% chance they’ll get interviewed by the client,” Burdick said, adding that the hiring rate for his company’s candidates is also very high. 

Connecticut’s Advantages 

A Vernon native, Burdick says he chose to stay in Connecticut because he’s found a niche in aerospace and defense, which is one of the state’s leading industries.  

The company is also closely tied with the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology in East Hartford and has an office in CCAT’s building.

Burdick and Kerr say Connecticut’s “a great place to live.”

Other advantages to doing business in Connecticut are that it’s the only state with a chief manufacturing officer, and that “it’s a great place to live,” Burdick and Kerr said. 

“Having a chief manufacturing officer is super helpful for manufacturing businesses, and it funnels down, so that makes it very helpful for us,” Burdick said.  

“We follow that person online and any time they put something out, we help spread that word,” Kerr added. 

Opportunities

The company has also noticed lately that a lot of people want to work in Connecticut. 

“From literally every corner of the U.S., people are wanting to move here more than I’ve ever seen and we’re trying to capitalize on that,” Burdick said. 

He cited the state’s educational system, family-friendly communities and the number of opportunities in the market. 

“From literally every corner of the U.S., people are wanting to move here more than I’ve ever seen.”  

Burdick

“In larger states, opportunities might be more spread out, so if you lose a lose a job or leave a job, you might have to drive an hour or an hour-and-a-half—and that’s nothing to them,” he said. 

“Here, we can have 20 opportunities within 60 minutes of each other.” 

One thing Burdick said he hopes to focus more on in the long-term is partnering with CBIA on human resource and professional legal support.  

“Right now, my wife is HR so we are definitely looking into the services and programs CBIA offers,” he said.