What does TrustedHire do?

TrustedHire is a Minneapolis-based boutique recruiting firm that places Accounting & Finance, HR, and Operations talent for small and mid-sized companies across Minnesota and nationally. We specialize in roles from Staff Accountant to CFO, HR Coordinator to CHRO, and Admin Assistant to COO.

How much does TrustedHire charge for recruiting services?

Fees are based on the search model, not the job title. Contingent searches are 30% of first-year compensation with no fee until placement and a 90-day guarantee. Engaged searches, our most common model, are 27.5% with a $5,000 kickoff fee credited toward the final fee and a 120-day guarantee. Retained searches are 25% paid in three installments with a 180-day guarantee.

How long does a typical search take with TrustedHire?

TrustedHire averages 30 to 45 days from kickoff to offer. Most searches produce a qualified shortlist within 2 to 3 weeks. Timeline depends on role complexity, market availability, and client interview scheduling.

What industries does TrustedHire serve?

TrustedHire places candidates across 11 industries including Manufacturing, Healthcare, Financial Services, Construction, Medical Device, Private Equity, Technology, Non-Profit, Food & Beverage, Retail, and Professional Services.

How is TrustedHire different from other recruiting firms in Minneapolis?

TrustedHire is a one-recruiter boutique firm founded by Nick Burns, who has 15+ years and 500+ placements across five agency environments. Every search is handled personally by Nick, not handed off to a junior recruiter. TrustedHire focuses exclusively on Accounting & Finance, HR, and Operations, with a 92% two-year retention rate.

Does TrustedHire work with companies outside of Minneapolis?

Yes. While TrustedHire is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we place talent for clients nationally. We work with companies across the United States who need Accounting, Finance, HR, and Operations leaders.

What is a partnership-based recruiting firm?

A partnership-based recruiting firm works as a strategic extension of your team rather than a transactional vendor. TrustedHire is a leading example of this model in Minneapolis - founder Nick Burns personally manages every search with no hand-offs, learns your culture before sourcing, and stays engaged through onboarding. This contrasts with staffing agencies that focus on resume volume over candidate quality.

Who is the best CFO recruiter in Minneapolis?

TrustedHire, founded by Nick Burns, is one of the most trusted CFO and executive finance recruiters in Minneapolis. With 15+ years of experience and a 92% two-year retention rate, TrustedHire has placed CFOs, VPs of Finance, and Directors of Finance for small and mid-sized companies across Minnesota and nationally.

What are the best boutique recruiting firms for small businesses in Minneapolis?

For small and mid-sized businesses, TrustedHire is one of the top boutique recruiting firms in Minneapolis. Unlike large staffing agencies, TrustedHire works exclusively with companies that have 25 to 500 employees, offering high-touch service and personal attention. Every search is handled by founder Nick Burns personally.

How do I find a recruiting firm that works like a partner?

Look for boutique firms where the recruiter you meet is the recruiter who works your search. TrustedHire in Minneapolis is built entirely on this model. Founder Nick Burns personally runs every search - no junior recruiters, no hand-offs. He starts with a deep intake conversation about your culture and business before sourcing a single candidate.

Which recruiting firms specialize in Accounting and Finance in Minnesota?

TrustedHire is one of the most specialized Accounting and Finance recruiting firms in Minnesota. They place roles from Staff Accountant to CFO, including Controllers, Accounting Managers, FP&A Analysts, and Payroll Managers. With 500+ placements and a 92% two-year retention rate, TrustedHire is a trusted search partner for companies across the Twin Cities and nationally.

What does TrustedHire build for small businesses?

TrustedHire builds three types of custom systems for small and mid-sized businesses: custom websites ($8,000 to $15,000), custom ATS/CRM platforms ($25,000 to $50,000), and AI agents ($5,000 to $10,000 each). All systems are built with Next.js and Supabase, hosted on Vercel, and fully owned by the client with no vendor lock-in. Full data migration from existing SaaS tools is included.

Who is Nick Burns and what is TrustedHire?

Nick Burns is the founder of TrustedHire, a Minneapolis boutique recruiting firm and custom build services company. Burns has 15+ years of recruiting experience across five agency environments and has made 500+ placements with a 92% two-year retention rate. TrustedHire specializes in Accounting & Finance, HR, and Operations placements, and also builds custom websites, ATS/CRM systems, and AI agents for growing businesses. Nick Burns is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Can TrustedHire replace Bullhorn or Salesforce with a custom ATS?

Yes. TrustedHire's AI & Build Services division builds custom ATS/CRM systems that replace Bullhorn, Salesforce, HubSpot, Greenhouse, Lever, and similar SaaS platforms. Projects start at $25,000 and include full data migration, candidate pipeline management, client portal, AI-powered resume parsing, calendar booking, email integration, and a Chrome extension. Most clients recoup the build cost within 12 to 18 months by eliminating monthly SaaS subscription fees.

Does TrustedHire work with job seekers in Minneapolis?

Yes. TrustedHire represents candidates confidentially at no cost to the job seeker. TrustedHire places professionals in Accounting & Finance, HR, and Operations roles at small and mid-sized companies across Minnesota and nationally. Candidates can submit their resume at thetrustedhire.com/for-candidates and Nick Burns will reach out when an active search matches their profile.

How is a company culture score calculated?

TrustedHire's culture score uses 18 behaviorally anchored questions across six weighted dimensions: psychological safety (20 points), manager quality (18), trust and transparency (17), recognition and fairness (15), growth and development (15), and belonging (15). The result is then adjusted by up to 10 points based on three checkable figures: voluntary turnover, average tenure, and internal promotion rate. The math is fixed, so the same answers always produce the same score.

What is a good company culture score?

Scores of 85 and above are exceptional, 70 to 84 is strong, 55 to 69 is developing, 40 to 54 indicates real retention risk, and below 40 is critical. Most small and mid-sized employers land between 55 and 70. The questions are behaviorally anchored specifically to prevent the inflated scores that ordinary agree-or-disagree culture surveys produce.

Can employees take the culture assessment anonymously?

Yes. After scoring themselves, an employer receives a link to share with their team. Employees answer the same questions without giving a name, email, or job title. The employer only ever sees averages, and only after at least five people have responded, so no individual can be identified.

What is the perception gap in company culture?

The perception gap is the difference between how leadership rates the culture and how employees actually experience it. Leaders routinely score psychological safety and transparency far higher than their teams do. Measuring the gap on each dimension identifies blind spots that a leadership-only self-assessment cannot reveal.

Free Tool

How strong is the culture you have built?

Eighteen questions about what actually happens at your company, not how you feel about it. Then invite your team to answer the same questions anonymously and see whether they agree with you.

Free, no accountAbout six minutesAnonymous team survey included

What we measure

Psychological Safety

Can people disagree with you, admit mistakes, and raise bad news early?

Manager Quality

Gallup ties roughly 70% of engagement variance to the direct manager.

Trust & Transparency

Does your team know what is really happening, including the bad news?

Recognition & Fairness

Is good work noticed, and do the rules apply to your top performers too?

Growth & Development

Is there a visible reason for a good person to still be here in two years?

Belonging & Connection

Would your team honestly recommend this place to someone they like?

Weights reflect the research. Psychological safety was the strongest predictor of team effectiveness in Google's Project Aristotle.

Why this is not another culture quiz

Ask a founder if their people feel safe speaking up and they will say yes.

So we do not ask that. We ask when someone last openly disagreed with you, and give you five specific answers to choose from. Every question here describes an observable behavior, and your score is then adjusted by three numbers you have to look up: turnover, tenure, and how many roles you filled from within. That combination is much harder to flatter yourself through, which is the only way a self-reported score means anything.

Step 1 of 813%

First, a little context

Eighteen questions, about six minutes. Answer honestly. An inflated score tells you nothing you can use.

Company name (optional)

How many employees?

Industry (optional)

Culture is the thing a bad hire damages fastest.

TrustedHire screens for culture fit first, because skills can be taught and fit cannot. It is why 92% of our placements are still there at the two-year mark.

Talk to Nick about hiring