Our Story

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Black Swan Group was born from frustration — and from belief.

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After graduating from The Ohio State University, Jovan Mello and Dillon Underwood realized something that too many professionals discover the hard way: the job market is broken. Even talented, motivated graduates were struggling to find opportunities that matched their potential. Recruiters chased quotas. Employers recycled generic pipelines. And the human element — the precision, the care, the connection — was gone.

 

So they decided to rebuild it.

 

With complementary strengths in technology, branding, and operations, Jovan and Dillon set out to reinvent how careers are built and how companies grow. Their answer became Black Swan Group — a boutique recruiting firm powered by proprietary AI systems and workflow efficiency tools that don’t just match résumés to roles, but engineer long-term success.

 

What began as two Ohio State alumni working late nights in Columbus has evolved into an exclusive, hand-selected network of elite talent and forward-thinking companies. Black Swan doesn’t chase volume. It curates precision. Every partnership is treated like a long-term investment, supported by best-in-class post-placement care that ensures both sides continue to thrive long after the offer letter.

 

For Jovan, a brand strategist and builder, this mission is about psychology and perception — helping people and organizations align with purpose, not just paychecks. For Dillon, an operator and systems architect, it’s about performance and scalability — creating the infrastructure that lets excellence repeat itself.

 

Together, they’ve built something different — something real.

A firm born from entrepreneurial grit, rooted in empathy, and driven by technology designed to equalize the job market and redefine what recruiting can be.

 

Because for them, this isn’t just business.

It’s personal. They lived the problem.

Now they’re building the solution.