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Why Modern

Our Story

An approach from a new angle

After meeting with hundreds of C-level executives and hearing firsthand their challenges and frustrations with the talent industry, we knew it was past time for a change. We built Modern through the lens of the client, transforming their experience for the better.

An innovative executive talent solutions firm, Modern was designed specifically to deliver an end-to-end solution for corporations so they can leapfrog into the future, into the modern era.

"We believe in changing lives through long term, trusted partnerships. Our company revolves around innovation and we strive to deliver an exceptional experience in every engagement."

Mark Oppenheimer, CEO

Our commitments to improving the search industry

In order to model and drive behavior, or “walk the walk,” we made a distinct and bold move. We tied our internal company structure and employee reward system directly to the client and candidate experience. Underpinned with cutting edge role architecture, and embedded assessment & integration coaching capabilities, every aspect of the Modern recruitment process is customized for our clients with the simple goal of “meeting you where you are.” We make it our mission to be flexible, innovative, and agile to meet your most demanding talent needs.

Our more caring approach to the candidate experience has allowed us to become a “hero magnet” for the new generation of diverse talent. What does this mean? A more diverse candidate pool for our clients.

We are a purpose driven, socially responsible organization and are proud to donate a portion of our profits to charitable foundations.

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"I was drawn to Modern because I believe in opening doors and providing avenues for creating greater diversity in leadership; Modern, to me, represents a new beginning for how all hiring organizations need to think about their search for talent in 2021 and beyond."

Karen Larrimer, CEO Retail Banking and Chief Customer Officer, PNC

How we're doing it

First, we gathered feedback on the executive talent industry from over 500 executives

1. Research & Intelligence

  • The research lacks depth to find diverse candidates outside of the obvious network
  • The search firm never advises us on the role, just the people
  • We never see enough strong diverse candidates to make a hire

2. The Long Term Fit

  • We feel the search firm doesn’t properly educate or align our stakeholders
  • Candidates are not being assessed properly unless you pay even more
  • The search firm does nothing to help us properly integrate new talent

3. Client & Candidate Experience

  • Search firms never live up to the expectations they set at the pitch and briefing
  • The whole process is just too slow, and we generally end up resetting after 30 days
  • All the services offerings sit on different P&L’s and it is really cumbersome 
  • As a diverse candidate, search firms treat you like a commodity

Second, we built Modern’s offering to solve each of these challenges

A. Research & Intelligence 

    • Powerful research capabilities to access new diverse candidates pools
    • Over 70% of our network is diverse (gender/ethnicity) 
    • Major investment in upfront role architecture

    B. Long Term Fit

    • Fastest process in the industry 
    • Proprietary 3 hour assessment specifically focused on diversity
    • Embedded 100-day integration led by accredited DEI coaches

    C. Client & Candidate Experience

    • VP of Experience closely monitors client satisfaction
    • Final fee based on client satisfaction post integration
    • Every candidate receives coaching, training & development

    Finally, we took the bold move to align our internal operating model to deliver a far better experience

    • Our end to end process is embedded into one fee on one P&L
    • Employees’ bonuses are based on client and candidate feedback, not revenue
    • >10% of profit goes to hand selected charitable foundations

    "I have gotten to know Mark and the company, both as a prospective candidate and a client. They bring a highly empathetic intelligence and relationship-based touch to both sides of the business. Coupled with deep research and a focused expertise in the market, this enables them to deliver top class results at speed in today’s agile world. A true 'matchmaker' in the genuine sense of the word."

    Rahul Samant, CIO, Delta Air Lines