Her Story
About Carolyn
Carolyn Mandaro serves as SVP of Business Development at RSC Solutions in New York, NY. She has spent 40 years in the staffing industry on the agency side, with the last 8 years at RSC Solutions and the most recent 4 years in her current title. Prior to RSC, she worked at Mitchell Martin and ran her own agency for nearly 10 years, along with a brief corporate recruiting consultant role. Her expertise centers on IT staffing and staff augmentation, placing technology consultants with clients including chief technology officers and chief information officers, after earlier placements in marketing, PR, and HR roles. She earned a Bachelor of Science in pre-law from St. John's. Mandaro attributes her professional success to discipline, a strong work ethic, and a drive to succeed, values she developed from her family upbringing. She balances her career with personal growth through yoga teaching and training with the Yoga Therapy Association, as well as volunteering with Kula for Karma to provide free yoga in prisons, hospitals, and rehab centers, and supporting the Center for Safety and Change for domestic violence survivors. She advises young professionals that relationships remain key in the industry and notes that while AI and technology present challenges by making recruiting more transactional, opportunities persist in building personal connections with smaller companies.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Carolyn
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success comes from discipline, a strong work ethic, and a strong drive to be successful. I grew up with the idea that people respect you if you're successful in what you do, and that work ethic was a huge commitment in my family.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Relationships are still the key. Don't stop reaching out to people, connecting with people, meeting with people, and building relationships face-to-face.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is AI and technology taking over the recruiting industry, with bots interviewing and matching resumes, making it more transactional instead of relationship-based. The opportunity is still being able to build relationships with smaller companies that want that personal touch, and getting things done faster with new tools.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family, community, discipline balanced with letting go, health, kindness, compassion, and giving back. I've been working on not being overly focused on discipline and finding more balance.
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