Caryn Blaszczak
Caryn Blaszczak is a seasoned recruitment professional specializing in talent acquisition and workforce development within the financial services industry. She currently serves as Lead Recruiter at Financial Services of America, where she manages full-cycle recruiting, onboarding, and candidate engagement. Known for her solution-focused approach, Caryn emphasizes placing the right people in the right roles, building meaningful relationships with candidates, and ensuring long-term success and engagement for both employees and the organization.
Caryn began her professional journey as a special education teacher, working for several years with students with emotional impairments and learning disabilities. She later transitioned into sales and discovered a passion for recruitment, combining her skills in communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving to connect candidates with roles that align with their strengths and career goals. Her diverse experience in education, sales, and recruiting gives her a unique perspective on talent development and employee success.
Caryn holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Special Education with a minor in Secondary English from Western Michigan University. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her professionalism, dedication, and impact on organizational growth, including receiving Employee of the Month honors at Financial Services of America. She continues to focus on fostering meaningful connections, creating positive candidate experiences, and contributing to the growth and sustainability of the organizations she serves.
• Copilot in Outlook: Maximize Your Workday Efficiency
• Life and Health Insurance License
• Western Michigan University- B.A.Sc.
• Employee of the Month
• Humane Society
What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my current success, honestly, to my mentor, Brandon James, who is the Founder and Managing Partner of FSA Insurance Agency and also my boss. He has been the epitome of what you want in a leader. It shapes my day-to-day, and it's a continual learning curve that I love. I also attribute my success to all of the experiences, good and bad, that have led me to where I am today. I think failing fast is huge, and failing forward. The bad experiences teach you, and they matter too.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is to not take things personally and to always do the right thing, no matter the circumstances.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice would be that you can only do what you can do, and it's okay to slow down. Because the faster you go, the more mistakes you'll make, and then you'll have to redo it anyways. So, quality over quantity, I guess, would be the best way to put it. It's not about the number of phone calls you make, it's about the people you talk to. When you're starting out, you get really excited, so you just want to do everything that you possibly can, want to talk to every applicant, and answer every email, and just, it's hard to do it all. You really have to kind of realize that you can't do everything at once.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think a challenge that is faced in every industry can be just time management and knowing when to take care of yourself. You're on the phone doing for others all day long, and knowing when to kind of detach, and knowing that it's okay, so that you'll be your best self the next day is definitely important. As far as opportunities, I've had the great opportunity to fully staff our 4 new offices that have all opened within the last 8 months. I've also had opportunities for continual growth in terms of creating processes. For example, when I started here, we didn't conduct an orientation, so I had the opportunity and pleasure of getting to create that PowerPoint, what that would look like, meet with department heads, and really build relationships with leadership to best understand their needs in terms of staffing.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say attitude is huge. Being driven, dedicated, and helpful, just all around. These values guide both my work and personal life.