Inside the World of Modern Recruiting | On the Flywheel - Episode 21

Summary

In this episode, I sit down with Adrian Gould, Practice Director at Robert Half, for a conversation about career pivots, productivity, and the evolving world of accounting and finance consulting. Adrian shares how he went from managing rental car branches to overseeing more than 60 active projects at once, and we dive into trends shaping the labor market today—from AI’s growing influence to why companies are running leaner than ever.

Takeaways

Career trajectories don’t need to be linear
Project-based staffing is on the rise
Time-blocking is Adrian’s productivity superpower
AI is reshaping accounting & finance teams
Companies are running leaner
Hiring is increasingly filtered by AI tools
LinkedIn remains Adrian's top networking tool
The labor market is cyclical
ERP and accounting system upgrades are everywhere
Don’t fear change

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to the podcast; Jonathan introduces guest Adrian Gould.
01:20 From business school to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and into recruiting at Robert Half.
06:45 Overview of the company’s structure, specializations, and consulting partnership with Protiviti.
10:20 Explaining the Loan Staff Program, consulting projects, and client engagement.
13:40 Stories from the field: acquisitions, ERP implementations, fires, surprises, and project chaos.
20:00 NetSuite, Dynamics, Intacct, Workday—what companies choose and why.
24:30 Success factors and unexpected challenges that derail initiatives.
28:50 Why companies bring in outside help.
30:20 Adrian’s workflow, Salesforce notes, and time-blocking system.
36:45 How he builds flexibility into his schedule without losing focus.
39:50 How much is inbound vs. self-generated, cold calling tactics, and LinkedIn strategy.
46:00 AI’s impact, layoffs, efficiency, and role elevation in finance teams.
51:40 Resume tailoring, ATS screening, mistakes to avoid.
57:00 Observations from San Francisco and beyond.
1:01:30 Books, dad jokes, and wisdom for a billboard: don’t fear change.

Links

Adrian Gould –   / adriangouldca   | https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en

Jonathan Mahrt –   / jonathanmahrt   |   / flywheel_consulting   | https://www.flywheelconsulting.co/

Links to all books mentioned on the show: https://www.flywheelconsulting.co/boo...

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