Acquaintances alerted accountant Shaked Lavee to the opening at Embraer. [Photo: Jeffrey Salter]

Shaked Lavee says the smartest thing she ever did was get an accounting degree. The degree, coupled with her CPA license and experience at accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, helped the 28-year-old secure a job last year at the Fort Lauderdale office of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. The company is expanding rapidly in Florida, hiring 135 in the state last year.

“It’s not very common to be unemployed in this profession,” Lavee says, explaining that she gets e-mails from recruiters on a weekly basis. Even so, she had to pursue the job at Embraer, which is known for its competitive, high-quality health care benefits and family-friendly culture.

Acquaintances at Embraer alerted Lavee when the job became available last year; she already knew her future boss through working with Embraer when it was a client of PricewaterhouseCoopers. “It’s extremely important to have a good network,” Lavee says.

Embraer Vice President of Human Resources Maggie Laureano agrees, preferring employee referrals over anonymous job applicants. “They know the culture and requirements and would only recommend someone they feel is a good fit,” she says.

Laureano says most of the company’s Florida growth stems from its new Melbourne executive jet manufacturing facility and call center, where it hired former shuttle workers.

“When we are looking for somebody, especially somebody right out of school, what we are looking for is a passion to work at Embraer,” Laureano says. A new hire must be comfortable in a teamwork-based atmosphere, she says, rather than working alone. “Decision-making is a collaborative process here,” she says.