“I always love people who work in restaurants. They’re good at interacting with people and that can translate very well into staff recruiting.” — Bill Peppler, Kavilaro

» Fifty percent of all new hires at Cross, Fernandez & Riley (No. 6), a central Florida accounting and advisory services firm, come through the firm’s “spring associate” internship program. Nicole Braham, a tax associate who came through the firm’s program two years ago, says she appreciates working in a “comfortable” environment that functions like a family. The company also “does a lot here to take care of us during the busy season” that runs from January through April 15, she says.

» Richard Pollack, director of human resources for Trenam Kemker law firm (No. 7), says the company does a great deal of its hiring from summer associate programs, and the difficult economy has been a boon for the firm. “We’ve been fortunate that we’ve had a lot of out-of-state students from prestigious law schools applying to work here. We’re getting people from those schools without even having to go visit those schools (to recruit).”

» New grads can earn up to $60,000 in their first year at Kavilaro (No. 2), an Orlando technical staffing company, says managing partner Bill Peppler. The company added 75 employees last year. A college degree is preferred, Peppler says, but it’s not a deal-breaker. “Staffing is not rocket science by any means,” says Peppler.