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EMPLOYMENT BRIEFS: Meet the boss; job worries; computer classes; discussing money

Source: Tribune Media Services

Impress the rest: Hiring managers aren’t the only decision-makers applicants need to impress when they arrive for a job interview. Candidates also should be on their toes when greeting the boss’s right-hand person, a new survey shows. Six out of 10 (61 percent) executives polled said they consider their assistant’s opinion important when evaluating potential new hires. “As soon as they enter the parking lot, job seekers should be on their best behavior. Everyone they encounter, from the person in the elevator to the receptionist, is someone who could potentially weigh in on the hiring decision,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam, which conducted the survey.

Money talks: Job interviewees reluctant to discuss compensation with hiring managers during tough times are getting a green light from employers, a new survey shows. More than half of senior executives (56 percent) surveyed by the staffing firm Accountemps said they are comfortable with applicants broaching the subject in the first or second interview. In fact, approximately two-thirds (66 percent) of executives indicated they most commonly discuss the subject by the second interview, with 19 percent saying it usually comes up during the first interview.

Computing class: The number of undergraduate students majoring in computer science significantly increased for the first time since the dot-com boom, according to the Computing Research Association. As a result, overall university computer science enrollment increased for the first time in six years. “The upward surge of student interest is real and bigger than anyone expected,” said Peter Lee, incoming chair of the association. “The fact that computer science graduates usually find themselves in high-paying jobs accounts for part of the reversal. Increasingly, students also are attracted to the intellectual depth and societal benefits of computing technology.”

Panic button: More than half of U.S. workers say their work atmosphere felt worried due to the economy, according to a survey released by ComPsych, an employee assistance firm. Of respondents, 16 percent described their workplace as “panicky.” Other responses included “somewhat worried” (39 percent), “business as usual” (23 percent), “cautiously optimistic” (14 percent) and “very hopeful” (8 percent). “Workers are shouldering more work due to layoffs, and finding it difficult not to be distracted by future uncertainties,” said Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and CEO of ComPsych. “We have seen a record number of calls for on-site counselors due to layoffs as well as requests for ongoing stress management counseling.”

© 2009, Tribune Media Services