Soon, they warn, there’s going to be an explosion in the number of IT-related jobs available, making it tough for companies to hire and keep employees with tech skills.

The reason: a demand from the federal government for more computerization in the health industry. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earmarked $19 billion in incentives for hospitals and doctors’ offices to use electronic records, and laid out financial penalties for those that don’t make the switch by 2015.

The feds are also expected to increase spending in other IT areas, such as energy and green building projects.

The upshot: a lot of IT job openings appearing suddenly. Estimates for new health IT positions range from 41,000 to 200,000, according to Dr. William Hersh of Oregon Health & Science University.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates demand for network systems and data communications analytics to go up 53% by 2016. Demand for other IT skills, such as database administration, will rise at least 20%, BLS says.

Interview etiquette is a two-way street — candidates and interviewers both have to make a good impression.

Unfortunately, hiring managers — especially those with little interviewing experience — often do things or ask questions that will make candidates think twice about accepting an offer.

Here are the top 10 interviewer behaviors candidates hate, according to the report “Are You Failing the Interview?”, published recently by Development Dimensions International:

1. Treating the interview like an interrogation (cited by 43% of respondents as a top problem) — The manager’s goal isn’t to uncover the candidate’s hidden flaws. It’s to make sure the candidate is the right fit for the job, which can only be done in a comfortable interview setting.
2. Taking too long to call back (42%) — Just half the survey’s respondents said they were satisfied with how long they had to wait to hear back after an interview.
3. Withholding information about salary, hours, expectations, etc. (39%) — This happens more often now, as previously high-ranked employees are applying for jobs at a lower level. But managers need to understand that painting a less-than-full picture of the job will likely come back to bite them once the person starts working.
4. Keeping the candidate waiting (35%) — Managers have a lot to do, but scheduled interviews should take priority. If the boss doesn’t respect candidates’ time now, why would they expect it to change after they’re hired?
5. Asking irrelevant questions (30%) — Some interviewers like asking off-beat, unexpected questions to keep candidates on their toes (for example, “If you were a fruit, what kind would you be?”). But most experts recommend sticking to job-related topics.
6. Acting like they don’t have the time to talk (25%) — Candidates most likely took time off from another job, and they don’t want to be rushed through the interview.
7. Being unprepared (22%) — Good candidates take the time to research the company — and they expect good hiring managers to become familiar with their resumes.
8. Asking inappropriate questions (22%) — Managers often turn to off-limits topics without realizing what they’re doing. Questions that seem like harmless ice-breakers could offend some candidates — such as, “Where do you go church?” or “Are you married?”
9. Never giving a candidate the opportunity to ask questions (12%) — Letting candidates ask questions is not only helpful for them, but the types of questions they ask can give a manager insight on whether the candidate’s a good fit.
10. Having several interviewers ask the same questions (12%) — When there are multiple rounds, interviewers need to communicate to avoid an inefficient, repetitive process.

The bad news for interviewers guilty of those transgressions: 91% of candidates say the interviewer’s behavior has a big impact on whether they accept a job offer.

The best solution: training from HR. Less than half of managers said they’ve received on-the-job interview training.

You can download a copy of the report (PDF) here.

The number of applicants per job opening varies widely depending on geography. These are the most competitive markets right now, according to a study by Simply Hired:

1. Detroit (1 job for every 46 applicants)
2. Grand Rapids, MI (1 job/35 applicants)
3. Miami (1/29)
4. Sacramento, CA (1/28)
5. Las Vegas (1/26)
6. Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (1/25)
7. Greensboro-High Point-Winston-Salem, NC (1/25)
8. Los Angeles (1/25)
9. Providence, RI (1/25)
10. Cleveland (1/23)
11. Orlando, FL (1/22)
12. Louisville, KY (1/21)
13. Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL (1/21)
14. New York City (1/20)
15. Cincinnati (1/20)

And the markets most friendly to job seekers:

1. Des Moines, IA (1 job for every 5 applicants)
2. Washington, DC (1/5)
3. Omaha, NE (1/5)
4. West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce, FL (1/6)
5. Salt Lake City (1/8)
6. Baltimore (1/8)
7. Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM (1/9)
8. Pittsburgh (1/10)
9. Oklahoma City (1/10)
10. Austin, TX (1/10)
11. Boston (1/10)
12. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY (1/10)
13. Denver (1/11)
14. Dallas (1/11)
15. Seattle (1/11)

The biggest mistake is posting nothing but mini-ads for open positions, such as “IT manager needed” or “Any sales pros out there?”

Instead, HR’s main goal when using Twitter should be to give the audience an idea of what it’s like to work at your company. Look for tidbits that would make a reader want to be a part of your office on a day-to-day basis.

Here are some specific ideas for recruiting-minded Twitter posts, according to recruiter Jessica Lee:

1. Employee programs – Even if there’s nothing new in the works, spend some time regularly explaining telecommuting initiatives, volunteer efforts and other programs and benefits.
2. Career advice – Turn your Twitter into a resource for people looking for jobs in your industry. Even if you aren’t hiring right now, you’ll have a built-in following of qualified people once you announce an open position.
3. Links to articles by employees – Give candidates some info about who they could be working with.
4. Description of a good candidate – Let people know what you’re looking for in an applicant or interviewee. That will help candidates prepare beforehand.
5. Events and appearances – Let followers know when and where people from the company will be speaking and about recruiting events you’ll be attending.
6. New hires – When you’ve filled a position, share it with the audience. It shows you are hiring, as well as how proud the company is of its new employees.
7. Links to employees who Twitter – Recruit current employees to write positively about their jobs and provide links to their profiles from your account.

Wookey Hole Caves, a family tourist attraction in Somerset, England, is holding auditions for an employee to portray the historical character of the Wookey Witch. The idea is for the live performer to give visitors a real sense of what the caves were like in the Dark Ages.

Which means the employee must be OK with a certain amount of realism.

In other words, the candidate who gets the job will have to stay in the caves overnight and have extensive knowledge of witchcraft’s history. For the audition process, each applicant is expected to come in full witch garb and bring any necessary supplies (a “limited range of potion ingredients” will be provided.)

In under a week, the company has received 100 applications for the position. Think your company could spark interest in a job like that?

Workers who’ve lost jobs recently are turning to small businesses in greater numbers than ever before, according to a recent survey by CareerBuilder. About 20% of employees who were laid off in the past year have found new jobs at small companies. Another 60% say they’re interested in working for one.

After losing jobs, many workers want the stability, flexibility and opportunity for diverse experience that smaller firms are often better at providing, CareerBuilder says.

Here are the top reasons they’re interested in moving to those organizations:

1. Family-like work environment (cited by 56% of respondents)
2. More employee recognition (49%)
3. A sense that each employee can make a difference (48%), and
4. Less corporate red tape (46%).

When hiring, HR can emphasize those factors as selling points to potential employees.

Ben Southall of Great Britain recently won a contest held by Queensland, Australia. The prize: a six-month stint in what the Queensland government calls “the best job in the world.”

The gig: caretaker of an Australian tropical island. Southall’s duties include strolling the beach, snorkeling, sailing, eating exotic food and writing a blog to report the wonders of visiting Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef region to a global audience.

Oh, and the six-month assignment pays $150,000 Australian (about $120,000 USD).

So what’s the problem? Southall’s been too busy fulfilling media obligations to get a whole lot of vacationing and writing done. So far, he’s granted interviews to more than 50 media outlets and has a documentary crew following him for most of his waking hours, the Courier-Mail reports.

Since starting the job at the beginning of July, Southall’s only had time to update his blog seven times — much to the disappointment of the 94,000 people who’ve signed up for online updates.

A Tourism Queensland spokesperson said the office is looking for ways to free up Southall’s schedule, but right now, he “has not had the time to scratch himself” (which left us wondering what kind of insect life is on this island).

Sounds like a lot of jobs these days — most of which don’t involve exploring exotic locales. Something tells us Southall will still enjoy the gig.

When it comes to recruiting and retaining employees, bad bosses are many companies’ biggest obstacle. Another problem: Bad bosses often don’t realize what they’re doing.

It all comes down to respect. When managers respect employees, employees will respect managers. And that creates a productive workforce that will stick around.

Here are the most common ways bosses unconsciously sabotage that mutual respect — and how HR can help them change:

1. Blaming others instead of taking responsibility

It’s obviously trouble for a supervisor to blame a subordinate when something goes wrong instead of taking the fall. But some managers get around that by pointing the finger at other departments, suppliers or higher-ups. And that can look just as bad to employees.

2. Refusing to make timely decisions

Managers never want to take action hastily. But some bosses think they appear thoughtful and deliberate, while staffers just see them as hesitant and wishy-washy.

Employees want leaders who take action, not bosses who drag their feet.

3. Being untrustworthy

Managers can’t keep everything employees tell them confidential (for example, if there’s a harassment case involved). But especially these days, staffers might come to bosses with sensitive topics, such as personal financial woes.

Once a manager relays those discussions to a colleague, you can bet word will get around — and the boss could permanently lose every staffer’s trust. It’s up to the supervisor to know what’s to be kept under wraps.

4.Accepting free passes

If there’s one thing employees hate, it’s double standards. For example, when they screw up, there are consequences — but too often, when bosses make mistakes, nothing happens.

Not that it’s anyone’s businesses what goes on in someone else’s personnel file. But when managers drop the ball, they need to make it clear to subordinates that they aren’t getting a free pass just because they’re higher up in the organization.

5. Hogging credit

Too many managers rely on scheduled events to tell staffers how much they appreciate their efforts. But to truly share the credit, bosses need to make it a point to talk frequently about employees’ accomplishments, both in public and one-on-one with the employee.

Employers have more applicants to choose from than ever before.

On average, companies are evaluating 5.4 candidates for every open job, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s a record number, and pretty big jump from the previous month’s figure of 4.8.

It’s miles away from December 2007, when companies were averaging just 1.7 applicants per open job.

Canadian beer maker Molson recently announced it’s reducing the amount of free beer its employees can take home, and cutting retirees off completely, the Toronto Star reports.

Retirees are currently allotted six dozen free bottles a month. Starting Jan. 1, that amount will drop to one dozen. Five years later, it will be zero.

Current employees will see their free booze drop from 72 to 52 dozen bottles a year.

Sounds like just another sign of the difficult economy, but those affected haven’t taken the news quietly. Retirees organized a protest outside of the Molson brewery in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and the unions at other plants have filed grievances.

They claim they weren’t consulted when the change was made, in violation of their collective bargaining agreement.

There are 2,400 Molson retirees in Canada, and all that free beer reportedly costs the company $1 million annually.