Employees are more comfortable telling co-workers that their zipper is undone than to point out any other embarrassing gaffes, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. Two-thirds of employees said they’d tell a peer about an undone fly, while half would do the same to a higher-level co-worker.

Lowest on the comfort scale? Discussing personal hygiene. Just 28% would tell co-workers they needed a shower. The number’s just 11% when the dirty employee is higher in the ranks.

The rest of the list:

1. You have food in your teeth (66% for a same-level co-worker, 49% for someone higher)
2. You have something in your nose (51% and 33% )
3. You have a stain on your clothes (51% and 34%)
4. Your hair is messy (33% and 13%)
5. You need a breath mint (33% and 14%)
6. Your clothes aren’t appropriate for the workplace (32% and 10%)

What conversations are you most uncomfortable having with your peers? How about folks higher up in the company? Let us know in the comments section below.

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.

One in ten employees are working a second job now, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. Here are some of the most interesting moonlighting activities employees are taking on:

1. Juggling chainsaws in a talent competition
2. Working as a tarot card reader
3. Participating in university research studies
4. Taking notes in class for college students
5. Testing recipes for a cookbook
6. Working as a movie extra, and
7. Researching stories for a gossip columnist.

What unorthodox ways of maying money have you heard of workers trying? Let us know in the comments section below.

Just 28% of workers age 55 and older who were laid off in the past year have found new jobs, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. That’s compared to 71% for laid-off workers age 25 to 34.

The end result: A lot of “overqualified” workers are applying for jobs. The majority (63%) of laid-off workers older than 55 say they’ve applied for positions below the level of their previous job — and 44% say employers have told them they’re overqualified.

While the influx of experienced job seekers gives companies an opportunity to hire experienced talent at a low cost, it also opens a legal can of worms. Here’s some advice for hiring managers on how to avoid claims of age bias:

• Don’t ask interview questions about age, just about relevant experience.
• Avoid snap judgments about overqualified applicants – for example, don’t assume they’ll demand a high salary or will leave as soon something more prestigious comes up. Use the interview to learn those things.
• Don’t interview someone you know you won’t hire. It’s much easier for an interviewed applicant to sue than for someone who just sent in a resume.
• Consult with HR if someone asks why they weren’t hired.

So far, 2009 has seen no shortage of strange job search tactics — 18% of hiring managers have seen candidates go to unusual lengths to get a job, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. That’s up from 12% at the same time last year.

Some of the strangest methods managers reported:

• One candidate sent a resume tucked inside a shoe — he wanted to “get his foot in the door.”
• A desperate job-seeker staged a sit-in at the company’s lobby to get a meeting with the manager.
• One manager received a resume from a job-seeker while his car was stopped at a red light.
• One guy sent the boss a cake with his own face and credentials painted on it.
• A candidate figured he could start at the bottom and work his way up — so he started washing employees’ cars in the parking lot.
• One crafty applicant told the company’s receptionist he’d scheduled an interview. When the manager arrived he confessed that he’d just driven by and decided to stop in.

How would you react to one of those gimmicks? Would you grant an interview or tell the candidate to stick to tried and true job search methods? Let us know in the comments section below.

That’s right, it’s almost time for college graduations. And the job market will be a lot tougher on grads than in previous years.

Just 43% of employers have any plans to hire recent graduates in 2009, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. That’s down from 56% last year.

Also, 21% said they’ll be offering lower pay to entry-level hires. At most other companies (68%), those salaries will remain flat, and just 11% plan on an increase.

Bottom line: Employers have an opportunity to grab entry-level employers at a lower cost and with a better chance of landing the best hires.

Here are some ways companies can stand out when recruiting college students:

• Use the Web – Everyone knows students and recent grads spend a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other Web sites — yet many companies still don’t have much recruiting presence in those areas.
• Get referrals – The influence of friends and classmates can be a powerful factor in students’ career decisions. So when you hire someone fresh out of school, make sure you ask for the names of others who’d be a good fit.
• Keep internships – As hiring in general goes down, fewer companies plan on hiring interns this year. But experts warn against getting rid of such a valuable, low-risk strategy for bringing talent in the door.

More than 64% of employers expect staffing levels to remain steady in this year’s second quarter, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. Just 14% said they plan on adding staff. Another 14% will reduce the number of employees, and 7% aren’t sure.

As for 2009 so far:

• 13% of employers increased headcount in the first quarter
• 16% reduced headcount, and
• 60% saw no change.

Companies’ salary plans for this quarter follow a similar pattern:

• 46% expect compensation to stay flat
• 29% expect to give raises averaging from 1% to 3%
• 12% expect raises to range from 4% to 10%
• 1% will give raises greater than 10%, and
• 5% expect compensation to decrease.

Almost one out of five employees (19%) says changing jobs is a priority for the new year, according to a recent CareerBuilder poll.

But what about the economy? It’s not much of a factor — 60% of employees polled say the current climate has had no impact on their career plans.

What can be done to hang on to those employees? Here are the main reasons people say they’re looking for new opportunities:

• Pay – A quarter of employees are dissatisfied with their salary. Also, 35% say they didn’t get a raise in 2008, and 25% got an increase of 2% or less.
• Advancement – A quarter of workers are also unhappy with their chances to move up the corporate ladder. One in five say they were overlooked for a promotion they should’ve gotten last year.
• Work/life balance – More than half (54%) of employees say their workloads have increased over the last six months.

Overall, the picture doesn’t look good, according to the survey by CareerBuilder. Just 13% of companies plan to add full time staff in the next 12 months, compared to 32% who said so before 2008.

That doesn’t mean companies are abandoning their hiring efforts. In fact, many plan on adding to certain areas of their recruiting budgets. Companies surveyed said this year they’ll spend more on:

• online recruitment sites (19%)
• newspaper classifieds (15%)
• career fairs (12%)
• third-party recruiters (12%), and
• social networking sites (7%).

Also, companies that are hiring are looking for new ways to attract talent as less money is available for salaries. How are they doing it? In many cases, it’s by offering candidates a more flexible work environment — 31% of companies plan on increasing flexible arrangements this year. Of those companies:

• 70% plan on giving employees more freedom to set their own hours
• 48% will offer some telecommuting options, and
• 40% will let employees compress their workweeks into four days.

What has your organization done differently to attract new employees? Let us know in the comments section below.

One in six vets say it took them more than six months to land a job after coming back from service, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. One tenth said it took at least a year.

The biggest challenge is convincing employers that the skills learned in the military transfer to civilian jobs, according to 20% of the vets surveyed. Others said they’re disadvantaged because they lack a college degree and don’t have experience with civilian job interviews.

Despite those challenges, many employers and experts recommend looking at applicants with a military background. Companies surveyed by CareerBuilder said those candidates tend to possess key skills such as:

• the ability to work in a team
• organization skills and a disciplined approach to work
• respect and integrity
• leadership, and
• the ability to work under pressure.

That applicant pool could be a good source of new hires that your competition has overlooked.