National Edition - October 14, 2007   Salon Éducation Emploi Jobboom is sponsoring the 13th annual Salon Education Emploi, a highly regarded career and education fair that offers a large number of exhibitors. The event takes place in Quebec City on October 25-28, 2007, at Centre de foires de Québec. Come by the Jobboom pavilion and check out our wide array of career planning publications. We look forward to seeing you there and assisting with your career goals, whatever they may be! TRENDSPOTTING "Gift rage" lands worker in court? Employees are such angry individuals: they suffer "road rage" to and from and "printer rage" while at work. Now in Japan, an employee improvised a state of "gift rage," something he flew into after his boss ignored his gift of jelly desserts. Somewhere deep down, he was right - the computer-smashing incident could have been avoided if his supervisor had been more considerate and acknowledged his gift. On the other hand, perhaps the boss doesn't particularly like jellied candies. (Source: Reuters) WORK/LIFE BALANCE Wedding in aisle 5 It is an outcome that few think of when getting involved in a workplace romance. The absolute, worst, worst-case scenario isn't enduring a breakup and the ensuing awkwardness. No, rather, it's marrying your love interest at work under the auspices of your supervisor. Two Wal-Mart employees, the automotive manager and the arts and crafts associate, did just that. With any luck this cautionary tale will be enough to scare anyone off of their workplace crush. (Source: Associated Press) CYBERFINDS Worker chided for Wikipedia habit Officials at the Japanese agricultural ministry had to reprimand a bureaucrat for his addiction to Wikipedia and "otaku culture." He posted entries in the online encyclopedia about Gundam, an animated television series-over 250 times. The government employee didn't act alone. Others in the ministry contributed user-generated encyclopedia entries on a wide variety of topics-not particularly related to agriculture-including movies, typographical mistakes in billboard signs and local politics. Officials didn't object to postings about free trade and the World Trade Organization. (Source: San Francisco Gate) WORKPLACE CHALLENGES Career coward's guide to interviewing Job seeking is like being a cabaret performer. It takes pizzazz and ritz, but heaps of folks are shy and introverted. So, what do they do? For these individuals, preparation is key in combating any fears or stresses that erode confidence. The end of the job interview is the most difficult part. That's when candidates have to strut their stuff by asking pointed questions about the position and company which demonstrate interest, enthusiasm and forethought. (Source: Jobboom, Career Zone) EDUCATION/TRAINING Calming first-year jitters The first year at university or college can be a scary experience. For many freshmen, it's a huge life transition coinciding with their first time living on their own, away from their families and the households where they grew up. There are many ways to conquer any first-year jitters; most involve branching out, finding peers, and getting involved on campus with extracurricular groups. Get out there and mix it up! Get off the Internet, already. (Source: Jobboom, Career Zone) Did you leave home for your post-secondary education? To answer, visit Career zone, and check out the Your opinion matters section. Are you... a mad scientist? The annual Ig Nobels is a semi-serious awards ceremony for scientists doing the world's zaniest research. Among this year’s winners were: A duo for a report on the effects of sword swallowing, Scientists who discovered that Viagra helps hamsters overcome jet lag, A Japanese researcher who extracted vanilla flavoring from cow dung, A Spanish team who answered the question of whether rats can discriminate between Japanese and Dutch spoken backwards. (Source: AFP) October 17 - 19 Interpersonal Mediation Toronto, ON October 18 Canadian Business Leadership Forum Toronto, ON October 18-19 Making Sense of Biotechnology Edmonton, AB October 26 - 31 Plastic Surgery 2007 Baltimore, MD November 4 - 10 Canada Career Week Canadawide November 7 Take Our Kids to Work Day Nationwide November 7 - 9 National Supported Employment Conference Calgary, AB November 12 - 14 BioNorth Ottawa, ON November 17 Opportunity Green Conference 2007 Los Angeles, CA November 21 – 22 3rd Annual Summit on the Mature Workforce Toronto, ON November 28 - 30 Construct Canada Toronto, ON December 2 – 5 CSTD Annual Conference Toronto, ON NOTICE: Jobboom and its sponsors do not necessarily endorse the opinions conveyed in the articles selected for this e-zine and do not assume any legal liability in consequence thereof. Comments: info@jobboom.com Research and editing: Austin Macdonald #noDossier#