Major Updates to The BIG Guide Online

At The BIG Guide Online, we are constantly updating our Web site, keeping all our information as fresh and current as possible. Below is a list of the major initiatives and added features that have recently been launched (with the most recent listed at the top):

  1. UPDATED Reader Tracking Sheet (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): Navigate The BIG Guide Online quickly and easily with our updated Reader Tracking Sheet. This key document allows students and advisors alike to keep track of their progress through the guide's many sections. You'll also want to be familiar with this document if your department or institution is organizing a seminar on The BIG Guide Online. Track your progress on paper with this newly revised tool. (Launched July, 2010.)
  2. UPDATED Travel Smarts Chapter (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): Students will find the new and improved Chapter 12: Travel Smarts incredibly useful as they prepare to go abroad. Now, in addition to offering information about successful cross-cultural travel, this chapter offers a pre-departure research strategy and five new Resource lists ( Travel Guides & Reading, Travel Health & Safety, Low-Cost Travel, Visas & Passports and Tools for Travelers ) to keep independent travelers safe, healthy and on-budget. (Launched July, 2010.)
  3. NEW Discard Function (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): We are excited to announce a new function allowing students to better organize their research. The “Discard” function lets students strike out Resources or Organization Profiles that are of NO INTEREST to them. Once activated, the strikethrough is visible from both the List View and the Detail View. (Launched June, 2010.)
  4. NEW White Paper on Campus Internationalization (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): We are pleased to report that we have published our first White Paper, which is now available for free download. “International Academic Mobility: Two Decades of Practice” was written by Daniel Guay, a leading thinker and innovator focusing on how universities can organize themselves to promote international exchanges on campus. Premium Access subscribers have permanent access to this White Paper from the Tools/Student Advisor menu. (Launched June, 2010.)
  5. UPDATED Business Resources (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): As part of Chapter 33: International Business Careers (our new chapter, to be completed in late fall, 2010), we have posted three new Resource lists: International Business, Cross-Cultural Business Skills and Consulting, Economic & Finance Job Boards. These contain a multitude of new resources to help students looking for international business opportunities or planning on a career in international business. View (Launched June, 2010.)
  6. NEW NGO Resource and Organization Profiles for UK, Australia and New Zealand (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): As part of a major re-write of Chapter 43: NGOs Outside North America, we have recently released a new Resource list (NGO Directories) and two new Organization Profile lists ([NGOs in the United Kingdom and NGOs in Australia & New Zealand). View (Launched May, 2010.)
  7. NEW My Global Career Skills Seminar (Premium Access Subscribers): We recently created a new two-part seminar, My Global Career Skills, to be presented to your students. Part One is a 30-minute webinar, pre-recorded by Jean-Marc Hachey, author and online publisher of The BIG Guide. (Note that it is also possible to book a live webinar with a Q&A session.) Part Two of the seminar is an hour-long workshop run by a facilitator at your school, making use of our online quizzes (see the My Inventory of International Skills menu item online). We have also developed a detailed Project Manual to help you present in four possible subject areas: (1) My International Experience (our most popular subject), (2) My International Jobs and Internships, (3) My International IQ, and (4) My Political, Economic and Geographic Knowledge. See Details (Launched April, 2010.)
  8. UPDATED Marketing Tools (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): Promote The BIG Guide Online to your students with our updated selection of marketing tools. We want to make sure that you have everything you need to develop a strong, unique marketing campaign for The BIG Guide at your institution. We have constant updates to this section throughout the year. Our latest addition is a new poster announcing services to students. Over 35 individual marketing resources and projects are available for you. See Details. (Launched April, 2010.)
  9. NEW Last Update Log (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): As part of our ongoing process to enhance the transparency in our research procedures, we now show the “Last Update” date for all Resources and Organization Profiles on the site. This is our way of showing our commitment to maintaining the most current, useful database possible. View (Launched April, 2010.)
  10. UPDATED NGO Resource and Organization Profiles (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): We recently undertook a complete overhaul of our extensive collection of NGO Resources and Organization Profiles, ensuring that we continue to have the most extensive list of internationally-oriented US and Canadian NGOs available anywhere. View (Launched November, 2009 – April, 2010.)
  11. UPDATED Job Boards (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): We have expanded our list of Job Boards to include 167 individual online resources, ensuring that your students have access to the most comprehensive list of internationally-oriented job boards available anywhere. View (Launched November, 2009 – February, 2010.)
  12. UPDATED Volunteer & Internship Listings (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): We have expanded our Volunteer And Internship Listings list to include 80 individual resources to help your students find the very best programs. (We reject as many sites as we list). View (Launched November, 2009 – February, 2010.)
  13. NEW Student Privacy Enhancement (Premium Access Subscribers): After consulting with a number of our client schools, we acted on recommendations to modify our Premium Access registration page, allowing students to opt out of the Student Networking feature, should they choose to. View (Launched January, 2010.)
  14. NEW Ask the Expert (Premium Access Subscribers): In January 2010, The BIG Guide Online added a new Q&A service, available under the Tools menu online. Author and online publisher Jean-Marc Hachey regularly answers a selection of questions submitted by readers. Questions and answers are then posted in an easy-to-use online archive. View (Launched January, 2010.)
  15. NEW Video Tutorials (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): We recently launched 16 new short videos about The BIG Guide’s online features. Located in the Help menu, these videos have been sorted into a logical learning path, ideal for stop-and-learn discussions during a seminar. These videos are the optimal tool when teaching students, student advisors or other staff about how to navigate The BIG Guide Online. View (Launched December, 2009.)
  16. NEW Quick Guide: Reader Tracking Sheet (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): This new four-page Quick Guide functions as a quick-reference outline of the guide. Laid out in a printer-friendly format, students, student advisors and staff can track their progress through the guide, and isolate sections for research and study. (Note that Standard Access Subscribers can only view this Quick Guide from the Help Menu.) View or Download (Launched December, 2009.)
  17. NEW Internal Imbedded Links (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): We are very pleased to have instituted a new internal imbedded link system, allowing internal live links that update automatically when a link-name or chapter number is changed. This addition allows users to easily access cross-referenced material without performing individual searches. View (Launched October, 2009.)
  18. NEW US Government Chapter (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): An extensive new chapter (28,000 words) on international careers within the US Government has been added to The BIG Guide Online, highlighting more than 175 direct links to internships, agencies, resources and advice. During its launch, two leading schools of public policy reviewed this new chapter positively. View (Launched June, 2009.)
  19. NEW My School Network Feature (Premium Access Subscribers): We totally revamped this feature to allow searches and the display of My Learning Path goals, making this useful student networking tool even stronger. View  (Launched June, 2009.)
  20. NEW My Guide With My Learning Path (Premium Access Subscribers): Our reconfigured Web site contains eight new My Guide features, allowing students to customize their approach to learning from The BIG Guide Online. The My Learning Path component (which is the most important My Guide feature) enables students to identify their goals, and then provides a suggested learning path listing the relevant Quick Guides, Chapters, Resources, Organization Profiles and Quizzes. View (Launched June, 2009.)
  21. NEW Quick Guide: 10 Easy Ways for Freshmen to Build International Skills (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): We are pleased to announce the publication of yet another Quick Guide. 10 Easy Ways for Freshmen to Build International Skills which is aimed at helping first year students understand the importance of building global career skills early in their academic careers. Download (NOTE: Standard Access Subscribers can only view the html version of this file located in Chapter 09: Starting Your International Career.) (Launched July, 2009.)
  22. NEW International Club Listing (Standard & Premium Access Subscribers): We have documented over 33 clubs that can be established on campus to help students build international experience. Subscribers can access this database through the Tools/Student Advisor menu item. View (Launched July, 2009.)

For a list of major updates that are currently in the pipeline (soon to be released) see the "What Lies Ahead" page.

If you have questions or feedback about the above items, please contact:

Richard Berthelsen
Customer Service Representative
The BIG Guide to Living and Working Overseas by Jean-Marc Hachey
Tel: 416-925-9584; Toll-Free:  1-888-493-2239 (US and Canada)
Fax: 1-866-379-0487

www.workingoverseas.com