Whether you’re a college student who wants smart advice about going abroad to study, travel, intern, or volunteer, or a recent graduate or young professional who wants help with your international resume and job search, The BIG Guide has what you need to succeed. Here are ten reasons to purchase The BIG Guide to Living and Working Overseas as a book or online edition.

1. The World Is Flat!

The world is flat! International experience is essential for college students and young professionals looking to grow their careers. The BIG Guide will empower you to build the critical career skills required for future success in the global economy. Even if you never set foot outside of North America, almost every college student (whether employed in a large firm or a single person office) will need international skills to be successful in the new world of work where teams and processes draw on human resources from every corner of the planet. Can you work equally well with people from India, Indonesia or Indiana? The BIG Guide will show you how and empower you to succeed!

2. Expert Advice Available Nowhere Else

Our unique perspective and detailed how-to chapters have made us famous. Since 1992, The BIG Guide has been a consistent bestseller. It is written by North America's leading expert on international careers: Jean-Marc Hachey. The current edition (the 4th Edition Revised) was published in September 2007. The Guide is a mainstay in College Career Centers across the USA and Canada. College students and young professionals often affectionately refer to the guide as the “bible” on international careers. There is no other publication or website like it.

3. International Job Hunting Is Different

The BIG Guide is unique since it clearly shows how the international job search is different from the domestic job search. International employers hire people with previous international experience because they have the right aptitude and personality (a high international IQ) required for international work. International employers are therefore more focused on uncovering the “professional personality” of the candidate than domestic employers. To develop international skills, college students need to build their international careers step-by-step while still in school. The BIG Guide provides readers with a detailed map of how to build global career skills: from gaining experience (volunteer work, international studies, internships, cross-cultural travel) to searching for a job (selling your international skills, the job search process, international resumes and interviews).

4. The Main Reason Why We Outshine Our Competition

While there are many excellent web sites providing resource listings and program descriptions (and we list most of these as resources in The BIG Guide), very few websites provide actual advice.  The defining feature of The BIG Guide is the quantity and quality of our expert career advice on all aspects of living and working overseas.
There is one main difference with our approach in comparison to most other international career sites:  almost all go abroad websites and international job search books focus on country-specific job-hunting information and how to be hired by local employers abroad. However, local employers rarely hire US college grads, often because of visa restrictions. In reality, country-specific job searching often only works for low skilled work, most often in the retail and service industries. The Big Guide, by contrast with many other resources, provides career advice on “professional” international positions with a focus on how to find work with internationally-focused US or Canadian organizations who regularly send employees abroad. The BIG Guide shows students how to conduct a job-search by sector (and not by country) as 85% of college grads who find professional work abroad do so with American or Canadian employers (i.e. private sector firms, NGOs, government departments and some international organizations). The BIG Guide organizes its advice and employer contact information by sector. This is the most effective strategy for helping students find international work.

5. Living Overseas and The International Character

The BIG Guide helps students understand what it means when international employers say that they are looking for recruits with a high “International IQ”.  Every chapter of The BIG Guide supports the concept of the “International IQ”, including the many chapters on living overseas, acquiring international experience and especially the job search process. No other publication explains this aspect in terms that are consistently useful for job seekers.

6. Acquiring International Experience While In College

The BIG Guide has 8 chapters which emphasize building international experience. There are hundreds of unique and innovative strategies that students can implement (while on campus or abroad) to acquire the credentials international employers are looking for.  International careers are built step by step over time and The BIG Guide is designed to help students - starting in their freshman year. The BIG Guide puts forth a comprehensive plan on how to build GLOBAL CAREER SKILLS while still in school. It helps students prepare for work in today’s global economy starting immediately.

7. International Job Hunting And Internships

The BIG Guide helps students understand how international job hunting is different than looking for domestic work. It explains what skills international employers are looking for and how hiring decisions are made. The Guide describes a universal approach that works with all types of employers, including voluntary and internship application processes. The Guide describes how to find US international employers who regularly hire college grads for work and internships in the student’s specific field of interest. Our chapters on Targeting Your International Job Search and understanding International Internships are key strategy points for those wishing to go abroad.

8. Flagship Chapters

The BIG Guide has two flagship chapters that are revered by both students and career counselors: “Selling Your International Skills” and “International Resumes”.  All 41 chapters of The BIG Guide support and build on these two chapters and this continuity allows us to boast that The BIG Guide is “the world’s best international career guide.”

9. Career Directories And Resources

The BIG Guide is unparalleled in the careful research and profiles of more than 2,200 international employers and 800 resources. Our list of key international employers is strongly representative of the types of employers students need to look for. It will help students better understand and research more employers in their specific fields of interest. Our strength is also in the bibliographies (800 resources in 63 topical bibliographies), which cover every aspect of international employment and lead students to other detailed sources of information to meet their specific interest (for example, we list over 100 job boards focused on “international” employment in specific fields).

10. Access To The BIG Guide Online, Amazing Tools And Features

No other publication or web site has a comparable online basket of interactive services to help students and student advisors understand ALL ASPECTS of international careers!

“The BIG Guide is packed full of current, carefully selected information to make your international job search a success. The information has been compiled by a team of experienced professionals who have lived and worked overseas. With insightful how-to chapters and extensive career-building directories, The BIG Guide will help you get connected with the right people in the international sector of your choice."

Jean-Marc Hachey
Author, The BIG Guide to Living and Working Overseas