Gorick Ng's The Unspoken Rules are very handy for new employees as well as anyone who wants to streamline their approach at work. If you have done an internship, then you have some idea about the workplace, if not, you need a primer like this book to have a good chance of knowing yourself, the workplace colleagues and the environment.
Ng offers many frameworks to find out your external and internal narratives as well as understanding the context, place and people. With easy to follow diagrams you can master skills like managing your workload, prioritizing your work as to what's urgent and important. There is even a section on how to deal with mistakes. Sometimes it can get harrowing as to how to deal with the different types of communications that need to be done. There is a good table that indicates, based on the data and need, what the appropriate format is. Very handy book for anyone who wants to organize their approach to handling the juggling job of career.
With a book that has the contribution from over 900 people, you are on the right path to manging your intent and impact.

Simply put this is the best career advice book I’ve read so far. While reading this book, I can’t help but say, this book gets me. I can’t say enough words to describe it since it truly reveals the unspoken rules we need to know to be successfully navigate our modern workplace.

"Managers expect the things to be done in a certain way but do not explain, these are the unspoken rules. The top performers, without realizing, always follow the unspoken rules. These rules aren’t taught in schools. Instead they are passed down from parents to child and from mentors to mentees. We generally think that getting ahead in life is all about hard work but actually hard work only gets you hired up for a job. To survive and thrive in a job you need something more, you need to know the rules of the game." - The Unspoken Rules by Gorick NG

I just paraphrased the above text from the introduction of the book and the rest of the book talks about these unspoken rules and the "Secrets" to live by those rules. Author is talking about 20 such rules and there can be many more. the 20 rules involve getting aware of your work space and people - involving the perceptions of your colleagues , your performance , your attitude etc. the secrets will help one to live by these rules.

Overall, this is a nice book and I liked it. it will certainly benefit not only the people who are just starting their career but also to the experienced people and specially to those whose career is stuck at a prticular level and do not know the next step.

I am so jealous of early-career people now because they have this book to give them some unspoken rules in the workplace to put in action. If I knew most of these rules when I was younger, I most likely would have had better career advancement. I found that this book is not just for those graduating from college for the first time, but those introverted workers who have struggled to be noticed for their hard work (even interns). I think this would be a great graduation present as well as bought by a mid-career person who needs to better navigate the unspoken rules in a new job or are thinking of leaving their current job.

The overarching themes of Competence, Commitment and Compatibility work well as Ng uses short vignettes, illustrations and diagrams to make his points. He outlines key areas or steps that underpin successful careers. Gorick doesn’t leave the reader struggling with how to do something he suggests. In some chapters, he has sentences with blanks for the reader to fill in and sample e-mails or phrases of what to say in certain situations. I really enjoyed his diagrams – there is something in each chapter to help amplify his concepts. He also breaks up the content by boxes in the beginning of a chapter that say KNOW THIS and then ones at the end of a chapter that say TRY THIS.

He doesn’t talk about himself except to mention in passing the illustration is from an interview he did with people around the world and telling his story at the beginning. He jumps right into the content and leaves the end of the book for the many people he acknowledges. He tackles a wide range of issues in the workplace, such as seeking feedback, talking about yourself and prioritizing your work. He recognizes more people work remotely now by some of the advice he covers. All in all, Ng has done a great job of taking material from his interviews and experience and turning it into a very clear, worthwhile, and readable book. At first I thought this book was just for business professionals, but he gives illustrations of people in other fields as well. So far, it looks like one of the best books I have read this year! Thanks to NetGalley and Harvard Business Review Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

The Unspoken Rules alerts young adults embarking on their career about behaviors and attitudes that matter in the professional world. It offers guideposts, practical tips ("try this") and examples that many of my college junior and senior students need, but don't get (or don't get enough of) from their families or from the large public university they attend. Gorick Ng, as an insider and near peer, is an effective guide. He provides a framework around three categories that are valued post graduation: competence, commitment and compatibility.  He offers methods  for readers to demonstrate those attributes in their work (including working remotely and in internships). Ng encourages readers to take ownership and initiative, while reminding them that they don't need to get everything right. After reading an advance review copy I am sure that many faculty members, career advisors, recruiters and new employee trainers  will want this book on hand to help new professionals thrive (and save themselves time!)

The Unspoken Rules gave many good insights and life lessons to apply in life, would recommend everyone to give it a shot.