The Career Rules You Didn’t Learn at School

Gorick Ng, career advisor at Harvard, tried to learn about the
world of work at an early age, helping his mother search job
listings and send out resumes. To launch his own career, he studied
hard in school, secured an Ivy League education, and landed a plum
job. But he still found himself struggling - as many
first-generation college graduates do - because he didn’t
understand workplace norms in the way that his (mostly white,
middle- to upper-class) peers did. While they'd been taught how to
network, angle for promotions, and "speak the language," he was
left to figure it out on his own. Now, Ng counsels young people on
how to avoid those mistakes and take on their first job in a way
that puts them on the fast-track to success. He's the author of the
book "The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off
Right."