????親愛的安妮：我父親把您的一篇專欄文章發給了我。文章說的是畢業后如何找工作，但我還有一個問題。今年六月，我即將取得計算機科學專業學士學位，到目前為止，我收到了兩份工作邀請。其中一份來自一家成熟的大型公司，公司有一個知名品牌；而另外一份則是來自一家成立僅有五年的小公司，公司主要業務是銷售一款創新軟件產品。

????我很想為那家初創公司工作，因為聽起來在那里工作會很刺激。在我看來，另外一家公司雖然風險要小很多，但卻略顯枯燥。而我的朋友們都告訴我，五分之三的創業公司最終都以失敗而告終。我也不知道去大公司工作是否就意味著更保險。我該如何判斷，幾年之后，這家初創公司能否繼續存在？您能給我什么建議嗎？——舉棋不定的人

????親愛的舉棋不定的人：你的問題很有意思。我把你的問題轉達給了阿斯姆?拉扎克。他是硅谷云計算公司Axcient（成立于2006年）的工程設計負責人。拉扎克職業生涯的早期曾在eBay擔任工程設計總監，不過在那之前，他還曾在三家初創公司工作過，其中一家是他在剛畢業時就已經加入的初創公司。與你一樣，他當時也收到了一家大牌公司的邀請。

????拉扎克說：“從一家初創公司開始我的職業生涯是我做過的最明智的決定。與去一家規模更大、等級更分明的公司相比，初創公司讓我有機會做更多事情，也能學得更快?！?/p>

????當然，這并不意味著你朋友的觀點是錯誤的。誰又能知道，現在看來前景廣闊的初創公司，未來會不會成為下一個谷歌（Google），抑或只是曇花一現？拉扎克建議，求職者應該深入挖掘下面七個問題的答案：

????1. 這家初創公司目前處于什么階段？拉扎克稱：“處在早期的初創公司僅有寥寥數人，預算非常緊張，沒有任何以往記錄，加入這樣的公司明顯要冒很大的風險?！比绻乙患译m然很小，但“已有完善的客戶基礎和實際收入的公司，情況會好很多。不僅僅是因為風險更少，而且你也能從中學到更多?！?/p>

????2. 到目前為止，這家公司是否已出現過快速增長？拉扎克說：“你希望一家公司表現出良好的勢頭，因為這樣一來，你就能有更多機會?！鄙暇W研究一下這家公司，密切關注增長迅速的公司列表、技術博客和IT行業出版物?！霸谌缃竦目萍夹袠I，個別領域比其他領域更熱門。你需要對行業有非常充分的了解，才能確定一家初創公司所從事的業務是否會持續增長?！?/p>

????3. 誰是公司負責人？拉扎克說：“在任何小公司，人事總是最重要的。查看管理團隊的背景。創業之前，他們都在做什么？他們過去有過成功嗎？或有多次成功嗎？”這是投資者在決定投資之前最為關注的事情之一。而這就引出了下一個問題……

????4. 公司的投資者是誰？拉扎克認為：“如果公司得到了風險投資，當然很好，但這對你而言，并不意味著什么。因為如今，風險投資家很容易便會選擇科技公司。你需要關注的是屬于公司董事會的投資者，還要調查他們在此之前進行了哪些投資?！币患夜臼欠窬哂袕娪辛Φ陌l展潛能，可靠的投資記錄就是一個很好的說明。

????5.是否會有一位導師對你進行輔導？拉扎克發現：“尤其是對于剛走出校門的畢業生們而言，學習職場技能至關重要，例如解決沖突和在沒有任何權威的情況下影響其他人等技能。而導師在其中發揮著關鍵的作用?！崩?，Axcient公司便有一個“伙伴系統”。公司會為所有新員工指派一名“伙伴”，以便新員工能征詢意見。

????Dear Annie: My dad sent me your column about how to find a job after graduation, but I have one further question. I'll be graduating in June with a bachelor's in computer science, and so far I have two job offers. One is from a big, well-established company with a famous brand, and the other is from a small company that was started about five years ago to market an innovative software product.

????I really want to work for the startup, because it seems much more exciting, while the other company would be less risky but also less interesting, I think. On the other hand, friends tell me that three out of five new businesses fail, and I'm wondering whether the big company would just be a safer bet. Can you advise me on how to tell whether the startup is likely to be around a couple of years from now? --Undecided

????Dear Undecided: Interesting question. I put it to Asim Razzaq, head of engineering at Silicon Valley cloud computing firm Axcient, launched in 2006. Earlier in his career, Razzaq was director of engineering at eBay (EBAY) but, before that, he worked for three startups -- including one he joined right out of college even though, like you, he also had offers from big-name companies.

????"Beginning my career at a startup was the single best decision I've ever made," Razzaq says. "It gave me a chance to do a lot more things and learn more much faster than I would have at a bigger, more hierarchical company."

????That's not to say your friends don't have a point. How can you tell whether a promising startup is the next Google (GOOG), or just a flash in the pan? Razzaq suggests you do enough digging to answer these seven questions:

????1. What stage is the startup in now? "Joining a very early-stage startup, where it's just a few guys on a shoestring budget with no track record yet, is obviously a huge gamble," Razzaq notes. You'd be better off at a company that, while still small, has "a proven customer base and demonstrated revenues. Not only is it less risky, but you'll learn more."

????2. Has the enterprise shown fast growth so far? "You want a company that is showing some momentum, because you'll have more opportunities there," says Razzaq. Research the company online, looking closely at lists of fast-growing companies, tech blogs, and IT trade publications. "In tech right now, some fields are hotter than others," he adds. "You need to know the industry well enough to see whether this startup is in a business that is likely to keep growing."

????3. Who's in charge? "In any small company, it's all about the people," Razzaq says. "Check out the backgrounds of the management team. What were they doing before they started this? Have they shown success, or better yet multiple successes, in the past?" This is one of the main things investors look for before committing funds, which brings us to the next question …

????4. Who's funding the company? "It's great if venture capitalists have invested, but in and of itself, that doesn't tell you much, because venture capital is fairly easy to get in tech right now," Razzaq says. "You need to look at the investors, who are probably also on the board, and research what they have invested in before this." A solid history of backing winners is a good indication that this firm has strong potential, too.

????5. Will you have a mentor? "Particularly right out of school, it's essential to learn workplace skills like resolving conflicts and influencing people even though you have no authority yet," Razzaq observes. "A mentor can be a crucial part of this." Axcient, for example, has a "buddy system." All new employees are assigned a "buddy" they can ask for advice.