亲爱的安妮：我父亲把您的一篇专栏文章发给了我。文章说的是毕业后如何找工作，但我还有一个问题。今年六月，我即将取得计算机科学专业学士学位，到目前为止，我收到了两份工作邀请。其中一份来自一家成熟的大型公司，公司有一个知名品牌；而另外一份则是来自一家成立仅有五年的小公司，公司主要业务是销售一款创新软件产品。

    我很想为那家初创公司工作，因为听起来在那里工作会很刺激。在我看来，另外一家公司虽然风险要小很多，但却略显枯燥。而我的朋友们都告诉我，五分之三的创业公司最终都以失败而告终。我也不知道去大公司工作是否就意味着更保险。我该如何判断，几年之后，这家初创公司能否继续存在？您能给我什么建议吗？——举棋不定的人

    亲爱的举棋不定的人：你的问题很有意思。我把你的问题转达给了阿斯姆•拉扎克。他是硅谷云计算公司Axcient（成立于2006年）的工程设计负责人。拉扎克职业生涯的早期曾在eBay担任工程设计总监，不过在那之前，他还曾在三家初创公司工作过，其中一家是他在刚毕业时就已经加入的初创公司。与你一样，他当时也收到了一家大牌公司的邀请。

    拉扎克说：“从一家初创公司开始我的职业生涯是我做过的最明智的决定。与去一家规模更大、等级更分明的公司相比，初创公司让我有机会做更多事情，也能学得更快。”

    当然，这并不意味着你朋友的观点是错误的。谁又能知道，现在看来前景广阔的初创公司，未来会不会成为下一个谷歌（Google），抑或只是昙花一现？拉扎克建议，求职者应该深入挖掘下面七个问题的答案：

    1. 这家初创公司目前处于什么阶段？拉扎克称：“处在早期的初创公司仅有寥寥数人，预算非常紧张，没有任何以往记录，加入这样的公司明显要冒很大的风险。”如果找一家虽然很小，但“已有完善的客户基础和实际收入的公司，情况会好很多。不仅仅是因为风险更少，而且你也能从中学到更多。”

    2. 到目前为止，这家公司是否已出现过快速增长？拉扎克说：“你希望一家公司表现出良好的势头，因为这样一来，你就能有更多机会。”上网研究一下这家公司，密切关注增长迅速的公司列表、技术博客和IT行业出版物。“在如今的科技行业，个别领域比其他领域更热门。你需要对行业有非常充分的了解，才能确定一家初创公司所从事的业务是否会持续增长。”

    3. 谁是公司负责人？拉扎克说：“在任何小公司，人事总是最重要的。查看管理团队的背景。创业之前，他们都在做什么？他们过去有过成功吗？或有多次成功吗？”这是投资者在决定投资之前最为关注的事情之一。而这就引出了下一个问题……

    4. 公司的投资者是谁？拉扎克认为：“如果公司得到了风险投资，当然很好，但这对你而言，并不意味着什么。因为如今，风险投资家很容易便会选择科技公司。你需要关注的是属于公司董事会的投资者，还要调查他们在此之前进行了哪些投资。”一家公司是否具有强有力的发展潜能，可靠的投资记录就是一个很好的说明。

    5.是否会有一位导师对你进行辅导？拉扎克发现：“尤其是对于刚走出校门的毕业生们而言，学习职场技能至关重要，例如解决冲突和在没有任何权威的情况下影响其他人等技能。而导师在其中发挥着关键的作用。”例如，Axcient公司便有一个“伙伴系统”。公司会为所有新员工指派一名“伙伴”，以便新员工能征询意见。

    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.