4招教你鉴别什么样的创业公司值得加入! 

4 Things That Tell You If A Small Company Or Start-Up Is Worth Joining

如果你偏爱稳定、有声望、按部就班的工作环境，喜欢按流程走，不在意接受上级指令，那么该选大公司。如果你较为成熟、自信、独立，注重解决问题，不怕面对新挑战，想承担更多、更艰巨的挑战，更快培养能力、达成成就，发挥更多影响，那么该选小公司和创业公司。

Big companies are better if you prefer a more stable, proven, predictable work environment and situation. Also, if you’re more process-driven and comfortable just being told what to do. Small companies and start-ups are better if you’re someone who’s more mature, confident, independent, solutions-oriented, and not afraid to face new challenges. Also, if you want to handle more and bigger responsibilities, build your capabilities and achievements faster, and have a bigger impact.

关键在于选好正确的公司，尤其是创业公司。创业公司普遍来说都是未知数，它们正处于萌芽阶段，风险很高。虽然创业公司有可能是绝佳的学习成长平台，但很多只会浪费你的时间。它们没有特别擅长的领域，没什么突出点或高质量之处。加入这些公司，你也得不到什么好的工作经验。

The trick is choosing the right ones to join, especially when it comes to start-ups. By definition, start-ups are unproven, less developed, and higher risk. While they can be great learning and development platforms, many can waste your time. They don’t do anything particularly well. Nothing about their platform is impressive or of high quality. So if you join these companies, your work experience won’t be either.

要想挑个优秀的小公司或创业公司，我建议注意以下四点：

To help you choose a good small company or start-up to join, I always tell people to notice these four basic things. 

1) 他们的客户是谁？——我的公司有20余名员工。许多候选人来面试我们公司时，对我们几乎是零了解。不过我记得，一次碰到一个我很想要过来的候选人，我问他愿不愿意让我具体讲讲我们的业务。

1) Who are their clients? – I run a company of 20+ people. Many candidates who interview with us have never heard of us before. But I remember what one candidate that I wanted to attract to our company said when I asked him if he’d like for me to describe our business in greater detail to him.

他说，“是的，我是希望能了解公司业务，但现在不需要了。我看过和你们有合作的客户，都是一流公司。所以虽然我不太了解你们的业务内容和业务方式，但从你们的客户名单来看，无论是什么业务，一定都做得很好。”

He said, “Yes, I’d like to know more, but that’s not necessary right now. I’ve seen the list of clients that you work for. They’re all top tier companies. So although I don’t know much about your business or how you do it, based on the clients you attract and service, whatever you do, you must do it very well.”

这番话很有道理。任何能和一流客户合作的公司一定有其过人之处，因为一流公司对质量的要求很高。只要和这些公司合作，无论你为他们提供什么服务，一定得具备高质量，做到很出色。到这种公司，在这种工作环境下工作，你也能锤炼好自己的业务能力。

That’s exactly right. Any company that works with top-tier clients must be able to do what they do very well. Top tier companies have high standards for quality and excellence. So if you’re a company that does business with these companies, whatever you deliver to them must also be of high quality and excellence as well. And that’s a job environment and situation that you want to join to will help you become excellent at what you do too.

2) 管理层都是什么背景？——创业公司在组建管理层时，不像大公司那样对资质有过高的要求，门槛很低。因此，小公司或创业公司创始人和管理团队的资质和过往履历相差甚大。有的人历史成就很辉煌，有的人就一般般了。老实说，后者进入小公司或创业公司要容易得多，因为要求低了。

2) What’s the background of the management team? – Unlike being a manager in a larger, established company, there are no qualifications for starting a new company. And there are no barriers to joining one. As a result, the quality and track record of the founders and management team in a small company or start-up can vary widely. While some come from successful situations, many don’t. They have unimpressive backgrounds. Frankly, it’s easier for them to join a small or new company, where the standards are lower.

好公司都有着优秀的领导者。他们也更擅长于招募优秀人才，一般般的公司就做不到这种程度。所以你要了解管理层人员是否曾在有声望的公司里工作过？在之前公司他们担任的是什么职务，有哪些成就？当然，越专业，成就越大，越好。

Good companies are run by strong leaders. They’re also better able to attract good people. Not so good companies aren’t. So you want to find out, have those in the management team worked in reputable companies before? What level of responsibility and success did they achieve in their previous company(s)? Of course, the more professional and impressive, the better.

最近，另一位候选人告诉我，她为什么喜欢我们推荐的一家创办时间较短的数字营销公司。她说印象最深的是她和两个联合创始人的谈话，两个人都提到自己在知名国际大公司的工作经历。在谈话中，她学到很多有关数字营销和这一行业的知识。

Recently, another candidate shared with me what she liked about a relatively new, digital marketing agency that we introduced to him. She said that what made the biggest impression on her was her talks with the two co-founders, who both shared their backgrounds in major global agencies with her. She learned a lot during their talks with her about digital marketing and the industry.

她能近距离与非常资深、有声望的人一同工作，而不是在大公司的客户经理手下工作，这一点让她十分激动，因为这正是她想要的。她想，“光在面试我就能学到这么多，如果能每天与他们交流，那能有多大收获啊！”

She was excited that, rather than report to an account manager in a bigger company, she’d be working side-by-side with very senior and established people, which is exactly what she wanted for her development. She thought, “If I can learn so much from them just from the interview, imagine what I can learn if I have the chance to interact with them each day!”

3) 公司员工给你留下了什么印象？——进公司采访时，你碰到的公司员工是否看上去斗志满满，工作满满？是否充满活力，认真努力？是否专业？还是说士气低沉，萎靡不振，看上去无聊、疲惫？总而言之，你碰到的这些员工是否享受这个工作环境？

3) What impression do you get from the people you meet and see? – When you go to the company to interview, do the people you meet appear motivated and engaged to you? Do they appear energized? Hardworking? Focused? Professional? Or do they seem unmotivated and lacking in energy to you? Do they look bored? Tired? Overall, do the people you see look like they enjoy the work environment and situation they’re in?

今年早些时候，我在面试时问一个候选人，喜欢我们公司哪点。她告诉我，“我在这儿碰到的每个人都活力满满，充满正能量。这是最吸引我的地方。我能感觉到他们很有斗志，喜欢在这儿工作。大家在办公室里忙忙碌碌，每个人看上去都专心致志，努力工作。这和其他我面试过的公司不一样，那些人只是坐在小隔间里，几乎一声不发。”

Earlier this year, I asked a candidate who was interviewing with us what she liked about our company. She told me, “What catches my attention is the energy and positive attitude of everyone I meet here. I can feel they’re highly motivated and like working here. There’s a buzz of activity in the office, and everyone seems very focused and hardworking. That’s different from some of the other companies I’ve interviewed with, where people seem to just sit in their cubicles in near silence.”

4) 他们的关键成功因素／竞争优势是什么——最后提一点，在加入小公司或创业公司时，你不是在挑你喜欢哪个人，喜欢哪个新概念，而是在加入一个实实在在的生意。这门生意的竞争能力和成事能力在很大程度上也决定着你的竞争能力和你的成功。 

4) What are their key success factors/competitive advantages – Finally, when you join a small company or start-up, you’re not joining some people you like or a new idea. You’re joining a business. And whether that business has the ability to compete and be successful will largely determine your success too.

现在，大多数小公司和创业公司氛围都是积极向上的。他们对公司的潜力和未来充满激情。这是肯定的。他们必须得充满激情，不然就是在浪费时间。但你要有火眼金睛，分清楚现实和与他们的乐观心态和目标，留意、弄明白他们平台和业务的竞争点。

Now, most small companies and start-ups are optimistic. They’re enthusiastic about their potential and future. Of course, they are. They have to be. Otherwise, they’d be wasting their time. But to differentiate their optimism and objectives from reality, you need to pay attention to and understand what makes their platform and business promising.

例如，这家公司的管理层说的都是市场机会，潮流，重要人际关系，新技术？虽然有这些东西很好，但长远的成功往往不在于这些因素。市场会变化，潮流会过去，关系会变，重要性会变，新科技很快会被别人采纳。那么，该看重什么呢？

For instance, does the management team just talk about market opportunity, a hot trend, key relationships, or a new technology? While these are good things to have, they usually don’t lead to ongoing, longer term success. The market changes, trends die down, relationships move on and shift priorities, and new technologies are quickly adapted by others. Then what? 

能使一个企业获得长远成功的因素是品质、价值、独特的能力、出众的专业水平。所以，面试时，公司在介绍自己时，有没有着重提到这些因素呢？

Things that last and sustain a successful business, however, are things like quality, value, unique capabilities, and outstanding expertise. So to what degree are these mentioned or emphasized when the company and its business is being described to you in your interviews?

例如，我们公司虽然不大，但拥有独特出众的优势。候选人来我们公司面试时，我们会告诉他们，在我们做的所有事情，提供的所有服务中，价值和卓越都是贯穿始终的重要指标。我们会强调，在服务客户和候选人时，我们会尽心尽力地提供咨询服务。虽然这些因素不能保证你加入的公司一定能成功，但这样一来，你肯定能明明白白了解到我们是如何成功的，我们公司能给你带来什么。

For instance, our company is a boutique business, but we have our unique and outstanding strengths. When candidates interview with us, we tell them that value and excellence run through everything we do and deliver. We highlight our true consulting approach to servicing clients and candidates. These don’t guarantee that you’ll be successful in our situation, but you’ll definitely get a sense of how we achieve our success and what our company can offer you.

大公司更为透明，现有信息更多。因为它们规模大，做出了一定业绩，年限更长，因此搜索它们的信息要容易得多。

Big companies are more transparent. More information exists about them. Because of their size, track record, and longer history, they’re easier to research and find out what you’re getting into.

但在和小公司或创业公司面试时，你很难判断这个公司只是在勉强存活，还是有潜力、有能力进一步成长。你想加入的当然是后一种公司。在其他因素难以保障的前提下，这三点能帮你判断这个平台、这份工作到底值不值得你花时间，花精力，而不是一切打水漂。

However, when interviewing with a smaller company or start-up, it’s hard to tell if they’re a business that is just managing to survive, or has the potential and ability to grow and become something better. Of course, you want to join a company that can offer you the latter. While nothing can give you any guarantees, these three things can help indicate that the platform and job situation you’re considering are worth your time and effort, and won’t waste them.