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"Dear Annie: My dad sent me your column about how to find a job after graduation, but I have one further question. I\u2019ll be graduating in June with a bachelor\u2019s 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.\nI 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\u2019m 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? &amp;#8212;Undecided\nDear 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 \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEBAY\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t but, before that, he worked for three startups &amp;#8212; including one he joined right out of college even though, like you, he also had offers from big-name companies.\nMORE:\u00A0Should you treat your family like a business?\n\u201CBeginning my career at a startup was the single best decision I\u2019ve ever made,\u201D Razzaq says. \u201CIt 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.\u201D\nThat\u2019s not to say your friends don\u2019t have a point. How can you tell whether a promising startup is the next Google \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tgoog\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t, or just a flash in the pan? Razzaq suggests you do enough digging to answer these seven questions:\n1. What stage is the startup in now? \u201CJoining a very early-stage startup, where it\u2019s just a few guys on a shoestring budget with no track record yet, is obviously a huge gamble,\u201D Razzaq notes. You\u2019d be better off at a company that, while still small, has \u201Ca proven customer base and demonstrated revenues. Not only is it less risky, but you\u2019ll learn more.\u201D\n2. Has the enterprise shown fast growth so far? \u201CYou want a company that is showing some momentum, because you\u2019ll have more opportunities there,\u201D says Razzaq. Research the company online, looking closely at lists of fast-growing companies, tech blogs, and IT trade publications. \u201CIn tech right now, some fields are hotter than others,\u201D he adds. \u201CYou need to know the industry well enough to see whether this startup is in a business that is likely to keep growing.\u201D\n3. Who\u2019s in charge? \u201CIn any small company, it\u2019s all about the people,\u201D Razzaq says. \u201CCheck 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?\u201D This is one of the main things investors look for before committing funds, which brings us to the next question \u2026\n4. Who\u2019s funding the company? \u201CIt\u2019s great if venture capitalists have invested, but in and of itself, that doesn\u2019t tell you much, because venture capital is fairly easy to get in tech right now,\u201D Razzaq says. \u201CYou need to look at the investors, who are probably also on the board, and research what they have invested in before this.\u201D A solid history of backing winners is a good indication that this firm has strong potential, too.\n5. Will you have a mentor? \u201CParticularly right out of school, it\u2019s essential to learn workplace skills like resolving conflicts and influencing people even though you have no authority yet,\u201D Razzaq observes. \u201CA mentor can be a crucial part of this.\u201D Axcient, for example, has a \u201Cbuddy system.\u201D All new employees are assigned a \u201Cbuddy\u201D they can ask for advice.\n6. What will your role be? \u201CAs a new grad, will you be boxed in to a menial position, or will you have significant responsibility quickly?\u201D Razzaq asks. Try to get an idea of what career progression you can expect, too. \u201CIf you see a lot you could be doing in six months or a year, that\u2019s a good sign,\u201D he says. \u201CYou should ask questions like, \u2018What would success in this job look like, and where would it lead? What will I need to demonstrate in order to get more responsibility?\u2019\u201D\nMORE:\u00A0Netflix and the golden era of couch potatoes\n7. Do you have the right personality to shine in a startup? \u201CUnlike in a big company, you usually define your own role to a large degree. Instead of telling you what to do and when to do it, people will expect you to figure a lot of things out for yourself,\u201D Razzaq says. \u201CSo it\u2019s important to consider, are you good at spotting opportunities and seizing the initiative to get things done?\u201D Not everyone is comfortable with that, so be honest with yourself.\nHe adds that working for a startup \u201Cis more challenging and takes more energy, but if you\u2019re up to it, you will probably learn more at a startup in one year than you would at a big company in five.\u201D Partly for that reason, working for a firm that is still in its infancy is less risky than it might appear, because \u201Cyou can always work for a big company later,\u201D Razzaq says. \u201CLarge corporations are looking for ways to be more innovative and nimble, so people who have worked in an entrepreneurial environment are in demand.\u201D\nGood luck!\nTalkback: If you\u2019ve worked for a startup, or work for one now, do you agree that the learning experience offsets the risk? If you\u2019re a hiring manager, do you prefer candidates with an entrepreneurial background? Leave a comment below."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://fortune.com/2013/03/14/7-questions-to-ask-before-joining-a-startup/>