Recently I was approached by my young cousin asking for my advice.
He is working in an established company part of the QA team, well-compensated and appreciated by his employers.
After 3 years in the same place (for the Y gen it's forever sometimes), which kind of gave him a chance, great compensation, and many more perks, he got a very tempting offer to move to a new startup, be paid much more, become a manager and many other things.
We started to analyze the situation and got to the following which I think are kind of general rules/things to look at when considering a move and a change especially when moving to work for a new startup.
On the pros side, it’s an exciting new adventure with a potential upside, the ability to shape things in your way, to lead the way, and become a pioneer.
On the cons side, the stability of the company is debatable and unclear (anyone can say anything as per their financials and visions) and we can do great plans while life happens.
On the cons side, you need to understand that in many cases the entrepreneur is “in love” with his new baby and business decisions might not be taken adequately.
I would check and try to get as much information as possible on the following:
1. Company's financials and who is behind the company
2. The experience of the entrepreneur and how open s/he is to new ideas
3. What is the work style, which is planned in the business, is it centralized, flexible?
4. Am I excited to work there because I find it interesting and with great potential? Or I just got a great offer, and I am running into it with my eyes closed?
5. Do the company and my employer has a clear understanding and definition of my role? If not, are they open for flexibility?
6. Another and maybe the most important thing is the people in this company, do we see eye to eye? Are they the kind of people I will want to see and work with every day (this is always relevant but especially in a small new start-up)
Your thoughts?
