How to Evaluate a Potential Employer in a Downturn

馬洛·萊昂斯（Marlo Lyons） |? 文?

Stacey* had a stable job as an executive recruiter at an executive search firm, but she really wanted to work in-house at a technology company. When she accepted an offer with her dream company, she took some time to hire her replacement to leave her firm in a good place. Days before her start date in her dream role, her offer was rescinded, leaving her stunned. “I felt confident and had numerous conversations about runway, where my role fit in, what would happen if hiring slowed down, and candid conversations about where they were in the market if the market shifted,” she told me.

高管獵頭斯泰西（Stacey）之前的工作非常穩(wěn)定，但一直非常想去科技公司。她接受了理想公司的入職邀約，花了不少時(shí)間找好接替自己工作的人，確保離職后公司基本不受影響。就在她即將入職理想工作之前幾天，邀約被撤銷了，她驚訝得目瞪口呆?！拔液茏孕?，針對(duì)離職、如何發(fā)揮崗位職能、如果招聘延緩會(huì)怎樣，以及如果市場(chǎng)波動(dòng)該公司市場(chǎng)地位變化等問題坦誠(chéng)交談過多次?！彼嬖V我。

When the offer was rescinded, she learned there was no severance compensation, she didn't qualify for unemployment because she had resigned from her previous company, and there was no student loan deferment option. “I'm lucky. I have savings and a great network.” But she recognizes that this isn't just happening to her.

入職邀約撤銷時(shí)她才得知沒有遣散費(fèi)，也不能算失業(yè)，因?yàn)樗呀?jīng)從之前的公司辭職，也沒有助學(xué)貸款延期的選項(xiàng)?！靶疫\(yùn)的是我有存款，還有強(qiáng)大的人脈?！钡庾R(shí)到自己并非唯一有此遭遇的人。

With rising interest rates, high inflation, political issues, and war all contributing to a roller coaster global economic outlook, it's hard to know whether to stay in a stable job — no matter how unhappy you are — or make a move when it's unclear how changing economic conditions could affect your employment. While you can't eliminate the risks entirely, here are some ways to lower them when making a move.

隨著利率上升、高通脹、政治問題和戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)陰影，全球經(jīng)濟(jì)前景仿佛坐上過山車，不管工作得開不開心，很難知道當(dāng)下更應(yīng)該保住穩(wěn)定飯碗，還是在經(jīng)濟(jì)動(dòng)蕩對(duì)工作的影響并不明朗之際就采取行動(dòng)。雖然做不到完全消除風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，但采取具體行動(dòng)時(shí)還是有些方法能降低風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

Research the company.

調(diào)查公司

Public companies are required by law to disclose their financial performance, so there is a plethora of information about them. You can review earning reports such as 10-Q and 10-K reports in?SEC's EDGAR?system to understand the company's profitability, financial standing, and the overall business performance. If you want even more data, join earnings calls, where financial analysts ask questions about the reports. Many companies provide access to the recorded calls on their websites.

法律要求上市公司披露財(cái)務(wù)業(yè)績(jī)，因此有大量公開信息。可以在美國(guó)證券交易委員會(huì)的EDGAR系統(tǒng)中查看利潤(rùn)表，如10-Q和10-K報(bào)告，以了解公司的盈利能力、財(cái)務(wù)狀況和整體業(yè)績(jī)。如果想了解更多數(shù)據(jù)，可以聽財(cái)報(bào)會(huì)議，會(huì)上財(cái)務(wù)分析師會(huì)針對(duì)報(bào)告提出問題。很多公司在網(wǎng)站上提供會(huì)議記錄。

It's harder to find information on private companies and startups, which are not required to disclose their financial performance. Understanding how the company is funded — whether it's by friends and family or a reputable venture capital firm like Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, or Bessemer Venture Partners — will help you assess risk. When VC firms or other successful companies invest, they'll usually do everything in their power to protect their investments. Also, research the CEO and their track record at other companies. And if you really want to show your investigative prowess, research the local courts for civil lawsuits, which can tell you if the company has ever been delinquent in paying suppliers, has any tax liens, or has filed for bankruptcy in the past.

有關(guān)私人公司和初創(chuàng)公司的信息比較難找，因?yàn)榇祟惞緹o需披露財(cái)務(wù)業(yè)績(jī)。了解公司的資金來源有助于評(píng)估風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，可以通過朋友和家人，也可以通過安德烈森·霍洛維茨（Andreessen Horowitz）、凱鵬華盈（Kleiner Perkins）或柏尚投資（Bessemer Venture Partners）等知名風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資公司。風(fēng)投公司或其他成功公司投資時(shí)，通常會(huì)竭力保護(hù)自己的投資。此外，研究首席執(zhí)行官以及在其他公司的從業(yè)業(yè)績(jī)。如果確實(shí)想展示調(diào)查能力，還可以研究當(dāng)?shù)胤ㄍサ拿袷略V訟，以便了解到目標(biāo)公司是否曾拖欠供應(yīng)商貨款，有沒有稅收留置權(quán)，或者過去是否申請(qǐng)過破產(chǎn)。

Finally, whether the company is public or private, check websites like?Crunchbase?and?Intellizence?for layoff-reporting data. Reviewing LinkedIn for the average tenure of the employees at the company may also help you understand how it's growing and whether employees stay long term.

最后，無論公司上市與否，都要查看Crunchbase和Intellizence等網(wǎng)站的裁員報(bào)告數(shù)據(jù)。在領(lǐng)英（LinkedIn）查看員工在公司的平均任期，也有助于了解其發(fā)展情況以及員工是否長(zhǎng)期留任。

Understand the industry.

了解行業(yè)

Do you work in an industry that's recession proof, or one that's particularly vulnerable? For example, when interest rates increase, home sales decrease, so realtors and mortgage companies are particularly vulnerable. Long Island-based lender?Sprout Mortgage?abruptly closed this month, laying off more than 300 workers. In June,?Redfin?announced an 8% staff cut, and?Compass?announced a 10% cut.

你工作的行業(yè)是經(jīng)濟(jì)不景氣，還是特別脆弱？舉個(gè)例子，利率走高時(shí)房屋銷售下降，因此房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀(jì)人和抵押貸款公司尤其脆弱。本月總部位于長(zhǎng)島的抵押貸款公司Sprout Mortgage突然倒閉，解雇了300多名員工。6月，Redfin宣布裁員8%，Compass宣布裁員10%。

Looking at other companies in an industry may help you forecast how market changes impact the industry. For example,?One Trust, a security software company, laid off 950 employees — 25% of its workforce — as part of a reorganization even though the company had record quarters and increased customer demand. While it may seem like there was no way to predict this, reviewing competitors like?Lacework, which cut its workforce by 20% a month earlier, may have been a predictor of other companies' future in the same industry.

觀察行業(yè)中其他公司可能有助于預(yù)測(cè)市場(chǎng)變化對(duì)行業(yè)的影響。例如，雖然安全軟件公司One Trust季度業(yè)績(jī)創(chuàng)下紀(jì)錄，客戶需求增加，然而重組期間解雇了950名員工（占員工總數(shù)25%）。雖然看起來似乎很難預(yù)測(cè)，但可以回頭看Lacework之類競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手，一個(gè)月前該公司裁員了20%，可能用來預(yù)測(cè)同行業(yè)其他公司的未來趨勢(shì)。

Understanding the industry requires reading press on the company you're interviewing for, its competitors, and the industry itself. What differentiates one company's product from another? How is the customer base growing? What is the company's brand awareness in the overall industry? Of course, also read?Glassdoor?and?Blind?reviews, but keep in mind that many people post after they leave a company, so the information may be skewed.

如果想了解行業(yè)，需要閱讀有關(guān)面試公司、競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手和行業(yè)的新聞。一家公司的產(chǎn)品與另一家公司區(qū)別在哪？客戶群如何增長(zhǎng)？公司在行業(yè)內(nèi)品牌知名度如何？當(dāng)然也可以閱讀Glassdoor和Blind評(píng)論，但請(qǐng)記住，很多人是離開公司后才發(fā)表評(píng)論，因此信息可能會(huì)有偏差。

Ask strategic questions during the interview process.

面試過程中提出戰(zhàn)略性問題

Stacey was reassured multiple times that the new company wouldn’t be slowing down hiring. She now recognizes that as a red flag because the recruiter dismissed the question instead of having deeper insight into the company's talent acquisition plans. “That rings alarm bells, because every company should be adjusting what they're doing right now.” She wishes she had pressed a bit harder and asked more specific questions. Here are other questions to consider:

新公司曾多次向斯泰西保證，不會(huì)放緩招聘速度。如今她才認(rèn)識(shí)到這是危險(xiǎn)信號(hào)，因?yàn)檫@說明招聘人員顯然在敷衍，并未深入了解公司的人才招聘計(jì)劃?！斑@敲響了警鐘，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在每家公司都應(yīng)有所調(diào)整?！彼Ｍ?dāng)初自己進(jìn)一步施壓，提些更具體的問題。以下是其他需要考慮的問題：

To the hiring manager:

詢問招聘經(jīng)理：

→How is the company adjusting its hiring approach to market fluctuations?

→公司如何根據(jù)市場(chǎng)波動(dòng)調(diào)整招聘策略？

→Are there any concerns about hiring freezes or hiring slowdowns in the future?

→是否擔(dān)心未來的招聘凍結(jié)或放緩？

→How far out does the company model its strategic plan?

→公司如何制定戰(zhàn)略規(guī)劃？

→If the company is a startup, when will the company be seeking its next round of financing? What happens if economic shifts make it hard to obtain funding or delays it? It's important to understand whether the company can maintain its workforce if funding falls through.

→如果公司是初創(chuàng)企業(yè)，何時(shí)進(jìn)入下一輪募資？如果經(jīng)濟(jì)變化導(dǎo)致募資困難或延遲，會(huì)如何應(yīng)對(duì)？重點(diǎn)了解，如果資金不足，公司能否維持員工隊(duì)伍？

→What is the vision for the company? If they can't answer that, there's a chance the strategy is not strong or hasn't reached lower levels of the company.

→公司的愿景是什么？如果沒法回答，說明戰(zhàn)略可能不夠強(qiáng)大，或者公司基層員工并未知曉。

→How many employees did the company have four years ago, three years ago, two years ago, last year, and now? Is there consistent and stable growth?

→四年前、三年前、兩年前、去年和現(xiàn)在，公司員工人數(shù)分別是多少？是否持續(xù)穩(wěn)定增長(zhǎng)？

→How many people were hired last year compared to 2020 when Covid-19 hit?

→去年公司招聘了多少人，與2020年新冠疫情暴發(fā)時(shí)相比增加還是減少？

To other interviewers:

詢問其他面試官：

→Did the company have layoffs when Covid-19 shut down the country? The answer could show a trend when there's an interruption in business.

→新冠疫情導(dǎo)致全國(guó)封鎖時(shí)，公司有沒有裁員？從答案能看出業(yè)務(wù)中斷時(shí)的趨勢(shì)。

→Have supply chain issues impacted the business? If yes, how has the company overcome them?

→供應(yīng)鏈問題有沒有影響到業(yè)務(wù)？如果是，公司如何克服問題？

→How long has the current department leader been in place? If it's been a short time, is the department bracing for a reorganization (which could mean layoffs)?

→現(xiàn)任部門領(lǐng)導(dǎo)任職多久？如果時(shí)間很短，部門是否準(zhǔn)備重組（這可能意味著裁員）？

→Did employees receive market raises the past two years?

→過去兩年，員工是否根據(jù)市場(chǎng)情況加薪？

→Were bonuses paid out at the company?

→公司發(fā)不發(fā)獎(jiǎng)金？

If your questions haven't been answered, ask if it's possible to follow up with someone who can answer them for you, which will give you more peace of mind.

如果問題沒得到回答，問問可否找到能回答的人，這樣能讓人更放心。

Talk to your network.

跟朋友談?wù)劊?/strong>

If you know a current or former employee or have a contact who can put you in touch with someone at the company, ask for a meet and greet. The best way to learn about a company is to talk to people who aren't on the interview panel who can provide you with their real experiences. If you talk to a former employee, their information may be skewed depending on how and why they departed the company. But the more information you can gather, the less risk you'll have when you make the move.

如果你認(rèn)識(shí)該公司現(xiàn)任或前任員工，或者有朋友能幫你跟公司某個(gè)人搭上線，務(wù)必請(qǐng)他安排見面聊一聊。了解一家公司最佳的方式是跟不參加面試的人交談，他們可以為你提供真實(shí)經(jīng)歷。如果跟前員工交談，得到的信息可能根據(jù)他們離開公司的方式和原因而有所偏差。不過收集的信息越多，采取行動(dòng)的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)就越小。

. . .

When Stacey's offer was rescinded, her former employer asked her if she wanted to stay on, but she still had the same goal to work in a tech company, so she declined. “I'm not a recruiter who knows a bazillion recruiters out there,” she said, but she realized people were willing to help. Even the manager who rescinded the offer made some introductions. After talking with numerous companies and evaluating each company's stability thoroughly, she accepted a new offer in a tech company and started immediately.

斯泰西的入職邀約撤銷時(shí)，前公司問她是否愿意留下，但她初心未改還是想去科技公司工作，所以拒絕了。她說，“我并不認(rèn)識(shí)無數(shù)招聘人員，”但她發(fā)現(xiàn)大家都愿意幫忙。就連撤銷入職邀請(qǐng)的經(jīng)理也介紹了一些機(jī)會(huì)。跟多家公司交談并深入評(píng)估每家公司的穩(wěn)定性后，最終她接受了一家科技公司的邀請(qǐng)，立刻投身工作。

*Editor’s note: Real name changed for privacy.

編者按：為保護(hù)隱私，相關(guān)人士姓名已做更改。

馬洛·萊昂斯（Marlo Lyons） |? 文?

Marlo Lyons?is a certified career coach and strategist, HR executive, and the author of?Wanted – A New Career: The Definitive Playbook for Transitioning to a New Career or Finding Your Dream Job.

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