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如果你想完成职业目标，取得职业成功，那么去辨别出那些优秀的平台并努力成为其中一份子对你来说是至关重要的。一个成功的员工应该充分认识这一点，并审慎地选择自己的发展方向。对你来说也应该如此。

在谈到职业发展时，我们的一位应聘者向我们讲述了“选择平台”这一过程在他的成功中所起到的举足轻重的作用。即使是在他职业生涯的早期，他一直清醒地知道他为什么要去抓住一个机会，以及他能从中学到什么。

他的第一份工作是在国有企业做结构分析。那时，他恰巧碰见了一位跨国战略咨询公司的中方合伙人，那位合伙人彼时是客户方的总经理助理。因为经验不足的关系，那位合伙人认为他不能胜任。但是，他的逻辑思维能力以及开放的心态为他赢得了一丝转机。面试结束时，那位合伙人向他询问了加入自己公司的意愿，这就是他咨询生涯的开端。

机不可失，时不再来

他从兼职研究员做起。三个月后，他告诉了合伙人自己出国读MBA的愿望。“我还记得当我同他说这些的时候，他告诉我在他身边工作个两年比任何MBA都有用多了。”他回忆道，“因为我们的公司那时候还很小。他承诺将会交给我更多的项目，托付给我更大的责任。在中国大陆像我这样年纪的人很少会得到这样的重任。”周详地考虑后，我意识到这个机会是独一无二的，所以我放弃了读MBA的想法，决定留下。

事实证明他得到了他想要的一切，甚至更甚。因为他的国企背景，本地企业对他的意见和建议深信不疑。同样他也在外国同事适应当地市场和商业文化的过程中扮演了关键角色。虽然肩膀上的担子很重，但他也在这个过程中飞速成长为具有国际水准的员工。

认清哪些情况可以为你的背景镀金 

五年后，另外一家咨询公司想要挖角他。“虽然我所处的环境可以让我学习如何分析问题和提出战略解决方案，可我意识到如果我想要增加自身价值，我不能只是提出和分享想法。”他回忆道，“我需要学着如何实施他们。在那家公司里，我可以近距离地接触企业，帮助他们解决问题，显著提高他们的生产力和竞争力。”

他通过一切机会想方设法提升自己的职业能力。例如，他紧紧把握住每一次做领导者的机会。“我逐渐会有机会建立和运行一个比较庞大的组织，接触更好的资源和更高级别的人，这是以前的我所不敢想的。”他说道，“这是我成为全球顶级执行官道路上不可缺少的一步。”

现实是，你很难知道你的职业之路通往何方。对大多数人来说，随着我们对某一特定职位兴趣的增长，未来之路会逐渐变得明晰。但为了增添自身的竞争力，避免与好的机会失之交臂，你最好能够认识到你所在的公司是否是适你合自己的平台。如果你在这方面做得足够好，它会对你今后的职业生涯和长期目标产生积极而深远的影响。

Recognize How Strong Platforms Can Add Value To Your Career

Identifying and being a part of strong platforms that provide value to your career has as much impact on your ability to achieve your career success and objectives as any factor.  Successful professionals tend to have a strong awareness of this and, therefore, are very careful and selective about the platforms or situations that they choose to join.  So should you.

In talking about his career development, one of our candidates described to us how choosing strong platforms for himself has been a big part of his career success to date.  Even from the very beginning of his career, he’s always had a clear idea of why he wanted to pursue an opportunity and what he could gain from it.

His first job was with a state-owned enterprise performing structural analysis.  During this time, he happened to meet the China partner of an international strategy consulting who interviewed him for a GM assistant position for their client.  Because he lacked previous business experience, the partner didn’t feel he was qualified for the role.  However, he liked his logical thinking and open mind, so at the end of the interview the partner asked him, “How about joining us?”  That’s how his consulting career got started.

Recognize Unique Opportunities When They’re Presented to You

He began as a part-time researcher.  After three months, he told the partner of his plan to go abroad for an MBA.  “When I told him this, I remember him telling me that staying and working alongside him for two years would be better than any MBA degree I could ever get,” he recalls.  “Because we were such a small office then, he assured me I’d be involved in more projects and handle more responsibilities than most mainlanders my age.  Thinking it over, I knew the opportunity was unique and not one I’d likely find elsewhere.  So instead of going back to school to get my MBA, I decided to stay.”

He got exactly what he was promised, and much more.  With his SOE background, he was sought for his opinion and views on many situations and topics that involved business with local companies.  He was also a key person in communicating the local market and business culture to colleagues sent to China to support consulting engagements here.  Although it was an intense and demanding time in his career, he grew quickly as an international-caliber professional.

Identify Situations That Add Key Pieces To Your Background 

After five years, an opportunity came along to join another business consulting firm as a principle consultant.  “While I was in a great situation to learn how to analyze situations and propose strategic solutions, if I wanted to increase my value I knew I couldn’t just develop and share ideas,” he recalls.  I needed to learn how to implement them.  In this other firm I could get closer to helping companies solve key problems and issues that significantly improved their productivity and competitiveness.”

He continues to seek out situations that support his growth and career development, such as taking advantage of the leadership opportunities presented to him.  “I’m getting the chance to build and run an increasingly larger organization, where I have to leverage resources and cooperate with other teams and departments to a greater degree than I’ve done before,” he says.  “That’s another key step towards my eventual goal of becoming a top-level, global executive someday.”

The reality is, it’s difficult to know exactly how your career will evolve and where it will take you.  For most of us, the picture becomes clearer as we gain experience and get closer to some of the roles that we grow interested in. But to increase your competitiveness and ability to capture future opportunities that are attractive to you, it’s important to at least recognize in what ways each platform that you join and are a part of can add value to your career.  The better you do this, the bigger the impact towards your success and ability to achieve your long-term objectives.

（责任编辑：职场达人）