

Ask HN: Have you / would you sign an NDA about a job prospect? - reinhardt

I stumbled on one of these &quot;due to the awesomeness of the project, we cannot disclose more info without an NDA&quot; job posts. I&#x27;m generally prejudiced against these things but objectively speaking, what are the pros &amp; cons of signing such an NDA?
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alok-g
See my older comment here [1]. You may like to read the parent comment for
context.

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5427317](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5427317)

It is not uncommon to have such NDAs especially for senior-level positions.
But now they have started coming for pure bureaucracy.

I have heard that some big-name companies do not even let you tell to the
outside world that you interviewed with the company. This would happen when
say, just for example, if a company like Facebook would have positions for
cell-phone design experts. The justification given is actually reasonable --
the media picks up on such moves by companies extremely quickly.

My bet though, it is almost never about any "real awesomeness" of the project.
Those projects are most likely happening at several other places in the world.

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bdfh42
No never.

a) this might unfairly restrict your future job choices or personal
development activities.

b) It is a classic a __*hole indicator - so a good warning about the sorts of
people you would be interviewing with.

<edit> Using the word "awesomeness" is another good indicator</edit>

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dvmmh
How is "a)" relevant at all? A proper NDA is NOT A NONCOMPETE. It just says
that you can't blab what you see during the hiring process.

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laurencer
IANAL, this varies per jurisdiction - but an NDA can prevent you from working
(at least from where I am from) if there is a real risk that the information
may be misused.

However, it may not even be a legal barrier, there are some companies who
won't hire or engage conflicted individuals due to risk of litigation.

Definitely consult a lawyer in the appropriate jurisdiction though.

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davismwfl
I would never sign one just to interview with the company. But if it is purely
an NDA and they are saying they want to hire me but also would like to show me
more details before coming on board, so we both get to make an informed
decision. I have signed those before, and would again. Assuming it is strictly
an NDA and not a non-compete. If it was a non-compete, or a non-compete hidden
in NDA form I would politely walk and be honest about why.

I also would be leery of any job posting that wouldn't give some reasonable
details. I get a stealth mode start-up, kind of, although I don't totally
agree. But that doesn't mean they can't say who they are and at least what
space and technologies they are in/wanting. I see neither of those as
competitive advantages that need to be hidden.

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jf271
Yes. In Massachusetts for a startup by MIT professors and graduates. MA will
enforce NDAs and non-compete agreements. It is nothing like California here.

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dylanhassinger
no

