The noncompete scare that made me ditch a steady gig

Was at a Starbucks in Austin last March. Signed a 3-month project with a local agency. They slid in a noncompete clause on page 8. I almost missed it. Told them I wouldn't sign it. They threatened to pull the offer. I stuck to my guns and walked. Found a better paying gig two weeks later with no strings. Has anyone else had a client try to sneak in a hidden clause like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

johnson.eva7d ago

Jumped right out of that situation, good call. Honestly, I had a similar thing happen with a freelance gig last year. They buried a clause in the middle of a paragraph saying I couldn't work with any of their clients for a full year after. I told them to remove it or I'd walk. They tried to say it was standard, but I just laughed and said I'd find a better offer. Ended up taking a different job that paid 30% more and let me keep my contacts. Ngl, it feels like some of these agencies just copy-paste contracts without thinking you'll actually read the fine print.

cora8137d ago

Is it just me or do these companies think we're all just clicking "I agree" without reading? @johnson.eva you were smart to push back on that non-compete nonsense. It's wild how they try to slide that garbage in there hoping you won't notice. I had one agency try to claim I couldn't even mention the project on LinkedIn for two years. I told them they were dreaming and walked. It's like they copy paste the worst possible terms and hope for the best. Honestly, good on you for that 30% raise too, sounds like you dodged a bullet and got a better deal.

joseph487d ago

Hah, tell me about it. I'm pretty sure my brain has a permanent "I agree" checkbox tattoo at this point from all the times I've clicked without reading. It's like they hope our eyes glaze over right as they slide in a clause about us owing them our firstborn or something. I once signed something that said I couldn't complain about the company on social media, which I'm pretty sure violates some basic human right to gripe. Honestly, if you have to hide it in the fine print, you probably shouldn't be asking for it in the first place.