NDA for Interview

Don't sign anything and go somewhere else.

Earlier this year I was interviewed by a company that I approached since I really had the perfect background for them. Two interviews, the first one went really smooth, we had a good time and they saw I was, indeed, a solid candidate for what they were looking for.

Before the second one they wanted me to sign an NDA. I thought that was ridiculous and refused politely. We hadn't even discussed salary, lol.

After that they just sent me their generic "sorry but you're not a good fit for us, wish you the best" email.

Since I didn't sign anything, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, during the interview their CTO was telling me that their churn rate was abysmal and that had investors truly worried; also a couple engineers before me had quit (quit, not fired), one during its first week at the job. So, in the end, it wasn't a good gig anyway.

Anyway, asking for an NDA (in almost any context) is kind of like a rookie thing to do. I think you dodged a bullet as you stated in your update.

Around 7-8 months ago I was interviewing with many startups and no one asked me for a NDA.

The only exception was a company that asked me to sign a NDA just for an informal chat. Normally I don't mind a simple NDA, but this company NDA was VERY draconic, it was pretty much full non compete rather than the typical "dont leak your interview questions, dont spy on us". Obviously I refused to sign the NDA and stopped my conversations with this company.

Quick update.

Wow, your intuition was correct, what a mess. Surprised to see this from a highly valued YC portfolio company. They asked me to prepare for a presentation as part of an interview and cancelled that just now (a few days before the scheduled interview).

On top of this poorly constructed NDA issue…really feel like I dodged a bullet.

On a related note, I've found that if i decline an extensive NDA, potential clients tend to say 'do you have a simpler one you prefer, we could go with that?' - does anyone have a super-simple NDA contract they'd be ok with sharing?

I got one of these once and deep in the fine-print was a non-compete clause. I understand they have even less bite than an NDA but even so, that’s a bit sneaky…

Instead of refusing to sign it, I asked for 20k compensation instead. They refused so that was that.

I made the mistake twice of signing an NDA before an interview (and ended up with the job both times (at truly horrible companies))

If they can't interview you without an NDA, they're not worth working for

The CIA doesn't require an NDA to interview - there's no reason some random YC startup should

NDA for a government job? OK

NDA for a private job? They need to pay for a lawyer to review it for you, so you don't end up in a silly non-compete situation.

I wouldn’t. They’re not the only game in town and this sounds pretty unreasonable to me.

Seems reasonable so long as there’s a check so you can pay your lawyer to review it and possibly negotiate its terms.

If that’s deemed unreasonable, it might be a tell regarding how the company views employees since they expect something for nothing.

Good luck.

Other replies here seem to be from folks who have only ever interviewed for non-senior positions. Signing an NDA for an interview is completely and utterly normal, routine, and banal. It is to be expected any time a candidate is supposed to be senior enough to express informed opinions about non-public projects they may be working on. If I did an interview loop today and didn't sign an NDA at some point then it's more likely than not that I'd decline any offer based on not having got a look at projects I might be working on, which would indicate extreme non-seriousness from the company.

Here are some rules for what to expect, based on every interview NDA I've ever signed: It shouldn't cover anything but non-public info you get during the interview, and it should be stated so simply that you don't need legal review.[0] You should only be asked to sign one before you go into an interview in which you're going to get non-public info - so, probably not before tech screens or behavioral screens. Don't expect to learn the 12 secret ingredients just because you've signed an NDA; it's more to protect any info to which you may be accidentally exposed. And... nope, I can't think of anything else actually. It's that simple.

[0] Admittedly I'd be wary of signing even a simple NDA in an unfamiliar jurisdiction, but that may just be an issue you'd have to absorb when doing cross-jurisdictional job seeking. You might in theory seek out legal advice on what a simple interview NDA should look like and any pitfalls to watch out for that differ from your own familiar jurisdiction. Definitely don't sign anything in a language in which you aren't completely fluent.

IANAL, but...

Non-negotiable - the NDA must be both tightly time-limited and narrow in scope.

Much-desired - they tell you enough (in writing) about the compensation, responsibilities, hours, etc. - before you sign - that there's little chance of "why did I sign an NDA for a 'meh' job?" regret.

Ideally - the burden of proof (if they come after you, claiming that you blabbed) should be on them.

Either sign it and be considered for the role, or don't and don't?

I’d only sign an NDA as part of an interview if I’m asking for access to sensitive materials and the role is exec level.

It's fairly common. More so for startups than larger companies as it may include an interview with the CEO/CTO etc. and include material details about the company and its products. The company may be in stealth mode. It does not mean that the company is going to really divulge any real secrets to you. It just safeguards against someone making a mess on social media after the interview. Pretty harmless and not a hill worth dying on.

It happened to me too. If you like the company, maybe ask their reasons and follow through if they make sense.

If you don't sign it there's a fair chance you won't get further than an initial interview.

I've had to sign an NDA several times before interviewing; it covered information shared about the company's product or proprietary technology (games industry in this case). I've always thought that was fairly common, and it allows the interviewer to talk more openly with you about what you'd potentially be working on.

You won’t get anymore interviews if you don’t sign it. Make sure to read it, but most are pretty standard and just cover if you are exposed to non-public information that you need to keep it quiet especially if they are public.

What are your objections to signing it?

How are they compensating you for this service (your non-disclosure)?

If they want to bind you to a contract then they should pay for it.

This is mostly bark and no bite. They are trying to impress you that they have cool technology their competitors want.

Unless you actively use the interview to steal trade secrets and then take them to a competitor, there is basically nothing they can do.