RE: Consultants:Dim or Delete the Non-Compete?

[Donald -dot- H -dot- White -at- pmusa -dot- com]

When I worked as an agency contractor, I never agreed to non-compete
clauses. I negotiated so that, if the client opted to hire me, the client
paid a finder's fee to the agency.

Non-competes can destroy you, depending upon the market. If your area is
small, a non-compete clause can be used to prevent you from being hired by
the former client after your contract is finished. This usually happens when
a client wants you to come onboard soon after the contract ends--when the
hiring manager still knows you and needs your expertise and influence within
the group.

No, I did not undercut any agency and offer to quit them if the client hired
me. More often, I was okay with being an agency contractor, since that
market area was such that firms usually hired tech writers only for the
length of a project and then let us go afterwards (since we were then on
overhead). In another area, such as that in which I live today,
circumstances are different and being a full employee is much the better
option.

Don White
Technical Writer
dwhite -at- venturipartners -dot- com

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