I’m currently applying to this company in TX and would like to show some work I’ve done for my current company. The projects were done about 9-12 mos ago. What are the regulations/etiquette in showing previous/current employer’s project? I understand this whole nondisclosure agreement even after you leave the place. But are there speific rules as to what you can/cannot show?
ie if the product is in its tooling stage, if you show only sketches, if you obscure the client’s logo, if you do similar sketches on your own, if you’re are applying to a company’s that in a different specialization than current, if the project does not see to production anyway, if you hate your employer and don’t care, if you’re applying to a consultancy in another state, country?
if someone showed me something still in tooling, i wouldnt hire them. closest acceptable imo is product shipping. otherwise it should be on the shelf afaic.
If I were the prospective employer, I wouldn’t hire you if you showed me something that was covered by non-disclosure, unless you asked me to sign an NDA of your own. At that point, I would also ask you to sign an NDA, even if I didn’t hire you… you may have seen or heard something during the interview that could be delivered to a competitor.
Your best bet would be to show products that you worked on that have been released for sales. At that point, I would want to see anything that shows off your skills or thought processes. For that, I would sign an NDA. If there are no products that have made it to productions, then you haven’t worked there long enough to say that you’ve worked on a successful project.
If I were a prospective hire, I wouldn’t want to show anything to a potential employer unless they were willing to sign an NDA. I realize that limits my choices but I couldn’t go work for a firm that didn’t know how to respect intellectual property law. I’m not saying the firm has to be ethical, just legal.
I second that opinion…even though your most recent work is most likely your best…
I’ve had to shelf some really cool stuff, and I most likely won’t ever be able to show it because of its strategically conceptual nature. I know it can be frustrating…
Your potential employer will respect you more in the long run if you stick to your ethical guns and keep the work under wraps until the product is out on the market…
But what if the concepts for a project you did was over a year old and its been abandoned by the client? now the sketches/renderings are just rotting in the cabinet. What if its just a sketch (to show skills) that has no reference to client company, market direction, or observable function? All that was shown is the sketching/rendering abilty? What if I took those sketch back home and worked on it?
But what if the concepts for a project you did was over a year old and its been abandoned by the client? now the sketches/renderings are just rotting in the cabinet.
And what if your company decides to use those concepts in 2 years? What if the competitor you are interviewing with decides to use them?
Especially if the company is in the same industry DO NOT SHOW THEM!
What if the production peices are being manufactured for a January release, but the product was debuted last summer during a trade show, and is being advertised already?
debuted behind a curtain in private? or on display in a booth. different things.
if i see it advertised, of course i’ll show it. it’s public. but don’t usually see advertising. that’s why i go with Product Shipping. on the shelf is plenty public.
I would suggest using your discretion. If you’re interviewing for a job in an entirely different industry, then you can probably get away with showing some things that haven’t been released. However, if the job is in the same industry…like others have mentioned…don’t show stuff you shouldn’t. It’s a small community!
How common and/beneficial is it for recent grads to show their portfolios with a Nondisclosure agreement? Should I consider it? All of the projects are my own. How likely is it for a company you are interviewing with to hijack your ideas.
If your portfolio comprises projects that have been presented in class or on display at the grad art show, then they are already in the public domain.
But, if you have some ideas that are patentable, any disclosure constitutes release into the public domain, unless that disclosure is specifically covered by an NDA. Even then, a weak legal document or an unscrupulous prospect can run with the idea.
The legal problem is this: If you discuss your original idea without an NDA, and that idea is commercialized without your express permission, you have no recourse. If the idea is patented by that other entity, your only solution will be to try and have the patent voided in a legal action. Even if successful, you still have no commercial claim, just the satisfaction that the monopoly has been nullified. The safest way to protect yourself is to actually have at least a patent application on the idea before disclosing it. The next best technique is to have a well-written NDA cover the disclosure.
Sadly, intellectual property disputes are often a question of David and Goliath, without the Hollywood ending.
How common and/beneficial is it for recent grads to show their portfolios with a Nondisclosure agreement? Should I consider it? All of the projects are my own. How likely is it for a company you are interviewing with to hijack your ideas.
Try and protect yourself the best you can but really, if its that great don’t show it. Otherwise lets be real, I’m sure you will be coming up with other good ideas.
I’ve showed some work I’ve done with clients but only if they grant it… Even then what I show are earlier revisions of the concept and the design process.
To be frank, it really depends on the aggrement with your past clients. For instance, I’ve been granted permission to only show a concpet of range of concepts for a product, however, I cannot show the one currently being manufacturing, which is, functionaly and aesthetically different.
I work in a consultancy. I work on average, 3 projects/ week. Over a years time I have over 100 projects. And only 30 or so of them will be produced. And because of he lag between project launch and actual shipping of products maybe only a handful of those 30 will be permitted into portfolio. How can anyone show a portfolio with only 5-6 projects? Is that ample? I can show sketches, renderings and CAD stuff but that’s under concept work for clients too- which also cannot be shown. My question is, since 95% of your work cannot be shown, esp. for work less than 1-2 yrs, what can you show???
you can switch jobs with me. This consultancy is luck to do two projects every six months. Been stuck here for three years waiting for first product to come out next fall. Finished it in April of 03, client took that long to complete tooling…well and they always work 3 years out. Just finished thier fall 2006 product.
I really think that you guys need to calm down a little here. - NDA’s if you sign someone else’s NDA’s ???
its simple. Dont leave confidential work with a potential employer. Show it to them - how else are you gonna show work ?, but never leave them with a copy of work that is too recent. chances are that you will get burned.
