OutOfHere parent
What exactly should one be on the lookout for? Practically every company has an IP confidentiality agreement.
Yeah, good luck being the odd one out who wants special individualized contract. This might work for unicorn value level employees that are poached from one FANG to another but not for the average Joe.
In my experience, as a normal non-unicorn employee at a large corp, I was able to have my contract modified. It required advice from an employment law lawyer that cost a few hundred dollars and a couple emails with the company’s general counsel.
You can change these contracts. Hiring people is difficult and once the company has made that decision they don’t want to lose you over a contract clause.
As an average Joe, I was able to negotiate employment contract changes every place I worked in the tech industry in California in the early 02000s. I don't remember having been faced with contract clauses that I felt needed alteration as an entry-level tech employee in the 01990s.
If you are negotiating terms you are not an average Joe. Average Joe’s don’t even interact with people capable of requesting someone higher up to approve the change. Average Joe’s get given a take it or leave it deal
It's worse than that for the average Joe. The offer can be rescinded altogether if one raises too many concerns about the offer.
You evidently have no idea what you're talking about.
Then please provide me sources. What non single digit percentage of the workforce regularly has the ability to negotiate clauses in work agreements?
I had every single one of all my contracts (as employee and one-nerd-business) adapted in minor or major ways.
I am good at what I do, but no unicorn and not FANG "level".
But then again, I don't live in the US
ianal but: don't perform personal work while you are employed by an employer in the same industry. Or at least make it like you didn't do that to any observer.