Employer won't let me make websites as a hobby/freetime and now I got laid off?
I worked in a Web Development company where I help built websites, Internet Marketing (SEO, SEM, PPC, ecommerce, mailing list, etc).
Now, according to my contract/non-compete, it states I can’t work on a company doing the same thing nor do something similar. Well, this makes no sense to me since, for the past year I’ve been working on projects that constantly got can celled due to clients not paying on time and using outdated technologies. So, in terms of experience for work, I don’t got much of a portfolio to show. Now, here’s the worse part — the company don’t want me to make websites in my own free time as a hobby — basically, I can’t built my own web app or websites making money on the side (mailing list, selling things, affiliates, etc). To them, they’re afraid I’m copying their ideas — but isn’t that stupid since 90% of websites that money do the same thing??? How can you protect that? And if they somehow google my name and link me to a website I’ve built in my freetime, they were planning to acquire it and take legal action for it.
Ok, about two weeks ago, I got laid off due to budget cut…so now I can’t say how much I’ve accomplish at the company due to projects going downhill. And if prospective employers in an interview ask me if I enjoy making websites/programming or running one on my own as a hobby, I can’t show anything since my previous employer did not want me to make websites or money off it as a hobby.
How do I deal with this situation?
Tagged with: free time • freetime • google • internet marketing seo • making money • outdated technologies • paying on time • ppc • prospective employers • running one • web development company
Filed under: Building Websites
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First and foremost if you want to work in funeral parlor then there are lots of postions there and is very rare that ppl could stand looking at dead people.
oh please please apply for unemployment.
You might want to ask this question also in the legal section, since I’m not a lawyer and I don’t even play one on TV.
That said, I have worked under non-competitive contracts and my experience is that some companies are very strict about enforcing them and others aren’t.
Web design and development is an open market. It may be hard to say whether a new job would be competitive or not. You say you worked for customers, but if you went to work designing your employer’s web site, would that be considered competing? It depends…
Also, since your layoff came as the result of budget cuts, your former employer may not want to pursue a non-compete action against you, as you weren’t fired for cause. They have bigger issues right now than to chase you…
I also wouldn’t worry too much about not having a portfolio to show. More importantly is how you interview. In the technical field, if you can speak intelligently about your subject (HTML, PHP, CSS, etc.) and leave the impression with the interviewer that you know your stuff, and can speak about how much you accomplished in how little time and without supervision, you’ll be in good shape!
Good luck!
Time to get a job at McDonald’s
You tell the truth. Say how you really enjoy working on websites in your free time, but haven’t been able to due to contractual obligations in your previous position of employment.
I’m no lawyer, but this is what I would do. Since you are no longer working for the company I doubt your non-compete agreement is still in effect (it doesn’t make sense that you can never do web design for any other company if they lay you off). Therefore, I would go ahead and make a portfolio now with examples of the work you are able to do. DON’T USE ANYTHING YOU DID FOR THE COMPANY THAT FIRED YOU but make everything from scratch. Send these examples to employers and on your CV state that you don’t have any working examples because they got canceled, were with another company, etc.
You should be good as gold,
-John