I'm up for a senior executive (C-suite or SVP, negotiating) position with a company that competes with two of my former employers.
Obviously if I was hired I would have to execute an NDA, and I'm familiar with the issues there. However, I'm being asked to sign an NDA in connection with the interview process, and I have a few concerns related to what happens if I am not offered or do not accept the position.
They are asking me to sign so that they can disclose enough for me to go through a strategic exercise with the other senior execs - mainly me creating strategies, plans and recommendations that I would lead if I come aboard based on my understanding of the business and their disclosures. First, I'm concerned that to a certain extent about my knowledge of my recommendations - not because I'm worried they will take them and not hire me, but the optics if I wind up competing with them somewhere else. Second, I'm concerned about the contents of the NDA - their remedies to protecting their disclosures include entitling them to injunctive relief in addition to all legal remedies without showing or proving any actual damage.
I don't think anybody has anything but good intentions, but the fact is that this industry is a small pool of experts who move though multiple stops and we all know each other. If this doesn't work out I want to be able to land an another spot and compete with these guys in good faith with no hard feelings or gotchas. Thoughts?