Read your non-compete before it decides your next job
A non-compete clause tries to stop you working for a competitor, or starting a competing business, for a period after you leave. Its effect depends on the details: which activities, which competitors, which places and for how long, and whether the law where you work allows it at all. Ask Search+ to set out each limit from your contract and read the cited wording before you accept an offer or plan a move.
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Last updated October 2026
How to read a non-compete with Search+
- Upload the contract and any separate covenant
Some employers put restrictive covenants in a separate agreement or in an equity grant. Upload every document you signed so the answer can find each restriction.
- Ask about activity, place and time separately
Ask what work is restricted, which geographic area is covered and how long the restriction lasts after employment ends. Each limit usually sits in its own phrase.
- Ask what triggers it and what goes with it
Ask whether the restriction applies however you leave, and whether any payment is linked to it. Open the citations and read the conditions together.
Questions about non-competes
What kinds of work or businesses does the non-compete stop me from joining?
How long after I leave does the restriction last, and does garden leave count toward it?
Does the restriction apply to a defined area, to markets I worked on, or worldwide?
Does the non-compete apply if I am let go, or only if I resign?
Does the contract also restrict soliciting clients or colleagues, and how do those terms differ?
What to look for in a non-compete
Narrow clauses cover the role or products you worked on; broad ones cover any business that competes with the employer. The definition of competitor matters.
Read the period and the geography together, because a short period over a wide area and a long period over a small area have different effects.
Some places restrict or ban employee non-competes, others enforce reasonable ones, and some require payment during the restricted period. Ask a lawyer where you work.
Some contracts tie the restriction to continued pay or a separate payment. Check whether the clause depends on that.
Ask across the whole workspace so the answer can find covenants in the contract, an equity grant or a separate agreement, each with its own citation.
Non-compete wording and what to ask
| Wording you may see | What it usually signals | A follow-up question |
|---|---|---|
| "engage in any business that competes" | A broad activity restriction | How does the contract define a competing business? |
| "for a period of ... months following termination" | The restricted period | Is the period reduced by time on garden leave? |
| "within the Territory" | A geographic limit | How is the Territory defined? |
| "with whom you had material dealings" | A narrower client-based limit | Over what look-back period? |
| "however termination arises" | Applies even if you are dismissed | Does any exception apply? |
| "in consideration of" | A payment linked to the restriction | What is paid, and when? |
What is a non-compete clause in an employment contract?
A non-compete clause is a term in which an employee agrees not to work for a competitor, or run a competing business, for a stated period and area after leaving the employer.
Questions about non-competes
Can Search+ find the non-compete in my contract?
Will it tell me if my non-compete is enforceable?
Can it find restrictions in my equity agreement too?
Can I compare non-competes in two offers?
What if I only have a scan of the signed contract?
Read the restriction before you plan your move
Start a workspace, upload your contract, and ask what the non-compete covers.
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