Headhunter: How to show work without breaking nondisclosure rules

Q: Some employers like to see proof of a candidate's ability, and they ask for samples of work such as reports, designs or analyses. However, such work could be subject to nondisclosure rules, especially in the fields of technology, finance and marketing. It seems like a catch-22. If you show work you've done, you might be violating an agreement. Or, if you don't, you might not get the job. What's your suggestion?

NICK'S REPLY: I like the idea of showing (and asking to see) a portfolio of past work. But the question of integrity is not a simple one, and it cuts both ways. Here are two more catches. How are employers to know whose work is being shown? Maybe it's not the candidate's. Maybe it's lifted from someone else. Or the employer might ask to see samples as a test of integrity. Is the candidate showing stuff that's confidential? Is the candidate a security risk?

An engineer I worked with actually produced sample work for a specific prospective employer. This avoided any conflict and allowed the candidate to demonstrate specific skills. It's a great idea, as long as an unscrupulous employer doesn't take undue advantage to get work done for free. (The engineer got the job, by the way. The employer's integrity was solid.)

So I see two choices. You can invest in a demonstration, where you do some work to show your skills. (Just don't do so much that it constitutes free work.) Or, set aside material from your job to add to your portfolio as you proceed through your career. In one case, you must judge the prospective employer's integrity; in the other, your own.

If you use a portfolio, show stuff that isn't proprietary. You could use excerpts which, when shown out of context, can do no harm to any employer. Another way to protect confidentiality is to show the work but don't leave it behind. No copies, no notes, no risk.

If you're going to use a portfolio, assemble and maintain it in advance. It's more important than a résumé because it's proof of your ability.

The headhunter tip: guts

What makes us accept a job offer? The work itself? The people? The money? How do you decide whether an opportunity is good enough?

When making a job decision, it's critical to get at the guts of the opportunity. Ask yourself, would you take the job if it paid less money than you're making now?

If you wouldn't take a job for less money, the opportunity probably isn't good enough. A good opportunity involves work and people that will stimulate your growth and cultivate your value. A company could "buy" you, without ever providing what you need to continue growing. That leads to stagnation.

When an opportunity is really good, more money will follow. If you can't say that about a job you're considering, you're looking at the wrong job no matter how good the money is.

This is the "guts" of any job decision.

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.