I was in an interview and I'm pretty confident I will get the job. I'm wondering one thing. If they asks me to come to the office to sign the employment contract, what will they react if I say that I can take the contract and show it to a good friend of mine, who has studied law, before I sign it. Is this wise? May I lose the job if I do like this?
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7If they refused you a job because you wanted to read the contract, would you really want to work for them anyway?– adamcooneyCommented Dec 13, 2018 at 16:43
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4"what will they react if I say that I can take the contract and show it to a good friend of mine, who has studied law, before I sign it" - Do you plan on phrasing it exactly like that, or will you instead say something like "I'd like a day or two to read over the contract before signing it."?– BrandinCommented Dec 13, 2018 at 16:51
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3 Answers
Is this wise?
Reading the contract before signing it is definitely a wise idea, and showing it to someone with more expertisey is, likewise. In fact, most companies will send you the contract a few days before the signing specifically so you have time to read it before you sign it.
May I lose the job if I do like this?
Yeah, but you really don't want to work for a company that wants you to sign a legally binding contract without reading it first, so if that happens, consider it a bullet dodged. There are no good reasons to not let a new employee review the contract before signing, only nefarious ones.
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That is pretty much it. Guess what, I do not show my contracts to a friend who studied law. I inform anyone that I show them to my lawyers - 3 different, working for different companies. It is SOP - Standard Operating Procedure. Do not like that? Well, here goes the contract - into the shredder.– TomTomCommented Dec 13, 2018 at 19:10
- Yes, it's a good idea, but you should execute this carefully
- Let them know up front that you would like some time to study the contract and any other agreements you are supposed to sign (confidentiality, IP protection, code of conduct, etc).
- If you get push back, reply with something like "Surely you value employees that are thorough and apply due diligence to important decision. If I had to sign a contract on the company's behalf, would you want me to do so without reading it first ?"
- Do NOT tell them that you are going to show it to your friend. These contracts are often considered confidential by the employer
Every company I have ever dealt with gives sometime for the person to evaluate the offer. I have seen them as short as a few days, but up to a week isn't unusual.
I suppose if the the job was an internal transfer/promotion the deadline would be very short because the benefits wouldn't be changing, but pay, location, and title would be.
A proposal that has a deadline of less than a day doesn't leave anytime for questions.
You wouldn't buy a used car without having the opportunity to inspect it, and test drive it; therefore asking you to sign a contract without time to review it would also not be advisable.
answered Dec 13, 2018 at 16:54
