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In my last job (no longer working there) I signed an NDA at a client's request. Can't talk about anything related, can't even mention the client's name[1].

Now I want to apply for a job opening in the client's company. Could I mention in the cover letter that I did some work for them?

I only want to do this, because in my opinion it would increase drastically my chances for an interview.

[1] mentioning the client's name is a bit unclear, because according to the NDA I can disclose info that I knew before signing the agreement and I did know beforehand that the specific company was a client and I would work for them (but I'm not sure if I can prove it, because I got this info verbally)

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    An NDA is usually about non-disclosing something to third parties, that is, those that are not parties to the agreement. Both you and your client are not third parties, so you are likely safe to mention that you worked for them in the past. Check the wording of the NDA.
    – mustaccio
    Commented Feb 21, 2017 at 21:31

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I signed an NDA at a client's request

Now I want to apply for a job opening in the client's company.

You signed an NDA for a client, now you want to know if you can tell that client you signed their NDA?

Seeing as how your agreement is with them, I don't see how telling them about your agreement with them would violate that agreement. Perhaps you should tell them about your concern, and ask them if they'll release you from the NDA for the purposes of talking to them about it and applying to work with them.

Nevertheless (to cover myself here), this is getting into contract law territory - you should probably ask a lawyer. If you have the resources to consult with a lawyer, it's probably worth it to protect those resources.

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I agree with the other posters, an NDA is meant to protect the companies involved from having sensitive information/data/etc leaked to outside parties. If you are applying for a position AT the company the NDA was with then I see no reason you shouldn't be able to mention that.

However, if you're concerned then instead of contacting a lawyer I would recommend contacting the HR department of the company you're looking to apply to and ask about it. Tell them you have a question regarding their NDA agreements and whether it would be appropriate to mention a prior work relationship with the company covered by an NDA in your cover letter.

That way you have a definitive answer from the company, and you don't have to give them your name or info in order to do so. That way if they say "absolutely not" you just don't mention it and they will never know your app was the one inquiring about it.

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