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I was offered a contract job to write some mobile code for a company but was told I could take no credit for it (could not put it in my portfolio, resume, etc. I would also have to sign an NDA). Is this a red flag or is it normal in the programming business? I asked for a day to consult my friends to see if it was a good idea or not.

I got the offer because I know someone that works at the company. I don't think there would be a problem with payment. I've never done contract work before so I'm not sure if this is normal or not.

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    This is not an answer, but: make sure you have something you can say to explain the gap to a future employer. "Worked on a stealth-mode project in the ______ industry, April 2017 - December 2017" or something. Check with the employer to see how specific you can get.
    – SPavel
    Mar 28, 2017 at 14:35
  • Thanks I didn't mean credit in terms of wanting my name in the app or being publicly recognized for it. I presumed most contracts would allow me to put on my resume or website that I worked on the project.
    – GameDev
    Mar 28, 2017 at 23:32

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This is not a red flag. In my years as a consultant, some companies ask for confidentiality in this area, and others don't. On your resume, you can list this as Confidential Client and describe it as a Confidential Project.

If the project is interesting to you, and you agree on payment terms, I would have no reservations with this arrangement. ( No credit taken / signing an NDA )

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    Perfect answer. In 20 years as a contractor, I've never once asked for a credit; I do the job for money, not ego. We act as 'white-label' suppliers to anyone that wants to pay us.
    – PeteCon
    Mar 28, 2017 at 14:57
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    Typically I throw on the resume: "Job Suchandsuch - Worked on a variety of internal projects, using skills such as ___" with no reference to how those skills were applied in particular. Mar 28, 2017 at 17:10
  • @SliderBlackrose That's a good approach too! Seen it both ways.
    – Neo
    Mar 28, 2017 at 17:11
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    @JeffO, "Independent Contractor, Confidential Client (Fortune 50), Confidential Project" then you describe your experience without driving into the specific company or project you did it on.
    – Chris G
    Mar 28, 2017 at 22:41
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    @JeffO If your client is confidential, and the project is confidential, then knowing that you worked with a particular technology isn't a problem (generally, a specific NDA may lay out specific rules).
    – Chris G
    Mar 29, 2017 at 23:06

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