还有新泽西州。为了缓解该州紧张的预算，立法机构可能很快通过一项法案（A3970），规定符合失业救济条件的任何人，均可以在任何时间和任何地点接受任何工作，不论其是否签署过有相反规定的协议。

    竞业禁止协议的基础并不牢固，所以布劳特曼给你的建议是：眼下先在协议上签字。他说：“谈判过程并非从你加入公司的时候开始，而是从你想要辞职的时候开始。”谈判的时候，他建议：“尽量达成协议。总能找出一种方案，既可以让自己做想做的事情，又不必担心遭到公司起诉。”

    美国几乎所有法院均因为竞业禁止协议的措辞太过宽泛，或者涉及的时间过长，不够合理等等原因，而推翻了这类协议，因此“可以建议公司修改协议条款。例如，不要说你不能为任何软件公司工作，因为法官通常都会认为这样的规定限制性太强，你可以提议将该条款修改为特定的竞争对手，或者具体的工作类型。”此时还可以谈一下你所担心（可以理解）的一年期限的问题。

    如果你已经决定跳槽，聘请一位当地的劳动仲裁律师是很有必要的，他们总能找出竞业禁止协议的弱点，帮你实现自己的主张。例如，在明尼苏达州，一共有至少25个合法的理由可以致使竞业禁止协议无效。你所在的州或许也存在大量类似的漏洞，但如果没有专业人士的协助，你可能对此一无所知。在此期间，尽量不去想这件事，做好自己的新工作就可以了。

反馈：如果你曾签署过竞业禁止协议，它对你后来的职业发展造成了哪些影响？你认为这类协议应该被视为非法吗？欢迎评论。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    Then there's New Jersey. Hoping to do its overstrained state budget a favor, the legislature may soon pass a bill (A3970) that essentially says anyone who is eligible for unemployment benefits is free to take any job, anywhere, anytime, regardless of whether he or she signed a contract saying otherwise.

    With non-compete agreements generally on such shaky ground, here's Broutman's advice to you: For right now, go ahead and sign. "The negotiation process doesn't start when you join the company," he says. "It starts when you want to quit." At that point, he advises, "Try to work out a deal. You can very often negotiate a way to do what you want to do without them suing you."

    Since courts all over the U.S. have consistently struck down non-competes for being worded too broadly or covering an unreasonably long time period, "suggest that they alter the terms. For example, instead of saying you can't work for any software company, which a judge would almost certainly view as too restrictive, propose narrowing it down to certain competitors, or specific types of work." This would also be the moment to talk about reducing that one-year time frame that's (understandably) making you nervous.

    If and when you're ready to change jobs, it would be well worth it to hire a labor lawyer in your state to spot the weaknesses in your non-compete and make your case for you. In Minnesota right now, for instance, there are at least 25 legal reasons why a non-compete may be unenforceable. Such loopholes may abound in your home state too, but without professional help, you aren't likely to know what they are. In the meantime, just try to put this whole thing out of your mind and enjoy your new job.

Talkback: If you've ever signed a non-compete agreement, how did it affect your subsequent career? Do you think these contracts should be illegal everywhere? Leave a comment below.