I had a company that had a very vague noncompete. As worded it could be 'Anything, everywhere'. I asked about it and was told 'Yeah,but we never enforce that.'

I had a company that had a very vague noncompete. As worded it could be 'Anything, everywhere'. I asked about it and was told 'Yeah,but we never enforce that.' I wanted to work for the company, but that was a full stop. I hired a lawyer a friend recommended. He went over it and confirmed I should be concerned if I did anything outside of work that could create IP that I might want to sell later. He drafted some new language that confined the noncompete for me to industry and specific region for 1 year only, that everything I working on outside of work and on my own resources outside of that industry was mine, as well as some set-asides that clearly noted work I had been working on before coming on and we're my own work. It cost me a little under $1k If you are going for a job that pays $100k or more, get a lawyer (ideally a lawyer in your sector) to look over your employment contract, NDA, Non-compete, etc. It is worth every penny, in my opinion.