Employers sometimes ask potential employees to agree not to work for their competitors in the future. Don’t assume such requests are nonnegotiable. In the fall of 2010, journalist Christopher Flores was looking for a job in Chicago. As he recounts in a February article in the Chicago Reader, he came across listings for staff writer positions for local online coupon company Groupon. (We covered Google’s failed attempt to purchase Groupon in our March issue.) Intrigued by the witty style in which Groupon’s daily deals are described, Flores sent in a writing sample and was invited to attend a seminar called “Groupon Academy,” where he and about 30 other prospective employees would be educated about the company and given a chance to write a freelance Groupon ad.