Answer on @Quora by Gil Yehuda to What is the craziest thing you have ever said (or done) at an interview and still…
In response to a job offer, I said no. As a result, I got the job.
I was interested in a particular job, and read the description carefully. It listed 5 specifications, covering a wide range of skills in my field. They really needed two people to do the job as described. After the phone interviews, I was invited to a full day of on-site interviews. I first met the hiring manager, and then a few people associated with the role. The last interview was with the recruiter.
First interview with the hiring manager (CTO) went well, but ended strangely. He asked if I had questions. I asked about the five items listed in the spec: they were diverse. Which was the most important part of the job? He scanned the job spec sheet and said #5 was most important, the other four were much less relevant. I asked: why is the most important part of the job listed last? Usually a list like this would have the most important item listed first. He seemed annoyed at the question, and reiterated that #5 was the primary job, the rest were not as important. That felt strange.
The next five interviews went smoothly, and things looked promising. Each interviewer asked if I had questions, and I asked each the same question: "If we asked the CTO which of these 5 items are most important for this job, what would he say?" Each one answered #1 is the primary job. Then I said "I actually asked the CTO, he said #5 was the essential part of the job. What do you think that means?" Their reactions were very interesting. One said "No, I meant #5..." Another said "Oh that's not right, I need to meet with him and correct this." Fascinating indeed! I discovered a disconnect between the CTO and the team about the job.
The last interview was with the recruiter. We had a frank conversation about the company and about the issues I uncovered. She told me that feedback from my interviews was positive. But she did not have a good answer about the role clarity. Yet they still wanted to make me an offer. The truth is, I really wanted (needed) this job. But I said: I'm sorry, I don't think I can take the job if the company doesn't know what the job is. You need to figure out what you want before you make an offer. I don't think anyone could succeed in a job where the very role is in dispute.
She responded. The reason they wanted to make me the offer was that I was the only person to see what was going on. It was a new role and they didn't understand what they needed. Apparently I read the situation in a way they were unable to see themselves, and that's what they needed. They want me to take the job in order to help figure out what the job should be. That’s a twist, and a huge opportunity.
She asked me what salary range I was looking for. I thought, this makes no sense. Yes, I want the job, but the risk of failure is high since the job was ill defined. Given the risk, how would I know if they are serious about having me figure this out for them? So I said "If you make me an offer I can't refuse, I won't be able to refuse it." She came back 15 minutes later with an offer I could not, and did not refuse. No regrets either.
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