The Most Bizarre Job Interview I’ve Ever Had
It involved Ayn Rand, a sailboat, and a lot of driving
Clearing out some old emails the other day, I came across one that brought back some odd memories. The email — nearly a decade old at this point — was an invitation to interview with a startup.
At the time, I wasn’t looking to join a startup. But I was dissatisfied with my current job. And while I’d received probably a dozen other interview invitations that week, this one stood out. For starters, the email was from the CEO. And I — an engineer with a bachelors degree in Rhetoric and Communications — had to chuckle when he said that the company was looking for “a software engineer with a degree in Rhetoric.”
Moreover, the startup’s stated goal was to allow people to “live their dreams” via one of various excursions. Along those lines, the CEO proposed that I join him, free of charge, on one of the many fun group activities the company offered. In return, I’d allow him to unabashedly attempt to poach me.
He specifically proposed I join him with a group of people for a weekend-long spelunking trip. As a new father, I didn’t feel comfortable spending an entire weekend away from home. So we agreed on a shorter excursion that was closer to home: a catered, evening sail around the Bay, replete with a sailing…
