Except you're not hiring a team here. Only a single dev, who may not always have been on teams that have the right focus, and leadership that supported that focus.

  What can you tell me about your last job?
  Well, I overhauled the configuration GUI.
  How did that impact sales?
  Err, I don't think it did. It's not a feature we showcase.
  Did you at least made the product better?
  Actually, no. It just made it more complex and brittle.
  Wait, you made the product *worse*?
  Could not help it, the execs insisted on XML compatibility.
  Maybe they needed it?
  No, we had total control over our configuration files.
  Why didn't you tell them?
  I did. They wouldn't listen.
  Why not? You're the expert, you should have convinced them.
  ...
  I mean, here we need people who can deliver business value.
  Well, this time I couldn't. They wouldn't let—
  How would you rate your communication skills?
  Err, good I guess?
  Yet you couldn't convince management?
  ...

I hope this conversation is not realistic. If it is, and it ever happens to me, I'll be sure to look for another company.