Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney talked about the process of interviewing with Donald Trump for secretary of State (Rex Tillerson ended up getting the job), and the advice he got from the top American politicians -- including Hillary Clinton.

Romney told participants at his E2 summit in Deer Valley, Utah, that when the idea was raised, he wanted to give it some thought.

"I spoke with former President Bush, I spoke with virtually all the former secretaries of state," he told the audience of businessmen, politicians and reporters. "I spoke with Secretary Clinton, and in each case, each of them said, 'Please, please take that job if it is offered to you. We would very much like to see you serve in that capacity.'"

He also talked about how the process began.

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"I was actually playing golf," Romney said. "A friend invited me and Ann to go to Hawaii. I was not playing very well and the phone rang – it was Mike Pence on the phone saying the president would like to consider you for secretary of State. Would you come back and meet with him?"

The call came as a surprise to Romney, who had spent much of the presidential campaign opposing Mr. Trump's candidacy. But "Yes, I did consider the job, and yes, I was shocked," Romney said.

CBS News' Sean Gallitz contributed to this report.