In my IBM interview, I was given a simple market entry case. I clarified the objective, structured my approach, analyzed market size and competition, then summarized a concise recommendation overall.

I interviewed for a position at the Taipei office, and unfortunately, the online interview raised several red flags. First, the HR representative contacted me to ask for my availability and instructed me to prepare a PowerPoint slide about myself. I responded with my available time and asked whether the slide should be in Chinese or English. Red flag #1: She replied only to confirm the meeting time and completely ignored my question. After a week with no response, I followed up with both HR and the interviewer. Red flag #2: Neither of them replied. On the day of the interview, Red flag #3: The interviewer’s webcam was off, which made the interaction feel unprofessional. Red flag #4: After the interview, I sent a thank-you email. I did receive a reply, but it contained several grammatical errors. During the interview, I answered most of the questions in English and used Chinese for more casual conversation. However, I got the impression that they didn’t fully understand what I was saying, possibly due to their limited English proficiency. Overall, it felt like no one was handling their responsibilities professionally. It’s disappointing that a company as large and well-known as IBM came across as disorganized and unprepared—more like a startup that doesn’t know what it’s doing.