A Lesson on Assumptions
After completing my GCE “O” Level examinations, I began searching for part-time work before my Polytechnic course started in July 1997.
I applied for a temporary warehouse position to assist with stock-taking.
Soon, I was called in for my first-ever job interview—with a store manager.
During the interview, he handed me two plastic bags filled with screws.
“Each bag contains 40 screws,” he said. “How many screws are there in total?”
As a confident student, I quickly did the math in my head: 40 x 2 = 80.
“80 screws,” I replied.
I failed the test.
The manager explained that in the real world, we should never assume.
Instead of calculating mentally, I should have opened the bags and physically counted the screws to confirm the total.
What if one of the bags had a hole? What if some screws were missing?
That day, I learned a valuable lesson:
Never make assumptions.
Always verify your work carefully.
Diligence matters.
