It’s the story of how I was laid off from Google before I even started to do my job there. I have tried to write only facts, although there is a small hurricane somewhere inside me right now.

It began nearly a year ago, in April of 2022, when I applied for multiple SWE and SRE positions at Google. Large tech companies usually have a lengthy hiring process, but I could take it slow. I successfully completed five technical interviews during May and June. However, shortly after that, the company encountered some difficulties due to the global post-COVID crisis, and as a result, HR were unavailable for weeks. I had to be patient.

In July, I entered the Team Matching Phase where I had the opportunity to meet with hiring managers. During these meetings, we talked about ourselves, the team, and the project, and ultimately decided whether or not we were a good fit for each other. After attending two meetings, I realised that I wasn’t interested in joining either team at the moment.

Regrettably, I had to wait a considerable amount of time for the next opportunity. Google had announced an international hiring freeze, which essentially halted all interview and job offer processes. The exact extent of the freeze and the regions it affected is unclear, with contradictory information available online. Nevertheless, the freeze did affect me: I was assigned to a different HR manager