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Charles Broomfield was fired from AWS within 90 days and found a job at Google.
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He said he received recommendations for 26 positions during his job search, six of which led to interviews.
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Broomfield said financial planning and networking helped him stay calm after being fired.
This article is based on charles bloomfield25-year-old Google engineering analyst based in Washington, D.C. His employment and identity were confirmed by Business Insider. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
I graduated from a small liberal arts college called Knox College. The disadvantage is that the alumni network is much smaller. The upside is that I suspect the likelihood of them being willing to help is much higher.
I worked there as a computer science tutor. This ended up being an advantage because I got to work with a lot of people who now work at big companies and were willing to help me. After college, I started working at a government research company and moved to Amazon Web Services in the summer of 2025. Then, in late January, I was laid off.
In April, I accepted a job offer from Google.
I treat finding a job as a job
Before I joined Amazon, Andy Jassy commented that Amazon would have fewer employees in the future due to artificial intelligence. I became increasingly concerned that my team was not aligned with strategy.
I started applying on January 24th, but received the layoff notice a few days later. I’m very confident that my team will be affected, but I don’t want to leave until I receive 90 days notice and severance.
I found it really hard to go from working at a company like AWS, which has a very famous work culture, to completely stopping working. So when I got laid off, I thought I’d put all my energy into something productive.
An extra hour or so of sleep would definitely be a good thing, but I’m trying to stay organized while searching for a job. I usually spend half a day reaching out to people and looking for positions. I didn’t go through every job posting and click apply because I didn’t want to be interviewed for something that didn’t really interest me. I’m very picky.
Applying for eight hours straight is pretty brutal, so I usually break things up by exercising or cooking in the middle of the day. Then I spend another three to four hours in the evening working on the cuts.
Recommendations make a huge difference
After being laid off from AWS, I applied for 42 positions, 26 of which I received through referrals. I interviewed for six of the jobs.
A former colleague reached out and encouraged me to apply to Google. I applied for three positions and was quickly rejected by the two I thought I had the best chance of getting. But about a week after I applied, I was contacted by a recruiter for the third position. The following week, I passed the technical screening. I then had three rounds of interviews over the next two weeks and received my acceptance letter a few days after the last interview.
I think a lot of people’s recommendations are wrong. I did a lot of outreach on LinkedIn but really had little success. I always start with the most enthusiastic audience. So I started with friends and then branched out. I even think the people who went to my college were a little enthusiastic because I went to a very small school.
Since I’ve worked at companies that went through massive layoffs, a lot of the people I worked with ended up at big companies, which helps with referrals.
Your network is more than just the people you talk to every day. It can be any person you meet who leaves a positive impression on you. I have a list of people that I contact whenever I have a major career update, but there are a lot of others that I only keep in touch with via social media.
Leaving a friendly or supportive comment may go further than people realize. Sometimes the best connections are friends of friends or random acquaintances, rather than your closest friends or family.
Savings give me peace of mind
I am very passionate about retiring early, being frugal, and building financial freedom. I saved everything I could, and I’ve been doing that since college.
The craziness of the last year has made me realize how much I appreciate these savings because it gives me peace of mind and flexibility. I really feel for those who are counting on their next few paychecks, or those whose visas are tied to jobs. It’s harder to operate when you’re stressed. Despair doesn’t help. So my cushioning definitely makes me more relaxed.
Networking is more powerful than job boards, but I recommend people start building their network now rather than waiting until they need help.
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