Fired from LinkedIn, woman gets job at Google at double salary as video resume goes viral

Fired from her job at LinkedIn in May 2023, a woman secured a position at Google at almost double the salary after her creative job application went viral online.

According to a Business Insider report, Mariana Kobayashi secured a position at Google's Dublin office after her innovative video-format job application garnered attention online. Ditching the traditional resume, Kobayashi took an unconventional approach to her application.

Known for its rigorous hiring process, Google receives millions of applications annually, making it incredibly competitive to get a job there. Determined to outshine other applicants, Kobayashi created a video demonstrating her work experience. She also added pre-recorded references from former colleagues and industry contacts to her video resume, which helped her secure a job role at Google.

The production of Kobayashi's video resume took over 10 hours. She shared it directly with the hiring manager at Google and posted it online. In her application, she also provided documents highlighting her perceived shortcomings and how she planned to address them.

Kobayashi's video went viral quickly. It garnered attention from people across the industry who then reached out to offer support and advice.

Kobayashi continued to maintain regular communication with the recruiter. After the completion of three stages of interviews, she was selected in the final list of candidates.

A Google recruiter then contacted her, saying that she was 'overqualified' for the position she had applied for. Impressed by her initiative, they expressed interest in her candidacy for other roles at Google.

In an interaction with Business Insider, Kobayashi said that she was "proud of everything that happened".

"I've grown two levels in my career - which wouldn't have been possible if I had stayed at LinkedIn - my salary has almost doubled, and I'm in a company that is much more suited for me," she said. “The experience taught me not to tie my self-worth to my job like that again.”