‘I stopped chasing jobs’: Indian-origin woman in the US shares how 3 lay-offs reshaped her career

Vinita Kuhikar, who faced three lay-offs in three years in the US, shares how shifting her mindset helped her rebuild her career and land a better role.

What would you do if you lost your job three times in three years? For 31-year-old Vinita Kuhikar, each lay-off came with a different challenge, but it also changed the way she looked at her career. Originally from Nagpur, she moved to the United States to pursue her master's degree and build a career in architecture.

Vinita Kuhikar shares her US career comeback story. (Vinita Kuhikar)

Now based in Mountain View, California, the architect-turned-construction project manager shared how repeated setbacks pushed her to stop chasing jobs and start building a long-term career strategy.

Three lay-offs that changed everything

Vinita said her first lay-off came while she was working on what she considered her dream project, Google's headquarters.

"I had spent almost two years working on Google's headquarters, and as an architect, it felt like I had finally achieved something I had worked towards for years. Losing that opportunity was devastating," Vinita told Hindustantimes.com.

At the time, she questioned her abilities. Looking back, however, she realised that lay-offs are often business decisions rather than a reflection of an employee's performance.

The second lay-off came just 15 days after she joined a new architecture firm. The company lost the project it had hired her for, and her role was eliminated almost immediately.

Her third lay-off proved to be the toughest. It happened in 2024, just a week before she was due to travel to India for her wedding.

The uncertainty was compounded by the fact that she was also building her career in the United States on a work visa, making the job loss even more stressful.

"Instead of counting down to one of the happiest moments of my life, I suddenly found myself preparing for interviews and planning my next career move," she recalled.

During the day, she was busy with wedding shopping and family celebrations. At night, because of the time difference, she attended interviews with companies in the United States and continued submitting job applications.

"It was a constant balancing act between being present for my family and staying focused on finding my next opportunity," she said.

Vinita Kuhikar turned career setbacks into a new opportunity. (Vinita Kuhikar)

'I stopped chasing jobs'

After her third lay-off, Vinita realised she needed to change her approach.

"Most people focus on applying to more jobs. I decided to focus on becoming a stronger candidate," she told Hindustantimes.com.

She began treating her job search like an experiment, testing different versions of her resume, LinkedIn profile, networking messages and interview answers to understand what generated recruiter responses.

The biggest change, she said, came from thinking like a hiring manager rather than an applicant.

"Instead of asking, 'How do I get hired?' I started asking, 'If I were hiring for this role, what problem would I be trying to solve, and how can I demonstrate that I solve it better than anyone else?'"

She also rewrote her resume to focus on measurable business impact instead of responsibilities, tailored every application and invested in building genuine professional relationships.

Rather than assuming companies would reject her because she needed visa sponsorship, she focused on proving the value she could bring. She said conversations around sponsorship became much easier once employers believed she was the right person for the role.

A job offer on the eve of her wedding

About two weeks after losing her job, Vinita received an offer for a Project Management role, a promotion from her previous position, during her bachelorette celebration, the night before her wedding.

"I received my offer letter during my bachelorette celebration, the night before my wedding. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could finally breathe," she said.

Reflecting on the experience, Vinita said the biggest lesson was not about surviving lay-offs but about becoming resilient.

"They taught me that confidence doesn't come from having stability. It comes from proving to yourself that you can rebuild when stability disappears. Once you've done that, you stop fearing uncertainty because you know you'll figure it out."

Today, she shares those lessons with international students and professionals navigating the US job market, hoping to help others facing similar challenges and build resilient careers of their own.