Job rejections are usually seen as setbacks. But for one engineering candidate, a rejection from Google after five rounds of interviews became something entirely different: a crash course in learning, discipline, and self-growth.
The story, shared in a Reddit post, has caught attention online for the way the candidate viewed the experience. Instead of focusing only on the rejection, he spoke about everything he gained during the process.
According to the post, the candidate had applied for the Forward Deployed Engineer role at Google. He admitted that before the interviews began, he was especially nervous about topics like System Design and DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms).
SIX WEEKS OF NON-STOP PREPARATION
The interview process reportedly began on March 19 and ended on May 5 with a rejection. But in those six weeks, the candidate pushed himself into an intense preparation routine.
He shared that he practised “100 – 150 problems on DSA” despite having “zero exposure” to it earlier. Alongside this, he also built “40 Toy Apps using Vercel” to improve his confidence in Agent Design and better understand “end-to-end orchestration.”
What makes the story stand out is not just the preparation, but the perspective. Even after not getting selected, the candidate described it as “probably the best interview experience I have had.”
WHEN REJECTION BECOMES A LEARNING CURVE
The Reddit post reflects a growing mindset among young professionals that interviews, especially at top companies, can become valuable learning experiences even without an offer letter.
Instead of walking away frustrated, the candidate decided to share everything he had learnt with others preparing for similar roles.
He uploaded resources, templates, problem sets, and interview preparation materials through a GitHub repository so that other candidates could benefit from the process.
SHARING THE PLAYBOOK WITH OTHERS
In the post, he explained that many people had questions after his original update, which is why he decided to organise everything into a GitHub guide.
He also encouraged others to explore and research independently, saying that self-learning played a major role in his own preparation journey.
The story resonates with many jobseekers because it shifts the focus from “success versus failure” to skill-building and growth. In a competitive hiring market, that mindset itself can sometimes become the biggest achievement.