An Indian woman living in the US has shared how she was laid off just months after joining a startup, and before she ever received the formal offer letter confirming her full-time role.
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In an Instagram video, Ruchika Jain recalled the moment she lost her job. “Imagine you just turn on your computer, you get a call from your boss, and you get laid off, and aapke saare account are disabled by Google Workspace. Man, it’s been six months for me that I’ve started my job here in the United States. It’s my first ever job, and I got laid off,” she said.
Jain said that she had joined the startup as a Social Media Growth Manager and was excited to begin her first job in the US. She shared that despite completing her 3-month probation period, she never received a formal offer letter confirming her full-time employment.
“For starting 3 months, I was on a probation period. Then I was asking for my offer letter for so long… [But] after like 2.5 months, I just got a call that the company have to cut you off because we are out of our budget,” she said.
Jain said that her manager praised her work but informed her that the company had to eliminate her role due to budget constraints. “The only thing is prior information. I didn’t get any notice period,” she said in the video.
(Also Read: Laid-off Google techie shares reality check: ‘Companies can let you go anytime’)
In the caption of the post, Jain reflected on the 6 months she spent at the startup, saying she gave the role her “everything.”
Speaking to HT.com, Jain shared that she moved to the US in 2024 and started applying for creative and marketing roles in June 2025. Despite having more than 7 years of experience as a social media manager and content creator, she faced multiple rejections before landing a role at a startup in December 2025.
She said that she received a salary hike and bonuses but continued waiting for her updated offer letter and formal employment contract reflecting her revised position and pay. But in May 2026, before those documents arrived, she received a Zoom call informing her that her role had been eliminated due to budget constraints.
Despite the hardships, Jain clarified that her intention isn’t to criticise the company. “I was treated fairly in terms of compensation. I wanted to highlight how uncertain the job search can be, especially as an immigrant trying to build a career in a new country, and how important it is to have everything documented in writing, even when things seem to be going well,” she told HT.com.
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“I joined the company in December, excited to prove myself. While everyone was celebrating Christmas and New Year, I chose work. When I lost my grandfather, I couldn’t even go home to see him one last time because I believed my work was my responsibility, my commitment, my worship,” she wrote.
She added that she often worked beyond office hours while also creating content after work. During this period, she also developed severe back pain but continued working. “I kept showing up. I never let it become an excuse,” she said.
Then, after completing her probation, Jain said that she was verbally informed that she had successfully transitioned into a full-time role and was told an updated offer letter would be shared soon.
“I waited. Not for a week. Not for a month. But 2.5 months. Instead of receiving my offer letter, I received a Zoom call. No updated offer letter. No closure. Just a layoff,” she wrote.
But despite the experience, Jain said that she was grateful for the opportunity and the lessons she learned. “Sometimes life doesn’t reward you the way you expect but that doesn’t mean you stop showing up,” she wrote.
(Also Read: ‘Developers are dime a dozen in Bangalore’: Firm asks techie to layoff 45 colleagues)
