I applied for over 6,000 jobs and relied on a food pantry after being laid off. This is what finally got me hired.0

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• July 18, 2026

This essay as told is based on a conversation with John Huân Vũ, a senior Visa consultant living in San Jose. He previously worked for PayPal for 10 years before being fired in 2024. The following has been edited for length and clarity. When I was fired from PayPal in July 2024, I was in