Kendrice Roc

Kendrice RocSep 29, 2026

Exactly one year ago, I was reading a rejection email from the 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 role I'm celebrating today...   Let me set the scene: It’s July 2025. I had been laid off the month before. I had just completed 3 rounds of interviews. …Then I got the very email we 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄 to see after 3 rounds of interviews… A few weeks later, my phone rang. One more headcount had opened up. One more shot. And by God's grace, 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐦𝐲 1-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐭 Google! 🎉 This role has challenged me and helped me grow in ways I never saw coming. Here's what year one taught me: 1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲. Still show up each and every day.  2️⃣ 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. You won't know everything and that's the point. The people who ask are the ones who grow. 3️⃣ 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫, 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲. Then own it, every single day. Your reputation is built in the quiet moments nobody sees. 4️⃣ 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬. Not everything is a max out deal. Progress is still progress. Be proud of it. 5️⃣ 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞. There will be high highs and low lows. But the most grounded version of you lives right in the middle. Find it. Return to it daily. 6️⃣ 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭. If you don't, who will? 7️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 8️⃣ 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧. Every win. Every milestone. Every moment that made you proud. Because on the hard days, that list will carry you. 9️⃣ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭. You just have to show up. 𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮: thank you for taking a chance on me. You didn't just hire an employee. You helped shape a version of me I'm genuinely proud of. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘎𝘰𝘥 for being my rock through every "no" that was quietly redirecting me towards the next blessing. And to anyone sitting with a layoff or a rejection email right now, trust me when I say this: 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓. Sometimes the "no" is just the setup for the most unexpected "yes" of your life. 💯 Follow Kendrice Roc more honest stories about breaking into tech, navigating a difficult job market, and career growth. I share all the things I wish someone had told me earlier. 👇🏾What's the biggest lesson your first year in a new role taught you?

Kendrice RocSep 17, 2026

Most people who were hired after 2020 weren't the most qualified candidates. They were the most 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 ✨ Friend, here's the tea: 50% of acing an interview has nothing to do with your qualifications. It's about how you make your interviewer feel: Can they picture you as a colleague they'd actually enjoy working with every single day? Are you someone they remember positively when the interview is over? That's the difference between 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 or 𝐧𝐨𝐭. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓, 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 7 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏: 1️⃣ 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞! It sounds simple, but so easy to forget. A genuine smile immediately signals warmth and confidence which are two things every hiring manager is secretly looking for.  2️⃣ 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. The best interviews I've had felt like coffee chats. If it feels like an interrogation, loosen it up. Ask a follow-up question. Share a related thought to elevate the conversation. Challenge: Try and make them laugh :) 3️⃣ 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞. Spend the first 5 minutes just talking. Comment on something in their background, (genuinely) ask about their day, find common ground. Let the walls come down before the questions start. 4️⃣ 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Your questions should stand out. Reference something specific: a recent product launch, a blog post their team published, a company initiative. Try to ask a question they've never been asked before. Something like: "What's one thing you wish you knew before taking this role?" or "What's the most underrated skill on this team?" 5️⃣ 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞. If they're formal, tighten up. If they're casual, exhale. The best communicators meet people where they are. It builds trust faster than any answer you can give. 6️⃣ 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤-𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 24 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬. Reference something specific from your conversation. It's a small move that less than 20% of candidates make but interviewers notice! 7️⃣ 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Before you leave the interview, remind them you really want the role. Confidence is not arrogance. Say something like: "I'm really excited about this opportunity and I'd love the chance to contribute to this team." Close your own loop. We are in an era where being the most qualified in the room is no longer enough. You learn so much on the job anyway! What gets you the job is being the person they can't stop thinking about after the call ends. Be qualified. But more importantly, be UNFORGETTABLE. Your dream job is already yours. 💯 👇 Which one my tips surprised you the most? If you're actively applying for roles this season, follow Kendrice Roc for more tips, tricks, and career advice!

Kendrice RocOct 13, 2026

If you've submitted a job application without doing these things, you're probably not going to get the job. In such a brutal job market, you’re probably thinking application volume is the answer (just like I did!!) The volume strategy will almost always lead to a rejection email straight to your inbox… Every single time. My biggest pitfall? Applying before I was actually ready. What you do before you hit submit matters just as much as the application itself.  It wasn't until I stopped, connected with recruiters, and changed my strategy that I finally cracked the code which eventually helped me land at Google. Not once, but 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒆. Here is the pre-application checklist you should use to stand out in the next application: ⭕ Did I get a referral? A cold application is similar to submitting a lottery ticket. A referral is a fast-pass to the interview. Search your LinkedIn network before you apply. One genuine conversation & referral with an existing employee is worth more than 100 blind resume submissions. ⭕ Did I add ALL the skills from the job description to my resume? Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) scan for exact keywords. Read the job description carefully. If a critical skill is listed there, that exact phrasing must live inside your resume.  ⭕ Does my resume include the company name and job title? Recruiters search candidate databases by exact titles. If your resume says "[Name2026Resume]" but you are applying for a "Digital Strategy Lead," role at Google the algorithm can scroll right past you. Align the job title to reflect the scope of the target role. Resume_Final_Draft_v4.pdf looks disorganized and generic. Kendrice_Roc_Google_DigitalStrategyLead_Resume.pdf signals preparation, intent, and high attention to detail. Personalization can help you get noticed. ⭕ Did I send a short note to the recruiter? Find the recruiter managing the role. Send a brief, warm note. Don’t ask for a favor or a job right away! Just reach out and make yourself a real person on their radar before your name lands in their inbox. ⭕ Does my resume match my LinkedIn profile? Recruiters will look you up 100% of the time. Mismatched dates, conflicting titles, or inconsistent skill sets across your resume and LinkedIn profile are immediate red flags. Ensure your narrative is seamless. ⭕ Did I follow the company page and engage with their posts? Some modern recruiting teams track brand engagement. Don't underestimate the power of showing up in their notifications first. The market is brutal right now, but a tough market always rewards the over-prepared. You don’t just want to submit. You want to stand out. 🏆 What strategies do you use to stand out before submitting your applications? Follow Kendrice Roc for more strategies like this! 🚀 Let's make sure you get your dream job this year.