I quit my job at Google after 2 years. I prepared well for my exit but wish I’d done 3 things differently.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Erica Rivera, a 37-year-old career coach in Barcelona. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Before becoming a career coach, I worked as a technical recruiter at Google for two years, from 2021 to 2023. When internal changes and restructuring took place, I was given the option to move to another team or risk being affected by the next round of layoffs.

Since starting my own coaching business had always been my goal, I decided to leave the company.

I’m glad I did two things before leaving my job, but I wish I had considered three things before making my exit.

1. I’m glad I made an exit fund

Before leaving Google, I created what I called my “exit fund.” I set aside extra money for my kids, mortgage, bills, and car payments.

My original goal was to reach $12,000 in savings. That way, when I started my coaching business, I could jump right into it without affecting my family financially. I ultimately reached about $10,200 before my exit.

I’m glad I did that because it gave me some peace, and I wasn’t thrown into a scarcity mindset when I left. If I were to try to leave today, I would try to set aside six months of my salary in advance.

2. I’m glad I downloaded all my performance reviews and metrics

With my coaching business, I work with clients one-on-one, but I also partner with companies and teach a training.

When pitching my training, I need to sell my experience and be able to speak to the work I did as a recruiter. With that in mind, before leaving, it was important to spend time pulling data and metrics for leverage.

This is also important for people in the job market. Without metrics and the ability to speak to your impact, it’s hard to stand out. If you lose access right away, use my “SSIP method” to do a rapid brain dump while everything is fresh.

• Story (Scope + Scale): Document the size, complexity, and context of your role. Who did you work with? How many people or teams were involved? What was the budget, audience, or reach?
• Skills: List the tools, systems, and capabilities you used, both technical and interpersonal.
• Impact: Where possible, capture measurable results. If you don’t have exact numbers, describe the improvement (e.g., faster timelines, smoother processes, higher adoption).
• Positioning: Tie the work back to business needs. Why did it matter? What problem did it solve?

Even without exact metrics, this process preserves the narrative of your impact so you can confidently speak to it later in your résumé, LinkedIn profile, portfolios, and interviews.

There are things I wish I had done, too.

1. I wish I had sought more feedback

I wish I had gotten more feedback from my colleagues. When I think about job searching — or running my own business — being able to share examples from people who have worked with me, who can validate and vouch for how I supported them, carries a lot of weight, especially when someone doesn’t know you yet.

At Google, I could pull metrics from internal dashboards, but I also had access to a tool where colleagues could give public “kudos” or nominate others for spot bonuses. Both of these can be saved as part of your professional record.

I tell clients to proactively check in with their manager and cross-functional partners to capture feedback on their work, impact, and working style. This can be done informally through 1:1s or more formally via 360 feedback.

This habit is equally important in any company; it strengthens your professional brand and shapes how you’re spoken about in rooms you’re not in.

2. I wish I had used more of my benefits

Google has good benefits, and although I was able to enroll under my husband’s health benefits with his employer when I left, there are some benefits I should’ve taken advantage of.

Google has an employee employment resource group where employees can talk to therapists. It’s a free perk that doesn’t require you to use your insurance. I wish I had used that because everybody needs someone they can work through things with.

I also wish I had tapped into professional coaching sessions through the EAP and financial counseling services.

3. I wish I had taken a break

Before leaving Google and starting my coaching business, I wish I had taken a leave of absence to give myself time to think clearly about how I wanted to move forward. I was at a crossroads, and it took a mental toll.

There were a few people on my team who had taken leave of absence during that time, and I didn’t. I pushed through instead. At the time, I believe Google allowed up to 12 weeks of unpaid personal leave, separate from medical or family leave.

People don’t always realize that leave is a resource — many companies offer it for mental health, general health, or simply when needed. If you need it, take it. If you’re switching companies, I advise you to give yourself a break between roles, if possible.

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