While 2022 may’ve been the year of the Great Resignation, it’s looking like there’s more and more evidence popping up that proves 2023 is the year of the Great Regret. A reported 80% of people who decided to leave their gigs in search of greener employment pastures have ultimately found themselves either hating their new employer, being laid off, or scrambling to secure a different position.
Tech CEO and TikToker Theresa Sue (@resasue) just posted an earnest video in which she begs individuals who are thinking of jumping ship at their current roles to pump the breaks.
In a viral clip that’s accrued over 670,000 views as of Thursday morning, Sue tells those looking for new work that now is not the time to do so, citing a stack of rejected job applications sitting on her desk from individuals who would otherwise be qualified.
In her video, Sue looks directly into the camera as she explains why she thinks folks should do whatever they can to stay in their current roles.
“I keep seeing videos about people telling people to quit their jobs,” she says. “Listen to me, the person who is hiring people, OK? My ‘no’ pile looks like people who are qualified for the job. People who are overqualified are applying for jobs that normally they would be overqualified for. The job market is not what it was three years ago.”
She then reiterates that she understands the urge to leave but suggests that workers remain at their positions unless they have a backup plan.
“Don’t do it to yourself unless you have a backup plan, a backup job, or money,” Sue says. “OK, I understand we all wanna change our happiness, but this is not the time because your happiness is not outside of your job right now.”
Folks watching hiring and layoff trends in the past year probably won’t think that Sue’s suggestions are exactly new data. According to Tech Crunch, the “running list” of tech layoffs in the United States for 2023 has ballooned to over 224,000. In January of the new year, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and several other big tech companies announced thousands and tens of thousands of layoffs in their respective organizations.
Throngs of folks on social media have aired their woes in attempting to secure gainful employment, like this individual who said that they applied to some 300 jobs but only received one bite.
There have been folks who seem to have found a “hack” in getting companies to respond to their job applications, however. One individual suggests using artificial intelligence prompts to bolster her resume and cover letters. She says that she went from getting no replies to booking interviews with every single place she applied to upon implementing the wonders of ChatGPT into her work.
@resasue Yall gonna F around and find out. #jobmarket #startupceo #tezhlycourses #techtok ♬ original sound – Theresa Sue | Tech CEO
Still, Sue’s video ended up prompting a litany of different responses from other commenters on the platform. Some said that a person’s mental health matters more than any job, even if it means they won’t be able to support themselves or their family members because a job is too taxing on their psyche. “Mental health over everything,” one user wrote. “Don’t stay in any job if it is effecting you mentally, be smart, speak to HR, work via temp agencies. But don’t stay.”
This sentiment was echoed by someone else who wrote, “Quit your job my last day is on Friday. Happiness is always better bye girl.”
Others said that Sue’s advice influenced them to stay in their current jobs, no matter how sad they are. “I’m just gonna put away my typed-up resignation letter I wrote this morning. I’m just so damn depressed here,” one user wrote.
Another commenter echoed Sue’s suggestions. “Or if you do decide to quit, make sure your finances are in order,” they wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Sue via email for further information.