Meet a woman who regrets quitting her job in July because the job search has gotten 'bleak'

• Kristen left her job in July and is still looking to land a new position.
• She shared with Insider how hard it's been to find a job over the past few months.

Kristen, whose last name and employer is known to Insider, is one of the many people in 2022 who ended up leaving a job and joining the Great Resignation.

She left toward the end of July what she called a "very complicated and toxic work environment" thinking she would have another job lined up.

But it's been tough for Kristen to find work. She's had a few interviews and has applied to roles through various sites. But she wasn't feeling too hopeful after seeing layoff announcement after layoff announcement.

With so many others quitting at the same time and seeking new work while some employers have been laying off workers or doing hiring freezes, she's feeling some Great Resignation regret.

"While I don't regret leaving a working environment that was harmful to me, I wish that I would've been more realistic about how soon I would be able to find a job," Kristen said.

"It's terrifying to look for a job," she told Insider. "It's disheartening in so many different ways because you're not hearing back from people."

Without a job lined up, Kristen has been concerned about things like bills.

"The last seven months have been a constant worry about how bills were going to get paid and whether or not I will be able to take care of my basic needs," Kristen said.

Her job search optimism has "been progressively going downhill since July."

"July through early parts of August I was like, 'oh, this is going to be OK,'" Kristen, who is looking for an entry-level role in a field like project management or project coordination, said. "It seemed like people were responding better. August, September, October — things kind of started to get really bleak. And then I would say right about the time that we hit holiday season, it's just gotten to the point where it's depressing. And I would love to say I feel better about it now, but I don't."

But Kristen isn't the only person who resigned feeling some kind of Great Resignation regret. Some people who succeeded in finding new jobs also have felt this way.

"The 'great resignation' has led to much regret by employees seeking new opportunities," Jeff Williams, vice president of enterprise and HR solutions at Paychex, told CNBC Make It. "Among those regrets, employees were most likely to miss their co-workers."

According to previous reporting from Insider, there could be different reasons people regret quitting their job, including the new position wasn't what they expected or because they miss the people they worked with.

According to Joblist's second quarter of 2022 report, 26% of "job seekers who quit their previous job" regret the move.

There are places hiring and the labor market is hot

Employers are seeking talent: there were 6.2 million hires in December according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Despite a slowdown in hiring, there are still plenty of opportunities out there," Andrew McCaskill, a career expert at LinkedIn, told Insider in a statement. "We've seen a meaningful shift in the way employers are hiring to focus on skills first approach. More than 40% of companies on LinkedIn explicitly rely on skills to search and identify job candidates on LinkedIn, so job seekers can stand out by making sure they not only have the most sought-after skills, but also that they're showing them off."

However, even though the US economy added a surprisingly massive 517,000 jobs in January, David Kelly, chief global strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, said in a note that "job gains are likely to fall sharply over the next few months."

"Going forward, with demand growing very slowly, many employers may be reluctant to boost wages or hire unqualified workers just because they have unfilled positions," Kelly added.

But for now, according to Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, "it appears to be the best job seeker's market in over 50 years."

Kristen is still hoping things will work out and that she will land a job soon, but is feeling some regrets.

"I wish I would've graduated at a different time. I wish I would've found a different first job. I wish I would've not quit my first job," Kristen said. "I wish so many different things would've fallen into place. But, at the end of the day, I can't wish things away."

Do you regret quitting your job? Have you made a recent career switch? Contact this reporter to share your experience for a story at mhoff@insider.com.