A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

self-employed means no unemployment. Please help - buried

Posted: Jan 29, 2010

I have been a self employed transcriptionist for 10 years, with great accounts that I have been lucky to have. Today I have been told that my job may be in jeopardy.

Now for months I Have sent off my resume to companies ... and NEVER hear back from them.

now i have applied for outside the industry jobs... and of course nothing, and because fo the economy they only want top candidates for anything.

The reality is this... If they say we aren't using you anymore, my income is gone in an instant, and i do not qualify for unemployment. I am scared out of my mind... first of all I am a single female meaning i am the only income.

I am not the kind of person to just sit around and hope a job comes... i have been extremely proactive, and to my dismay, have not benefited at all. The one job I spent 5 months getting (traveling 5 times, taking 3 tests, 3 interviews... the hirign process is now ON HOLD... that was devastating)... I am not here to gain pity from anyone, i am trying to help myself. i dont even think id qualify for welfare and i would be ashamed for that anyway.

Anyways i have been coming here long enough to understand people dont give up their company secrets, but does anyone have any tips on getting a job? anything that might possibly help me in this economic disaster?

Thanks

if you have to get unemployment/whatever... - cc

[ In Reply To ..]
...so be it. It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong. That said, I know I can't think of anything too helpful to add except to keep looking. I'm told that most of the jobs out there aren't actually advertised at all; they're just mentioned within companies, so ask all your friends if they have friends who know ANYBODY who's hiring. Get somebody at the local employment commission to look at your resume and see if they could spruce it up a bit. If you need just a class or two to finish a degree, that investment might be worth it. Also, I found that for me, independent contractor doesn't work simply because I need health insurance. If you're sticking within the transcription biz, make sure you do your research about companies before you jump through hoops for 'em. Also you might want to think about temping but specifying up front that you are looking for temp TO HIRE. I did that once and got a really plum job (though idiot management decisions closed the place down later, but that's another story).

Those are just my first thoughts....Now I'll sit back and wait to get bashed by the professional snarkers. Best of luck to you and hang in there--they say things are slowly starting to pick up.

Independent contractor/health insurance? - MDI/MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I always had to pay for my own health insurance as an independent contractor, because no one I know of pays health insurance for an IC. MDI didn't pay for any insurance and I was an IC for them.

Keep applying and keep patient - stillmting

[ In Reply To ..]
With so many people applying for every position advertised, it's taking a lot longer to hear back from the companies, but keep trying. In the early 90s, I learned the "self employed don't qualify for unemployment" lesson (even though I was an employee of my own company and drawing a salary and paying into UE.)

These are scary times and it sounds like you're doing the best you can to cover yourself. Good luck.

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