good post, but sad state of affairs nm

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• If anybody cares, here is my experience looking for a job for the past 3 weeks - see message
  • I totally understand and went thru similar bunk not - anonnie
    • Oh, no. Think I may have just signed on - with the T co. sm
      • Well, platform was very antiquated compared to - anonnie
        • I knew it was too easy sm - Oh, no
          • See message. - Been there and gone.
  • looking for job - ann
    • OMG! - PJ2
  • good post, but sad state of affairs nm - mt

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IC can be defined differently state to state.  Even the IRS cannot come up with a definitive set of rules.  You would be surprised how many ICs actually get unemployment in some states.  If the unemployment claim form asks specifically if you are an independent contractor, do not lie, but if it does not, do not volunteer it.  Let the company prove you are a true IC according to the rules of your state.  All you lose is a few minutes filling out the claim form.  I would only do it as a last resort.  If you can find work fast, by all means go for it, but the way things are now with all the VR and off-shoring, it is a backup if you cannot find work.  No one should go hungry because they are afraid to file for Unemployment as an IC. 

You bring up some very good points.

The big picture is quite scary.  I experienced Katrina on the coast, and I kept feeling like I was in a war zone, the devastated environment, the (temporary) martial law in effect, confusion and chaos, reporters obessing on certain story angles and completely ignoring other more vital ones, and all the bureaucratic bunging before during and after....and I realized America is not equipped to handle big disasters, yet we remain in denial and have learned very little from that experience.

Yes, we pay lip service to privacy with HIPAA regulations for ourselves, then send our medical records overseas where the laws don't apply.  Every time I am made to comply with another restriction to satisfy HIPAA, I wonder why we bother - so we can delude ourselves that everything is safe and secure?  We KNOW it isn't.  God forbid I should copy a medical record (without patient identifiers) in order to do a better job tomorrow - it might be a privacy violation! - but its perfectly fine to send it overseas where some disgruntled person can email it all over the world with no legal repurcussions!  Or use it for dark political motives, should the record belong to someone famous, or get rich tattling the details to a tabloid.

Its insane that we voluntarily give up more and more freedoms in this country to artificially bump up our sense of security, while undermining that security in a big way by deliberately giving other countries the opportunity to take our jobs, take our private information, and take our way of life, piece by piece.  Why are we doing this, and why don't we stop?  Are we so short-sighted that we blame the economy for our economic woes without realizing that we are undermining that economy by giving our jobs away and buying cheap imported products? 

Why doesn't anybody see the cause and effect?  They outsource a job, someone here loses theirs, has financial woes, has to get by cheap, purchases cheap imports, which causes a local factory to go belly up or outsource, and the spiral continues downward.  Who will be the consumers of American products - the foreigners who took our jobs?  Or will there simply no longer be American products, and no American jobs as a result?

I'm always amused at the posts wanting info on the same companies over and over again.  Most of us who have been in this business a long time  have a fellow MT working for just about every MT company so it is easy to get the poopy-scoopy first hand.  Just look at the views on the jobs board.  I wager most of these views are not from 30 year veterans!  The companies do not care who does the work or whether it is fair or not.

I would never tolerate being out of work either.  My contract (or employment) was between myself and the company I worked for, NOT with my fellow MTs.  Has nothing to do with being selfish or considerate.  If you don't take the work when it's there someone else will do it and keep right on doing it so likely you will never have any work.

There were a number of factors that made me make the decision to retire.  Probably would have gone to work for another company, even considered it, then I got the poopy-scoopy from an insider that said that  heretofore good company was on a downhill slide.  So I'm done with it.  MT is no longer a desirable career IMHO. 

I know someone who was just hired though.  I also remember the threads on the newcomers only able to transcribe 5 reports a day until they were off QA.  Oh yeah, I totally see that as looking out for your contractors...  NOT!  I'd go broke!  If I'm not mistaken, Transcend pays their employees during their training period an hourly rate.  Now that's what I call looking out for the newcomer!    I don't work for them either.

Everyone knows you get more bees with honey! 

No, they are not the only company out there that hires great MTs, are nice - which is important to so many on this board, and give you flexibility.....  You just have to look for them; that's all.... 

I know someone who was just hired though.  I also remember the threads on the newcomers only able to transcribe 5 reports a day until they were off QA.  Oh yeah, I totally see that as looking out for your contractors...  NOT!  I'd go broke!  If I'm not mistaken, Transcend pays their employees during their training period an hourly rate.  Now that's what I call looking out for the newcomer!    I don't work for them either.

Everyone knows you get more bees with honey! 

No, they are not the only company out there that hires great MTs, are nice - which is important to so many on this board, and give you flexibility.....  You just have to look for them; that's all.... 

For those considering applying for unemployment, be prepared that it may take months, not weeks, especially considering how many people are on and applying for unemployment these days.  I have a friend who applied in September 2008 and, after appeal, did not receive a final decision until Februrary 2009, which was a denial.  If you can afford to do it, then go for it, but do not plan on receiving the money and do not borrow money to cover your expenses during that time, as there is a good possibility that you will not ever receive compensation.

I agree with a lot of what you said.  The field is changing and we have to adapt, but then again, isn't EVERY field changing, even globally?  We started out with G6 summits, then went to G8, now it's G20.  One comment I wanted to share though is that even though the fields are changing, the economic climate is changing for the worst.  Capitalism has now become a dirty word because it isn't what it used to be.  In the 60s, capitalism stood for the American Dream.  Michael Moore (and PLEASE don't think I'm a fan b/c I'm not!) had it right when he said in this day and age capitalism is nothing more than legalized greed.  You touched on that when you said that corporations are MANDATED to bring in the most money for their shareholders.  Now unfortunately, the gap between the 'average' middle-income American and those at the top is widening at a frightening rate, with us middle-income people racing towards the poverty level. 

Diversifying means of income isn't really going to change that.  It might put a Band-Aid on a lacerated jugular vein.  Real change is only going to happen when the laws governing capitalism are changed.  Sadly, I don't see that happening too soon since most of the legislators are those same 'shareholders' and those at the top.  These are really scary times that we live in.  So, at the very least, coming on this board and screaming at the top of our lungs about MTSOs is really the only release we have...the last little bit of control we have.  And, to be honest, a lot of times we do it, not because of capitalism and the fact that these huge conglomerates and CEOs get away with what they do, but because of the way we are treated by the management that represents them.  Some management is good...some isn't. We scream at the top of our lungs because we know THEY read it.  Unfortunately for them, the good ones are caught in the crossfire.  It's really no different than the excellent MTs being caught in the crossfire of the angry managers who send out scathing emails regarding accounts being out of TAT.  It just happens.

I say if we want to use this board to scream away, HAVE AT IT.  We know we can't really change a whole lot here, but boy it feels good to let off that steam.  Off my soapbox now.  lol  

to wake up and smell the coffee.  They have already lost many of their very good MTs and editors.  If they keep on going the way they are now, they will lose accounts. 

I just want to comment about the AAMT selection of employer of the year.  I did not know how the winner of the award was chosen, and I'm not saying management would send in those forms for themselves, BUT I highly doubt that anyone who works at Medware would send in a nomination on their behalf these days. 

if you go back aways, yikes. I am always concerned when this happens.  Raises the question of concerted effort to rehab a company's rep. Proceed with eyes open, I would say.

This is only my opinion.  If I am considering taking on a new account, I will send my resume' out to a few companies, and see what offers come in.  If it takes one company a day or two to make an offer and another company a week, I may not be available in a week. 

Not sure if you think it is proper to send out a resume to just one company, and cross fingers hoping they will call with a decent offer.  I, for one, prefer to interview the company, not have the company interview me.

Hope this sheds some insight on why you may not receive a call back from those who submit their resume'.  You may be taking too long to get back to them. 

We all feel like that from time to time, but it doesn't matter whether you are an MT or working in any other profession - some days a job is just a job.  You sound like you work for a company like I did.  Too much management getting in the way.  That said, look at it this way.  At one point in my career I made 0.075 cpl for many years (raises unheard of).  I took that rate and turned it into $40,000 a year because I typed by fingers to the bone.  Minimum line count of 1,200 was not enough for me, but some people will only type the minimum and then quit. This is where their problem is.  It's called ambition.  Of course the pay will be low if you quit at 1,200 lines.  Being an MT for 5-10-15 years you certainly should be typing more than that.  If you are not, and it is not YOUR fault, but because of company dynamics, it is time to find a company and account that helps you reach your full potential.  Please do not cheat yourself.  The first thing I would do is not answer phone calls or e mail during your shift (do this before or after) because you are going to have enough to deal with to slow you down while you are working as you described. 

I do not move from company to company, never have, but I certainly would if I felt like I could do better than what is being offered to me, for whatever reason.  Again, no one is going to take care of you - except you, so don't cheat yourself.  Since you already have a job - go with the flow until you find what is absolutely perfect for you and you can make lots of $$ no matter what the rate ( to a degree of course).  It would be nice if we could all make 11 cpl or better.  I never have.  I have found a company and account that is perfect for me, making good money and love the work.  The kicker is, I would have taken that job for 7 cpl and because I am very good in that specialty - I could still make a decent living with it.  Don't go jumping at the first thing offered to you.  Think about it - and yourself.  What is it that you do best as an MT.  That's what you look for.  Being at this for 15 years, maybe you should just throw in the towel where you are but I think you do have the potential for something else.  Go for it - and good luck to you.