It’s been a week since my job got eliminated/outsourced. As planned, I’m working for Company B as an independent contractor for this month while still working in Company A’s office. I’ve applied to 10 jobs so far, some on site, some remote and one that is hybrid.
So far, nothing but crickets. Maybe a lot of people took this week off for July 4 (I think one place I applied to closes on Fridays during the summer).
Company B hasn’t assured me I’ll get offered a permanent position. If they do I’ll take it since it’s better than unemployment, but I’ll still be looking elsewhere.
Last month, Company A was closed for Juneteenth but Company B was open. I also discovered that MLK Day and the day after Thanksgiving which are Company A holidays are not Company B holidays. It’s unclear whether I would be able to work from home on these days, have to use a vacation day or go without pay, or show up to work when nobody will be there.
Company B hasn’t discussed pay and benefits if I get offered a permanent position (right now I’m being paid as a contractor the same amount per hour as before). I found some reviews on indeed.com that say Company B has no medical benefits, no sick days and only 5 vacation days a year. Company B is a small business that is exempt from the government mandates to provide health insurance or FMLA. I am healthy but god forbid if I have a major injury or illness and have to miss several weeks or months of work.
If I do not get offered a permanent position I will have to file for unemployment and navigate lots of red tape. The last time I was on unemployment it took two months for me to start receiving benefits. I received severance back then and that held up my unemployment benefits. Company A is also paying me severance. I’m considering doing some side jobs like DoorDash.
I still feel betrayed by Company A. I got a raise every year but worked in the office ever since day 1 of the pandemic. Tonight I’m feeling the dread of going back to work on Monday that I normally feel on Sunday night.
Every other time I had a job search I’ve gotten calls and emails almost every day and this time I’ve gotten nothing so far. I’ve seen many folks post on r/resumes that they’ve applied to hundreds of jobs with zero offers and very few if any interviews. I do have savings that could last almost a year but if I’m out of work an extended amount of time it could take years to rebuild my savings.