Maintaining Your Unemployment Work Search Record: A Comprehensive Guide

Unemployment benefits represent an important safety net for those who find themselves unemployed and without work through no fault of their own. After initially qualifying for unemployment benefits, individuals must continue to meet ongoing requirements to maintain their eligibility for unemployment compensation. Demonstrating a continued effort to look for work by keeping an unemployment work search record represents one such requirement.

Function

With an aim toward getting you back to work and off the unemployment benefit rolls, your state unemployment program will often require that you maintain specific records. Keeping a job search record is often part of the requirements for maintaining benefit eligibility. Though each state sets its own standards related to how many attempts you must make each week to find work, most require you to be available for work during the weeks you file claims for unemployment compensation.

Search Record

Work search records contain specific information about your job search efforts. Typically, a work search record will contain the date of contact, name, phone number and address of the person you contacted, the name of the organization and how you contacted the organization. Depending on your state's requirements, you may also have to list the next steps taken, such as sending in a resume or notice of no job availability.

Requirements

Each state has different requirements and suggestions for keeping unemployment work search records. As a general rule, you should keep all documents related to your unemployment claims as long as you continue to file claims for unemployment. Some states, for instance Wisconsin, will require you to keep work search records for a longer time period. Wisconsin unemployment recipients are required to keep work search records for a minimum of 53 weeks beyond their last weekly claim for unemployment benefits.

Considerations

In the end, it is your responsibility to verify with your state unemployment agency how long to keep unemployment work search records. Review the booklet provided by your state agency and follow the recommendations set forth by your state. Your state unemployment agency can ask for a copy of the work search log at any time. In the case of pending appeals or reviews of your unemployment claims, you should continue to keep work search records until after the appeal or review is resolved.