Got a mandatory RESEA meeting scheduled with NY unemployment tomorrow - what should I expect?
Just got notified about a mandatory virtual RESEA appointment for tomorrow. They said it could take up to 90 minutes where they'll go over my work search activities, check my resume, and create some kind of reemployment plan. The message mentioned the caller ID will show 888-209-8124. I've only been on unemployment for about 3 weeks (filed my initial claim on December 15th). Anyone gone through one of these already? What should I expect? Do they actually help with job searching or is this just them checking to make sure I'm looking? A little nervous about the whole thing.
46 comments


CosmicCadet
Had mine last month. It was actually only about 45 minutes. They went through my work search log, asked some questions about what kinds of jobs I was looking for, then gave me some resources for job hunting. Nothing scary. Just make sure you have your work search records ready and be honest about your job search efforts. They're mostly making sure you're actually looking.
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Mei Chen
•Thanks for sharing! Did they ask you anything specific about interviews or just general search activities?
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CosmicCadet
•They asked if I had any interviews yet, and what websites I was using to look for jobs. Had to prove I was applying to jobs that matched my skills.
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Liam O'Connor
•did they make u send any proof during the call or just asked u about it?
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CosmicCadet
•Just asked questions over the phone, but they had access to the work search logs I submitted every week when claiming benefits. Didn't have to email anything during the call.
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Amara Adeyemi
After getting nowhere with normal phone calls, I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an actual person at unemployment within hours. They helped me understand all these RESEA requirements and fixed an issue with my account. Talking to a real agent got my payments going again after weeks of nothing. This video explains how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Giovanni Gallo
•Is this some kind of scam? I've seen so many fake services claiming to help with unemployment 🤔
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Amara Adeyemi
•Not at all! It's just a service that calls unemployment for you and stays on hold so you don't have to. When they get someone on the line, they connect the call to your phone. No different than asking a friend to wait on hold, except they use technology to do it. It saved me hours of frustration.
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
•wait this sounds too good to be true... does it actually work? I've been trying to get through for weeks and my benefits are stuck.
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Amara Adeyemi
•Yeah it worked for me when nothing else did. They don't do anything magical - they just handle the waiting on hold part, which is the worst part of dealing with unemployment. When they get someone, they call you, and boom - you're talking to an actual agent.
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Dylan Wright
•I tried this too! Got through in like 45 mins when I was on hold for 3+ hours myself the day before 💯
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NebulaKnight
Just had mine 2 weeks ago. Bring ALL your work search records - they will check! Also have your resume ready to review. The lady I spoke with was actually really nice and gave me good feedback on my resume. Just be prepared to answer questions about your job search effort and what type of work you're looking for.
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Sofia Ramirez
these resea things r bs. literally just a way for them to try and catch people and cut off benefits. make sure ur work search stuff is on point cause thats what theyre REALLY looking at not actually tryna help u lmaooo
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Dmitry Popov
•Not entirely true. Mine actually helped me fix some issues with my claim. Yeah they check your work search but they can solve problems too if you ask.
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Sofia Ramirez
•u got lucky then bruh. most ppl i know just got grilled about job searches. the whole systems designed to trip ppl up 🤡
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Ava Rodriguez
•It really depends on who you get. My interviewer was actually super helpful and signed me up for some free certification program. But my friend's RESEA was just a 40 min interrogation 😬
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Miguel Ortiz
I went through this last summer. Here's what happens: - They'll verify your identity at the beginning - They review ALL your work search activities (have documentation ready!) - They'll ask about your skills and work history - They'll look at your resume and give feedback (actually helpful) - They might refer you to job training programs if you're interested - They'll help you create a "reemployment plan" which is just a formal way of saying what kinds of jobs you'll look for The most important thing is being able to document your work search activities. Have dates, company names, positions, and how you applied. They can and will verify these. If you can't get through to them with questions before your meeting, try claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get through to an actual unemployment agent. Saved me hours of waiting on hold. Overall, treat it like a professional meeting. Be prepared, honest about your job search, and you'll be fine.
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Mei Chen
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I've been keeping all my job search records in a spreadsheet so hopefully that's enough. Did they ask to actually see your records during the video call or just asked you about them?
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Miguel Ortiz
•In my case, they just asked me to describe them verbally, but I've heard others say they were asked to email records during or after the call. Better to have everything ready just in case!
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Zainab Khalil
•Does the claimyr thing really work? I have questions about my RESEA but can't get through to anyone
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Miguel Ortiz
•Yep! It's basically just a service that waits on hold for you. When they get someone on the line, they connect you. It's not free but it saved me literally days of trying to get through.
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QuantumQuest
My RESEA meeting was such a joke. Lady spent 10 minutes telling me how to use indeed like I haven't been job hunting for months. Complete waste of time but you gotta do it or they'll cut your benefits 🙄
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Connor Murphy
•For real! Mine spent 20 minutes trying to convince me to consider retail jobs even though I have 10 years experience in accounting. Like no ma'am, I'm not starting over at minimum wage.
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Yara Haddad
•tbh i think it depends on who u get. my guy was rly cool and just went thru the motions. didn't give me any trouble
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Keisha Robinson
I missed my RESEA call because the number came through as spam and my phone blocked it automatically 😭 had to reschedule and almost lost benefits. MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER when they call from that 888 number!!!
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Paolo Conti
•Omg same thing happened to me!!! I had to call like 50 times to reschedule. Wish I knew about that claimyr service people are mentioning.
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Amina Sow
They'll probably make you sign up for the jobs website thingy (JobZone I think???) if you haven't already. Have your resume ready in a digital format so you can upload it during the meeting. Makes things go faster.
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GalaxyGazer
anyone else think its CRAZY they expect us to be available with almost no notice? i got my RESEA notice like 2 days before the appointment. what if i had something important scheduled already??
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Oliver Wagner
•You can reschedule once if you need to. I had to because I had a job interview (ironically). Just call the number on the notice asap.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•Try getting through to reschedule though... impossible without waiting 4+ hours on hold. This whole system is designed to be frustrating.
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Javier Mendoza
•I used claimyr.com to get through quickly when I needed to reschedule. Saved me so much time and stress.
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Emma Thompson
Hot tip: SCREENSHOT EVERYTHING related to your job search. Applications, confirmations, rejection emails, indeed activities, linkedin stuff - everything! I had screenshots ready on my computer and the lady was impressed that I was so prepared.
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Mei Chen
•That's a great idea! I've been saving some confirmation emails but haven't been taking screenshots. I'll do that tonight just to be safe.
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Malik Davis
Does anyone know if they record these meetings? I'm weirdly nervous about being on camera lol 🙈
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Isabella Santos
•Mine wasn't even a video call, just a regular phone call! I think it varies by region maybe?
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StarStrider
•Same here - just a phone call. They said videocall but then just called my phone. They prob say video to scare people 😂
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Ravi Gupta
My RESEA meeting got me a free certification program I wouldn't have known about otherwise. So while it seems like a hassle, there can be some good that comes out of it. Just go in with an open mind.
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Freya Pedersen
If your NY unemployment RESEA meeting is anything like mine, it'll be 20% helpful information and 80% them reminding you they can audit your work search at any time lol. just bring all your records and u'll be fine. don't stress.
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Omar Hassan
Question - do they make you sign anything after the meeting? I've heard they make you agree to certain job search requirements?
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Chloe Anderson
•They emailed me a "reemployment plan" after my meeting that I had to acknowledge receiving. It just outlined what we discussed and what I agreed to do (apply to X jobs per week, etc).
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Diego Vargas
•Yep, same here. It's not really anything different than what you already agreed to when you first applied for benefits.
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Finnegan Gunn
Just want to say thanks to everyone who shared their experiences! I'm feeling a lot less anxious about tomorrow now. Sounds like as long as I have my work search records organized and my resume ready, it should go smoothly. I've been keeping everything in a spreadsheet with dates, company names, and positions I applied for, so hopefully that's sufficient. Really appreciate this community for helping each other navigate this stuff! 🙏
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Nora Bennett
I just had my RESEA meeting last week and wanted to share some tips! The counselor was actually really nice and it ended up being more helpful than I expected. Here's what I learned: 1. Have your work search log ready - I used a simple Excel sheet with dates, company names, job titles, and application method 2. Your resume should be saved as a PDF on your desktop (they asked me to email it during the call) 3. They asked about my career goals and what salary range I was targeting 4. Be ready to discuss any skills gaps or training you might need The whole thing took about 50 minutes and she actually connected me with a local workforce development program that offers free certifications. Don't stress too much - as long as you're genuinely looking for work and can show your efforts, you'll be fine! One last tip: if you need to reach unemployment before your meeting for any questions, I second what others said about trying claimyr.com - it really does work and saves hours of hold time.
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Javier Morales
•This is super helpful, thank you! I'm really glad to hear that most people are having positive experiences with their RESEA meetings. The fact that your counselor connected you with a workforce development program sounds amazing - I had no idea they could help with things like that. I've got my work search records organized in a spreadsheet similar to what you described, and I'll make sure to save my resume as a PDF on my desktop just in case. It's reassuring to know that 50 minutes seems to be the average time rather than the full 90 minutes they warned about. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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Freya Larsen
Just wanted to add my experience from when I had my RESEA meeting about a month ago! I was super nervous too but it ended up being pretty straightforward. The counselor walked me through updating my NY.gov job seeker profile and showed me some job search resources I didn't know existed. One thing that helped me was having my work search activities printed out as a backup - even though it was a phone call, I felt more confident having everything in front of me on paper. They asked me to describe about 5-6 of my recent job applications in detail (what the job was, where I found it, when I applied). The counselor also asked if I was open to remote work or willing to commute to certain areas, so be ready to discuss your geographic flexibility. Overall it was way less intimidating than I built it up to be in my head. You've got this! Also echoing what others said about that claimyr service - used it myself when I had payment issues and it actually works. Worth it if you need to talk to someone at DOL quickly.
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Luca Ricci
•Thanks for sharing your experience! I really appreciate the tip about printing out my work search activities as a backup - that's such a smart idea to have everything on paper even for a phone call. It would definitely make me feel more prepared and confident. The detail about them asking for 5-6 specific job applications is really helpful too - I'll make sure I can talk through my recent applications with all those details. Good to know they ask about geographic flexibility as well. I'm feeling much more prepared now thanks to everyone's advice here!
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