How to prove work search for NYS Department of Labor unemployment requirements - what documentation do they accept?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 2 months now and I'm getting paranoid about my work search documentation. I know NYS Department of Labor requires 3 work search activities per week but I'm not sure if what I'm doing counts or if I'm keeping the right records. I've been applying to jobs online mostly through Indeed and LinkedIn, but I'm worried they might ask for proof and I don't know what they actually want to see. Do I need to print out confirmation emails? Keep screenshots? I also went to a job fair last week - does that count as one activity or multiple? Really don't want to get hit with an overpayment notice because I messed up the documentation.
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Sophia Carson
You need to keep detailed records of each work search activity. For online applications, save confirmation emails or take screenshots showing the job title, company name, date applied, and method of application. Job fairs count as one activity regardless of how many employers you talk to. NYS Department of Labor can audit your work search at any time, so documentation is crucial. Also make sure you're logging everything in your weekly claim certification.
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Ana Erdoğan
•Thanks! Should I be printing everything out or are digital records okay? And what about networking events - do those count?
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Elijah Knight
i just keep a simple spreadsheet with company, position, date, and how i applied. been doing this for months and never had any issues when i file my weekly claims
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Brooklyn Foley
The key is being able to prove WHAT you did, WHEN you did it, and HOW you did it. Online applications need confirmation emails or screenshots. In-person applications need the employer name and contact info. Phone inquiries need the person you spoke with and their title. Networking events and job fairs count but you need specifics - not just 'I went to a job fair' but which employers you spoke with. Keep everything organized because if NYS Department of Labor decides to audit your work search, they want details.
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Jay Lincoln
•This is so stressful! I've been keeping records but now I'm worried they're not detailed enough. What if I can't remember exactly who I talked to at a job fair?
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Brooklyn Foley
•As long as you have the event name, date, and can show you attended, that should be sufficient. The important thing is showing you made genuine work search efforts.
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Jessica Suarez
Had my work search audited last year and it was a nightmare trying to recreate records after the fact. Now I photograph everything - application confirmations, business cards from networking, even the sign-in sheet at the unemployment office when I use their computers. Better safe than sorry with NYS Department of Labor.
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Marcus Williams
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to clarify their documentation requirements, I used a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that explains how it works. Really helped when I had questions about my work search requirements that the website didn't answer clearly.
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Ana Erdoğan
•Interesting, I didn't know there were services like that. Have you used it multiple times or just once?
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Marcus Williams
•Just once when I was confused about whether volunteer work counted toward my work search activities. Got a clear answer from an actual NYS Department of Labor representative instead of guessing.
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Elijah Knight
honestly the whole work search thing is such a pain. like we're already stressed about being unemployed and then they make us jump through all these hoops to prove we're actually looking
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Lily Young
•I feel you but it makes sense they want proof. Too many people were probably gaming the system.
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Miles Hammonds
I've been through a work search audit and here's what saved me: I created a simple Google Doc with columns for Date, Company, Position, Method (Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.), and Notes. For online applications, I screenshot the confirmation page immediately after submitting. For networking events, I take a photo of the event flyer/sign and write down 2-3 company names I spoke with. The auditor told me they mainly want to see you're making genuine efforts - they're not trying to trip you up, but you do need to show your work. Digital records are fine, you don't need to print everything. Just be consistent with your documentation from now on.
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Isaac Wright
•This is really helpful, thank you! I like the Google Doc idea - seems much more organized than my current mess of screenshots scattered across my phone. Quick question: when you say "screenshot the confirmation page" - do you mean the page that shows after you hit submit, or do you wait for the email confirmation? Sometimes I get the page right away but the email takes a while to come through.
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Luca Bianchi
•@Miles Hammonds This Google Doc system sounds perfect! I ve'been so disorganized with my documentation. One more question - for job fairs, do you think it s'enough to just write down the company names you spoke with, or should I try to get business cards or contact info too? I went to one last week and only remembered to write down like half the companies I talked to.
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