NYS Department of Labor weekly claim certification - which work search group applies to my situation?
I'm really confused about the work search requirements for my weekly claims. When I file each week, there's a section asking about which group I belong to for job search activities, but I can't figure out which one applies to me. I was laid off from my marketing job in December and I'm actively looking for work, but some weeks I do more networking events and others I'm applying to specific postings. The categories seem vague and I don't want to mess up my certification by picking the wrong group. Has anyone else struggled with this part of the weekly claim? What happens if you select the wrong category by mistake?
11 comments
Join the conversation
Lucas Adams
The work search groups are based on your employment history and the type of work you're seeking. For most people coming from regular employment like marketing, you'd typically fall into the general work search category that requires 3 job contacts per week. The key is documenting your activities properly - networking events count as valid job search activities as long as you can show they're related to finding employment in your field.
0 coins
Chloe Green
•Thanks! So if I attend a professional networking mixer, that would count as one of my three contacts? I wasn't sure if those counted the same as submitting applications.
0 coins
Harper Hill
ugh this is so confusing! i picked the wrong group for like 3 weeks before i figured it out. nothing happened to my payments but i was worried they'd make me pay it back or something
0 coins
Chloe Green
•Did you have to contact NYS Department of Labor to fix it or did you just start selecting the right group going forward?
0 coins
Harper Hill
•just started picking the right one, never heard anything about the weeks i messed up
0 coins
Caden Nguyen
I had a similar issue and couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to clarify. After weeks of busy signals and dropped calls, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you connected to a real person. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. They helped me get clarification on my work search requirements and it was so much easier than trying to call directly.
0 coins
Avery Flores
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already tight on money while unemployed.
0 coins
Caden Nguyen
•It's worth checking out their site for details, but honestly the peace of mind of actually talking to someone who could explain the requirements was huge for me.
0 coins
Zoe Gonzalez
The NYS Department of Labor website has a work search handbook that breaks down the different categories, but honestly it's not much clearer than the weekly certification questions. I think they intentionally make it confusing so people mess up and they can deny claims. I've been unemployed three times over the past five years and each time the requirements seem to change or get more complicated.
0 coins
Ashley Adams
•Same here with the changing requirements! It's like they want us to fail.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
Just wanted to add that if you're unsure, document EVERYTHING. Keep a log of every job application, networking event, career fair, even informational interviews. I use a simple spreadsheet with dates, company names, and what type of contact it was. This way if there's ever a question about your work search activities, you have proof.
0 coins