Will filing for unemployment affect my future job prospects with NYS Department of Labor benefits?
I'm hesitant to file my unemployment claim because I'm worried it might show up on background checks or somehow hurt my chances of getting hired in the future. Does filing for unemployment affect your future employment opportunities? I've been laid off from my marketing job for two weeks now and really need the benefits, but I don't want to damage my career prospects. Can employers see that you've received UI benefits when they do background checks? I'm especially concerned about applying to government jobs or positions that require security clearances.
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Zadie Patel
Filing for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor will NOT affect your future employment opportunities. Unemployment benefits are designed to help workers during temporary periods of joblessness and receiving them is completely legal and normal. Employers cannot discriminate against you for having received UI benefits in the past. Background checks typically look for criminal history, not unemployment history. Even for government positions and security clearances, receiving unemployment benefits is not considered a negative factor.
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Ali Anderson
•Thank you! That's a huge relief. I was really stressing about this. Do you know if there's any official documentation about this somewhere?
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A Man D Mortal
I work in HR and can confirm that we never see unemployment history during our hiring process. The only way an employer would know is if you voluntarily disclosed it, which you're not required to do. Standard background checks don't include UI benefit history. File for your benefits - you earned them through your previous employment and there's absolutely no shame in using them when you need them.
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Declan Ramirez
•This is exactly right. I've been through multiple background checks for different jobs after receiving unemployment and it's never been an issue or even mentioned.
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Emma Morales
wait are you serious?? i've been putting off filing because my friend told me it would show up on credit reports and hurt my chances of getting hired. if this isn't true then i've been struggling for nothing
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Zadie Patel
•Your friend is unfortunately misinformed. Unemployment benefits don't appear on credit reports either. You should definitely file your claim as soon as possible - you can even backdate it in some cases if you're eligible.
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Katherine Hunter
I had the same concern when I got laid off last year. Turns out it was completely unfounded - I received UI benefits for about 4 months and had no problems getting hired afterward. In fact, some employers are actually more understanding when they know you were laid off rather than quit, and receiving unemployment can help demonstrate that your job loss wasn't due to misconduct.
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Lucas Parker
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to file your claim, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach a live agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was stuck trying to get through for days and this got me connected in about 20 minutes. Really helped me get my claim moving when I couldn't reach anyone through the regular phone lines.
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Ali Anderson
•Interesting, I might need this if I run into issues. Have you used it successfully?
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Lucas Parker
•Yeah, worked great for me. I was skeptical at first but it actually got me through to resolve an adjudication issue that had been pending for weeks.
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Donna Cline
Don't overthink this - just file your claim! I've been in the workforce for 15 years and have filed for unemployment twice during layoffs. Never once has it come up in job interviews or applications. The whole point of the unemployment system is to provide a safety net for workers. Use it!
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