Do phone interviews with recruiters count as job search activities for ESD weekly claims?

Thanks! Do you remember which activity type you selected when you entered it? They have so many options and none seem exactly right for a recruiter call.

This is super helpful, thank you! I wasn't sure if "Job Interview" was the right category since it felt more like an initial screening, but I'll use that. I did take notes during the call, so I have most of those details you mentioned. Just to be safe, should I also follow up with an email to the recruiter to have a paper trail?

Yes, following up with an email is an excellent idea! This creates a documented paper trail that shows the conversation happened and demonstrates your continued interest. In your follow-up, thank the recruiter for their time, express interest in opportunities discussed, and perhaps reference a specific point from your conversation to show it was substantial. Save this email in case you need it for verification later. Maintaining good documentation is key for ESD requirements.

That's not entirely accurate. While documentation is important, ESD does accept recruiter interactions as valid job search activities if properly documented. The key distinction is whether the conversation was substantive and focused on specific employment opportunities versus a generic "adding you to our database" type call. From ESD's guidelines, qualifying activities include "contact with an industry professional or employer directly related to getting a job." A 36-minute detailed conversation certainly meets this criteria. If you document the specifics (date, time, contact info, position details discussed) and ideally have some follow-up email correspondence, this is completely valid and will pass an audit.

Well that wasn't my experience AT ALL. They denied mine and I had notes. Maybe the auditor was just having a bad day but they were super strict about everything. Just don't want OP to risk their benefits over something so subjective!

Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to ESD? I was stuck in the same boat trying to get clarification on job search activities for weeks. Couldn't get anyone on the phone. Found this service at claimyr.com that got me connected to an actual ESD agent in about 25 minutes instead of spending days redialing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Saved me so much frustration when I needed to sort out confusion about my job search activities.

THANK YOU!! I've never heard of this before but I'm definitely checking it out. I'm so tired of getting hung up on by their automated system every single time. Anything is worth a try at this point!

Thanks for sharing your experience! That makes me feel better about using that category. What industry are you in? I'm in tech and it seems like so much hiring happens through recruiters now.

I'm in healthcare administration, but I have friends in tech who do the same. You're right that tech hiring is very recruiter-heavy! Just make sure you're also doing some direct applications each week too, so you have a mix of activity types. ESD likes to see variety in your job search efforts.

This is really reassuring coming from someone who works with ESD requirements professionally! I was getting worried after reading about some of the inconsistent experiences people have had. The thank you email tip is great - I'll definitely do that. It sounds like as long as I document everything thoroughly, I should be okay. Do you know if there's a minimum length of time for calls to be considered "substantive"? Mine was 36 minutes but I'm curious what the threshold typically is.

There's no official minimum time threshold that ESD publishes, but in practice, conversations under 10-15 minutes are often viewed as too brief to be substantive. Your 36-minute call is well above what would raise any red flags. The key factors ESD looks for are: 1) Discussion of specific job opportunities or requirements, 2) Exchange of relevant professional information, and 3) Clear employment-related purpose. Length helps demonstrate substance, but content matters more. I've seen 20-minute calls accepted and 45-minute calls questioned - it all comes down to documentation showing it was genuinely about potential employment rather than just networking.

That's a great point about it looking better when the recruiter reaches out first! I hadn't thought about it that way, but you're right - it does show I'm marketable. The recruiter did mention they'd be presenting my profile to their client and potentially setting up a formal interview next week, so I'll definitely include that in my documentation. Thanks for the reassurance about mixing up activity types too. I've been doing direct applications and some networking events, so this would just be one part of my overall search efforts.

This template idea is brilliant! I'm definitely going to start using something similar for all my job search activities, not just recruiter calls. Having that consistent format would make it so much easier if I ever get audited. Do you keep these notes in a separate document or just write them directly in the ESD job search log? I've been worried about the character limits in their system cutting off important details.

I keep detailed notes in a separate Google Doc and then put a condensed version in the ESD system. You're right about those character limits - they're really restrictive! I usually write something like "Phone interview with [Name] from [Company] re: [Position]. 36 min discussion of qualifications and next steps. Follow-up scheduled." in the ESD log, but keep all the detailed info in my personal document. That way if they ever audit me, I have the full record to back up what I entered. It's saved me a couple times when I needed to reference old activities.