Washington ESD asking for someone to verify unemployment activities - who can I list?

You can list a former coworker, supervisor, or even a professional reference who knows about your work situation. It doesn't have to be your direct manager - just someone who can confirm your employment status and that you're actively looking for work.

I put down my old team lead and it worked fine. They never even called him as far as I know. Just make sure it's someone who would actually answer if Washington ESD contacts them.

If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD about this or other questions, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Made it so much easier to get my questions answered.

I was stressed about this same thing! I ended up using my former supervisor's contact info. The key is just making sure you have their current phone number and that they know you might use them as a reference.

You can also use a professional reference like someone from your industry who knows your work history. I used a former client who I worked with regularly and it was fine.

wait what if you dont have any professional contacts? like if you worked alone or your job was kinda isolated?

I made the mistake of putting down someone who changed their phone number and didn't tell me. Washington ESD couldn't reach them and it caused a delay in my claim processing. Double check your contact info!

Can you use a family member if they know about your job search activities? My spouse has been helping me track applications and would know all the details.

The Washington ESD system is so confusing with all these requirements. I spent forever trying to figure out who to list and almost put down my neighbor lol

I used a former colleague who got laid off at the same time as me. We were both job hunting together so she knew exactly what I was doing for work search activities.

Just want to mention again that if you need to talk to Washington ESD about this verification requirement or anything else, Claimyr really helped me get through when the phone lines were crazy busy. Worth checking out if you're having trouble reaching them.

What if the person you list doesn't remember you that well? I'm worried about putting someone down who might not give a good reference.

I put my direct supervisor but then realized they might ask about my job search activities and my boss wouldn't know about that. Should I have put someone else?

This whole verification thing seems like such a hassle. Why do they need someone to verify what you're already telling them in the application?

If you freelanced or were self-employed, you could use a client who you worked with regularly. That's what I did and it worked out fine.

Make sure whoever you list knows they might get a call. I didn't warn my old manager and when Washington ESD called, he was confused about why they were asking about me months after I left.

Can you change this information later if you need to? Like if the person you listed becomes unavailable?

I was in a similar situation and ended up using someone from my previous job's HR department. They have all the records and are used to these kinds of verification calls.

Just to add another perspective - if you're really stuck and can't reach Washington ESD for clarification, I had success using Claimyr to get through to an agent who explained exactly what they were looking for in that verification contact field.