WorkSource email notifications - are career fair invites mandatory for UI requirements?
I keep getting emails from WorkSource about different hiring events and career fairs in my area. Are these considered mandatory for maintaining my unemployment benefits? I've been completing my 3 job search activities every week as required, but I'm confused about whether I need to attend these events too. I haven't gotten any direct interview requests or anything specifically assigned to me, just these general event notifications. Don't want to accidentally mess up my benefits by missing something important! Thanks for any clarification.
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Micah Trail
Those general WorkSource event emails are not mandatory. They're just informational to help with your job search. The only activities you MUST complete are your 3 required job search activities each week (applications, interviews, etc). Make sure you're logging those properly in your weekly claim. If WorkSource ever assigns you something mandatory, they'll make it extremely clear in the communication that it's required for your benefits.
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Kristin Frank
•Oh thank goodness! I've been stressing about this for weeks. So I can just keep doing my 3 job search activities and logging them properly without worrying about these event emails. Such a relief, thank you!
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Nia Watson
i get those 2 all the time & never go lol. been on UI since January and still getting benefits with no issues
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Alberto Souchard
•Be careful with this advice! While the general events usually aren't mandatory, sometimes WorkSource DOES send mandatory meeting requests - those are completely different from the event notifications and skipping those CAN affect your benefits! Always read communications carefully!!
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Katherine Shultz
These emails are simply resources provided by WorkSource to help with your job search. The mandatory activities are clearly marked as "required" and often come through your eServices account as well. That said, attending career fairs can count as one of your weekly job search activities if you document it properly! Just make sure you're recording the event name, date, and contact information in your job search log.
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Marcus Marsh
•The ESD job search monitoring system is SO FRUSTRATING. I swear they deliberately make things confusing. Last year they sent me to a mandatory "reemployment" workshop but the notification got buried in my spam folder and I almost got disqualified because I missed it. The regular WorkSource events are optional though.
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Hailey O'Leary
If you're ever unsure about any communication from ESD or WorkSource, you should try to contact them directly. Good luck getting through though... I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone at ESD about a similar question. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through - they have a system that holds your place in line and calls when an agent is available. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. Saved me hours of frustration. The agent confirmed that general event notifications aren't mandatory unless specifically stated.
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Kristin Frank
•Thank you for the suggestion! I'll keep that in mind if I run into issues where I need to talk to someone directly. Those wait times are brutal - I tried calling once and gave up after being on hold for over an hour.
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Nia Watson
btw those emails are good sometimes tho,, I actually got a decent job lead from 1 of the hiring events last month so dont ignore them completely maybe
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Micah Trail
Quick tip about WorkSource emails - they typically use this format for different communications: - "INFORMATION ONLY" emails = optional events, resources - "ACTION REQUIRED" emails = mandatory stuff that affects benefits - "REMINDER" emails = could be either type Always check the subject line and first paragraph to determine if it's mandatory. And remember, you can always count event attendance as one of your three weekly activities, so they can be useful even though they're optional.
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Kristin Frank
•This is super helpful! I'll start paying more attention to those specific headings in the emails. Makes much more sense now why some seem more urgent than others.
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