Zoom interviews - which ESD contact option to select for job search activities?
I'm scheduled for three Zoom interviews next week and need to report them on my weekly claim as job search activities (finally getting some responses after 6 weeks of searching!). When entering them in the ESD portal, what contact method should I select? There's options for in-person, phone, and website/email, but nothing specifically for video interviews. Would Zoom count as 'phone' since it's a call, or 'website' since it's online? I don't want to mess up my claim over something this small but ESD can be so picky about details. Has anyone had experience reporting Zoom interviews?
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Zoe Wang
Select 'website/email' for Zoom interviews. That's what the ESD agent told me when I called about this exact question in January. She said anything web-based (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, etc.) counts under the website category since you're accessing it through a web browser or app. I've been doing this for months with no issues on my claims.
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Aidan Hudson
•Thank you so much! That makes total sense. I was overthinking it.
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Connor Richards
i put phone for all my zoom ones and had no problem for like 2 months so idk if it really matters tbh
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Grace Durand
•It technically does matter. According to the ESD Handbook (pg 23), you should categorize your job search activities accurately. While they may not catch it immediately, if you're selected for a job search review and they find discrepancies, it could trigger an investigation. Better to follow the correct guidelines from the start.
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Steven Adams
The ESD system is definitely confusing on this! I've been using 'website/email' for all my virtual interviews (Zoom, Teams, etc.) for the past 3 months. My reasoning is that you're connecting through a website service rather than an actual phone line. For what it's worth, I had a job search review in March and they verified all my activities without any issues, including 5 different Zoom interviews I had reported as website contacts. I think the key is to be consistent and make sure you note in the description field that it was a "Zoom video interview" so there's no confusion if they review your claim.
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Alice Fleming
Does anyone else HATE how confusing ESD makes everything??!! I spent 20 minutes trying to figure out this EXACT thing last month and ended up just guessing. The whole system needs to be updated for 2025... like who even does regular phone interviews anymore??? Everything is Zoom or Teams now!
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Hassan Khoury
•I couldn't agree more! I tried calling ESD three times last week to clarify this and other questions about my job search activities, but kept getting disconnected after waiting for over an hour each time. The whole system is incredibly frustrating. Has anyone had any luck actually reaching a human being at ESD?
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Grace Durand
Here's the official guidance: 1. For Zoom, Teams, or any video interview conducted over the internet: Select 'Website/email' as the contact method 2. For traditional phone calls: Select 'Phone' 3. For in-person interviews: Select 'In-person' The key thing ESD looks for in job search verification is that you can document the activity occurred. So regardless of which method you select, make sure to: - Save the email invitation for the Zoom interview - Note the name and contact information of the interviewer - Record the job title and company accurately - Keep any follow-up correspondence If you're ever selected for a job search review (they do random ones every quarter), having this documentation will prevent any issues with your claim.
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Aidan Hudson
•This is super helpful - thank you! I didn't even think about saving the Zoom invitation emails as proof. I'll start doing that immediately.
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Victoria Stark
I had five zoom interviews last month and havent been working since november when i got laid off from amazon. i put all of them as website contacts and even got the job at one of them! starting monday finally
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Aidan Hudson
•Congratulations on the new job! That's great news. I'm hoping one of my interviews works out too.
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