Work Search Required for All Claimants

To receive unemployment benefits, you are required to be actively seeking work. Under state law, all claimants are required to make three work search contacts each week and keep a record of their work search activities. 

To receive benefits:

  • You must make contact with at least three different employers each week and keep a record of your work search, as is required by state law. One of the three weekly job contacts can be satisfied by attending an approved reemployment activity offered by a NCWorks Career Center or a partnering agency.
  • You are required to register with a jobseeker account on NCWorks.gov, North Carolina’s online portal for employment and training services. Jobseekers can use NCWorks.gov to search and apply for jobs, access labor market information and find opportunities for workforce training.

Unemployment Work Search Requirements

What can I do to fulfill my work search requirements each week?

  • Contact employers who have a position matching your qualifications, knowledge, abilities or skills. Employer contact must be for the purpose of obtaining employment.
  • Participate in approved and verified reemployment activities. May count for no more than one of the three required contacts each week. 

What are acceptable methods of contacting employers?

  • Submitting an application, resume, letter of interest, etc., through the employer or an employment website, such as NCWorks.
  • Having a telephone conversation with an employer. Note: Leaving a message or voicemail is not sufficient.
  • Attending a meeting with the employer. May include contact at job fairs or similar events or video interviews. 
  • Registering with NCWorks.gov. Can only be used as a contact for the week registration was completed.
  • Responding to a blind job advertisement (an online or newspaper ad that does not give the company name). A copy of a blind advertisement may substitute for employer name, name of contact and job title. You must keep a copy of the advertisement for your records.

What kinds of reemployment activities may count as work search contacts?

  • Skill Set Courses (Provided by NCWorks Career Centers and/or Partner Agencies)

    • Workshops (ex. Resume Preparation, Interviewing, Social Media Job Searches, Branding) 
    • Soft Skills Training (Professional or Social Etiquette)
    • Industry/Occupational Specific Training (ex. CPR)
    • Alison Online Training
    • GCFLearnFree.org Classes
    • English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes
  • Online Career Tools (Provided by NCWorks Career Centers and/or Partner Agencies)
    • Employment Websites (ex. Indeed)
    • NCCareers.org features, such as Reality Check, Interest Profiler, Career Cluster Guide
  • Telephone Reemployment Assistance with NCWorks Career Centers and/or Partner Agencies
    • Career Counseling (ex. Job Seeking Tips, Interviewing Basics)
  • Career Explorer (NCWorks Interest and Skills Assessment)
    • Job Skills/Personal Skills/Workplace Skills (Self-Assessments)
    • Work Interests/Work Values (Self-Paced Inventories in NCWorks)
    • Career Counseling (ex. Job Seeking Tips, Interviewing Basic)
  • Job Clubs and/or Networking Groups (NCWorks/Partner/Community-Recognized)
  • Resume Preparation, Review and/or Assistance
  • Career Fair (Virtual and/or In-Person)
  • Job Search/Virtual Recruiter
  • Job Referrals

If you have any questions regarding a specific reemployment activity not listed, please contact your local NCWorks Career Center.

Keeping a Record of Your Work Search

You are required to keep a detailed record of your work search activities each week. You will receive a blank Work Search Record form that you can use to document your work search activities. For audit purposes, you must retain these records for five years. 

Download a blank Work Search Record.  

Your work search record must include:

  • Date of the employer contact or reemployment activity.
  • Name of the company contacted or reemployment activity attended.
  • The position you are seeking.
  • Name of contact person (if applicable).
  • Contact method (in person, by phone, by email, online, by fax, etc.). Attach confirmation emails or confirmation numbers for any online contacts.
  • Contact information for the company contact or activity (website, email address, fax number, telephone number, physical address, etc.). If you are using an employment website, provide the name of the employer with whom you are applying AND the name of the employment website.
  • Results of the contact or activity (submitted application, second interview, completed activity, not hiring, etc.).

Below is an example of a valid work search record.

Example of Work Search Record

*Attach a copy of confirmation email or confirmation number for any online contacts.