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I've seen various non-official sources claim that you must list 3 job searches for each week of your 2-week claim form, meaning a total of 6. I have found this difficult to do honestly, unless I start to apply for lower-paying jobs out of my realm. Maybe that's the way it is, but I'm trying to find specific requirements.
The official documentation only says this:
How are FED-ED requirements different from previous extensions?
The requirements to receive FED-ED extended benefits are stricter than the requirements from previous extensions. In order to receive FED-ED extended benefits, you must continue to meet all UI eligibility criteria. You may be required to:
Document at least three (3) work search contacts on the back of your Continued Claim Form, DE 4581.
Accept offers of suitable work that may not be in your normal occupation.
On the back of form DE 4581CTO Rev. 4, there are 10 rows, but they aren't segregated into week 1 plus week 2. The wording above says nothing about individual weeks, just 3 days total. Is there an official FED-ED document that mentions needing to write down 6 total job searches, or is this based on someone talking to an EDD phone rep? On the Internet, bad info often gets relayed over and over.
I'm in an industry where I see the same jobs posted for several weeks and am literally running out of jobs to beg (I mean apply) for. It's not like it's a given that fresh prospects are going to pop up each week for the convenience of filling out that form.
Please post any official links vs. hearsay. I've tried to call the EDD about this, but you know how that goes most of the time.
I think this is pretty clear: a continued claim form is for 2 weeks, so, 3 per 2 weeks. We all know we contact a lot more than 3 in 2 weeks.
Taking that document at face value, I agree, but the quote below has been duplicated on a number of websites, and I don't know what document contains the "per week" clause, if any. This could be an example of Internet hearsay or it could be legitimate off-the-record info obtained from a phone rep.
California Employment Law: Fed Ed Extension Info (http://calemploymentlawyer.blogspot.com/2010/03/fed-ed-extension-info.html - broken link)
"Typically, individuals have been instructed to seek full-time work (or in some cases, part-time work) and are required to report contact with a minimum of three employers per week."
Also, as I mentioned, in some fields you can't find all that many openings unless you apply all over the nation, which is unrealistic. I see about 1 or 2 per week in my field in a 100 mile radius, typically. Others are down in the L.A. area which I refuse to live in. I don't think one shouldn't be forced to move to an overcrowded hell-hole. Life is about more than the grind.
If anyone has actually mailed a FED-ED (final 20-weeks) claim form with only 3 job searches and had no problems, please confirm. Thanks.
Also, as I mentioned, in some fields you can't find all that many openings unless you apply all over the nation, which is unrealistic. I see about 1 or 2 per week in my field in a 100 mile radius, typically. Others are down in the L.A. area which I refuse to live in. I don't think one shouldn't be forced to move to an overcrowded hell-hole. Life is about more than the grind.
If anyone has actually mailed a FED-ED (final 20-weeks) claim form with only 3 job searches and had no problems, please confirm. Thanks.
You are being too literal in your view of an acceptable job search. You are NOT required to apply to jobs in your field. You can apply for anything. Go online, submit three applications per week anywhere, document them, and send in the form to CA. It is very unlikely you will get a response. I've applied online probably 100 times and have heard back 4. Don't worry about. Just apply for anything so that you can say you made the effort if it is so hard to find suitable openings in your field.
Relative to job offer refusal - read this on what constitutes a job offer:
Also, you don't have to actually apply for a posted job opening in order for it to count. You can cold call a business or agency that you would like to work for, ask if they're hiring or will be soon, ask if you can send your resume, ask if they've heard of any openings in the field, etc. In addition to filling up your job search list, this can be very fruitful. I've found out about a number of openings or potential openings this way that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Of course, I still didn't actually get any of the jobs, so "fruitful" is a relative term, but...well.
You are being too literal in your view of an acceptable job search. You are NOT required to apply to jobs in your field. You can apply for anything. Go online, submit three applications per week anywhere, document them, and send in the form to CA. It is very unlikely you will get a response. I've applied online probably 100 times and have heard back 4. Don't worry about. Just apply for anything so that you can say you made the effort if it is so hard to find suitable openings in your field.
Relative to job offer refusal - read this on what constitutes a job offer:
You can also refuse the interview, if it gets that far. As long as the job is not offered to you, you did not refuse it.
Actually, I just got a letter from the EDD that answers my original question. It says "You must complete all of the following fields to show your work search for at least 3 contacts each week being claimed." (form DE-6330FED-E)
They are not casual about this, and there are criminal penalties for trying to forge entries on the work search.
I know I don't have to apply within my field, and in fact, after 30 days on FED-ED you are compelled to take whatever you can get. I just don't like slinging resumes all over the place (for privacy reasons).
Also, you don't have to actually apply for a posted job opening in order for it to count. You can cold call a business or agency that you would like to work for, ask if they're hiring or will be soon, ask if you can send your resume, ask if they've heard of any openings in the field, etc. In addition to filling up your job search list, this can be very fruitful. I've found out about a number of openings or potential openings this way that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Of course, I still didn't actually get any of the jobs, so "fruitful" is a relative term, but...well.
In all candor, I am so fed up with looking that I've lost the will to do more than a few searches per week.
That cold-calling idea is a good tip if I can get past my disgust with the whole begging process.
If you aren't looking for "at least" the bare minimum amount of jobs per week you don't deserve benefits. This is why alot of people are mad that unemployment is going to be extended (hopefully).
You are giving the naysayers a reason to say that there are people who are taking advantage of the system. If you have to apply to a job that isn't in your field, do it. You can't be picky in this environment. And if you don't, don't cry when benefits dry up and your screaming for a 5th tier.
This isn't a knock on people who ran out of benefits trying to look for work. This is only for people who don't want to go outside the box.
In all candor, I am so fed up with looking that I've lost the will to do more than a few searches per week.
That cold-calling idea is a good tip if I can get past my disgust with the whole begging process.
Door-to-door cold calls are probably an effective way of meeting the job search requirement. This tactic offers quantity but very little quality. You just have to adjust to the embarrasment, humiliation and resentment of forcing resumes onto employers that have no opening and even if they did you probably don't qualify if you're searching outside of your normal occupation. My hunch is that most of these cold call resumes end up in the circular file rather soon.
Door-to-door cold calls are probably an effective way of meeting the job search requirement. This tactic offers quantity but very little quality. You just have to adjust to the embarrasment, humiliation and resentment of forcing resumes onto employers that have no opening and even if they did you probably don't qualify if you're searching outside of your normal occupation. My hunch is that most of these cold call resumes end up in the circular file rather soon.
Yeah, when you just give them a resume and they're not hiring, that probably doesn't go very far (but I always do it anyway). The part that works is the light networking aspect. I've found out about jobs that weren't even open yet, but would be in a month or so and also since the "industry" I'm in is a pretty closely knit group of government and private non-profit agencies, many of which are very small, just chatting about who I've worked for in the past and what I've done and then asking if they've heard of anyone else who's hiring has turned up a lot of potential jobs for me that I probably wouldn't have found otherwise.
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Maybe, but...
A letter just cleared this up
