California Work Search Requirements

To be eligible for UI benefits, you must conduct a reasonable effort to search for suitable work. We advise you to keep a record of your work search dates and employer contact information for future use and potential eligibility interviews. Below are some tips for looking for work.

The kind of work you are looking for, whether full time or part time, will determine how you look for work. Some jobs require a résumé while other jobs require an in-person visit and an application.

Tips for looking for work include:

• Register with the EDD Workforce Services, CalJOBSSM at www.caljobs.ca.gov.
• Respond to want-ads in the newspaper.
• Access the Internet for websites for prospective employers, résumé building, and work searches.
• Contact prior employers.
• Tell friends and relatives that you are looking for work.
• Check trade books for your occupation.
• Send résumés.
• Register with placement facilities of a school, college, university, or professional organization.
• Contact employers who may have jobs in your field.

Your individual instructions for conducting a work search are shown on your UI Benefits Portal, under "work search requirements" Your instructions will be one of the following:

 You must look for full-time work each week.
This means you are required to look for full-time work each week to remain eligible for UI benefits. Even if you find part-time work, you still must continue to look for full-time work while you are working part time and collecting UI benefits

 You must look for part-time work each week as instructed by the EDD.
This means you are required to look for part-time work each week as instructed by the EDD to remain eligible for UI benefits. You must also be able to work and available for part-time work each week as instructed by the EDD.

 You must register with your union and look for full-time work each week.
This means that you are required to follow your union’s requirements for registering as out of work and you must also look for full-time work on your own to remain eligible for UI benefits.

 You must register with your union and look for part-time work each week as instructed by the EDD.
This means that you are required to follow your union’s requirements for registering as out of work and you must also look for part-time work on your own as instructed by the EDD to remain eligible for UI benefits.

 You must register with your union and meet all union reporting requirements and dispatch contacts.
Since your union controls hiring in your occupation, you must meet all union requirements for dispatch. If you are not in good standing with your union, you may not be eligible for UI benefits.

 You must be able to work and available for work each week.
This means that you are not required to look for work, but you must be able to work and available for work each week to be eligible for UI benefits.

 This item does not apply to your claim.
You are certifying for benefits under a special program that does not require a search for work, such as Work Share.

If you live outside of California or move outside of California while receiving California Unemployment Insurance benefits, you must register with the State Workforce Agency in your state and follow that state's requirements and instructions for unemployment work search. Failure to contact the State Workforce Agency promptly, in order to comply with the registration and work search requirements of that state, could result in a delay or loss of your benefits.