[billeethakid]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

There is no one thing that a job seeker can do to assure he/she finds a job. But the closest thing I can think of from years of experience in job seeking for myself, in hiring dozens of employees in various TV stations, and in helping many others find jobs of their own, is that you've got to be in the right place at the right time. When most employers need someone they need them yesterday. You've got to find someone in the organization to talk to, make yourself known, find out what is needed and wanted, and show them that you can provide that. Sometimes you get the job and sometimes you don't. But there is a shortage of good job seekers in Las Vegas and if you have the right attitude you'll get hired...eventually. Unfortunately, it sometimes...or maybe usually...takes time. If I remember right, the average time spent collecting unemployment benefits while looking for work is six to eight weeks. Maybe it was longer. Also unfortunately, many people think unemployment is charity and they fail to apply for it when they should. Unemployment insurance is just that...insurance. People who wouldn't think twice about collecting health or auto insurance will refuse to put in a claim for unemployment insurance out of misplaced pride. Surveys have shown that the loss of a job ranks right up there with the death of a family member. It's easy to get discouraged when looking and that makes people desperate. Their desperation shows and employers either don't want anything to do with them, or they take advantage of them. Like the old deodorant commercial said, don't ever let them see you sweat.

I’m confused. I thought that you could only collect unemployment after you were fired/ layed off/ company closed whatever.. You’re saying that I can apply even if I left my job voluntarily?

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by billeethakid

I’m confused. I thought that you could only collect unemployment after you were fired/ layed off/ company closed whatever.. You’re saying that I can apply even if I left my job voluntarily?

The first thing to know is that anything anybody, including me or even the guy who takes your claim, tells you about unemployment insurance, it is probably wrong. Those who are most wrong all of the time are employers. They don't want you to collect as it raises their "experience rating"; eg., their payroll taxes go up. On the part of a claims examiner or adjudicator the law is rather complicated. For your part it is fairly simple. ALWAYS FILE A CLAIM AS SOON AS YOU LEAVE THE JOB, no matter how you left it. And, if told you are ineligible, ALWAYS APPEAL. AND, if you lose the appeal, appeal again. After that if you really think you have a case, you can go to court, but I don't think many people do that as there's not enough money involved to hire a lawyer.

There is a difference between filing a claim and collecting. In order to COLLECT unemployment you must be unemployed through no fault of your own. You must be actively seeking work that you are qualified for by experience, training or education. You must be physically able and available to take work when offered. (If you turn down a job when offered you might be temporarily disqualified.) You can't have any obstacles to employment such as going to school, or not having a babysitter, or your leg is in a cast.

If you got laid off eligibility will be automatic as long as you worked and had earnings during the period that everyone's benefits (in your state) are being based on at that particular time. (I can explain that later if you wish.) If you got fired for cause you will most likely be disqualified, and you definitely will be disqualified if you quit unless you can prove beyond a doubt a strong reason why you can no longer do that job. But do not adjudicate your own claim; let the professionals do it. In other words don't decide not to bother to file because YOU don't think you'll be eligible. No one can really tell you that until after you file the claim.

First of all, even if you are not eligible at that time, they will tell you what you need to do to re-qualify. In some states it is easy, and some states, like Illinois, seem to make it as hard for you as possible. I often wondered if Illinois ever paid anybody. But, the main thing is that you need to file the claim immediately in order to freeze the wages you earned on which your claim is based. The longer you wait, the less you might get later on if you are unemployed for a while and then go back to work and then get laid off (which happens more often than you'd think).

In Nevada, and several other states, your unemployment eligibility is based on your last two jobs. If you quit or got fired from the first job, and then got laid off from the second job, you might still be disqualified if you didn't work long enough at the second job. If I remember correctly it is 16 weeks, and you had to have made at least as much as your unemployment benefits would have been in each of those 16 weeks. (See I told you it's complicated.) Nevadans get around this by taking a couple of temp jobs which are abundant here due to convention and banquet work. If you are on call (only work when called in by employer or a union) you are essentially laid off every night when you go home, even if you have been called in every day for years. So two temporary day jobs equal two lay-offs even when you worked for the same employer both days, and that's all they can look at for eligibility. Never mind that three days ago you quit a job you'd had for fifteen years. A lot of state employees used that loophole to file for unemployment and collect 26 weeks of benefits right after they retired which is the same as quitting. That went on for years until the new Director of Employment Security decided to put a stop to it; of course it was just about the time I retired; so I didn't get that extra bonus (I wasn't planing to do it anyway as I wasn't physically able to work at the time). I don't know how they got around the fact that they weren't out looking for work every week. If you don't look for work as directed you might have to pay it all back.