The weekly work search rule in Virginia
At least 2 job searches or contacts with employers each week, unless VEC tells you otherwise. Contacts must be made in the week you claim, and you cannot repeat an employer unless it is a different job opening.
If you file your weekly claim online, enter your job contacts with each weekly claim. If you file by phone, give basic information by phone and send the detailed Work Search Record form every four weeks.
File and certify on the Virginia Employment Commission site. The rules can change, so check VEC's work search page if a letter from them says something different.
| Virginia rule | |
|---|---|
| Each week | At least 2 job searches or contacts with employers each week, unless VEC tells you otherwise. Contacts must be made in the week you claim, and you cannot repeat an employer unless it is a different job opening. |
| How you report it | If you file your weekly claim online, enter your job contacts with each weekly claim. If you file by phone, give basic information by phone and send the detailed Work Search Record form every four weeks. |
| Enter each activity online | Yes, each activity goes into the state system |
| Keep records | Keep complete and accurate records of your work search contacts for at least one year following your benefit year begin date. VEC may audit them. |
| Agency | Virginia Employment Commission |
Source: Virginia Employment Commission (www.vec.virginia.gov), checked 2026-10-20.
Who does not have to search for work in Virginia
VEC may tell you that you do not have to search. Union members who get work through a VEC-approved hiring hall contact the hiring hall each week instead of employers.
Keep your work search log free
Write down each activity the day you do it: the date, the employer, how you contacted them, the job, and what happened. If the state asks to see your search, the log is your proof.
The free work search log in Capstone Careers keeps it for you: each application you send through Capstone Careers goes on it by itself, you add the ones you do elsewhere, and you can save the week as a PDF.
Need more applications to reach your number? See openings near you and get a resume written for each one.
Training while you are on unemployment in Virginia
If you want to train for a new job, WIOA can pay for approved training if you qualify. See how WIOA works in Virginia.