What is a work search log for Virginia unemployment?

By Stephen R. Cherico, founder of Career Backstory · Checked against the state’s own pages on October 20, 2026

The rules, as the VEC states them

• Make at least two job searches or contacts with employers each week, unless the VEC tells you otherwise.
• The contacts must be made within the week you are claiming.
• Each contact should be for work you are willing and qualified to do, at pay you are willing to accept, in an area you are willing to work.
• Do not repeat a contact with the same employer unless you are applying for a different opening there.
• In-person and phone contacts should be with someone at the company who has hiring authority.
• All contacts are subject to verification, and your claim may be selected for an audit. Missing the weekly minimum can mean a denial of benefits and a possible overpayment.
• Keep your records for at least one year after your benefit year begin date.

Source: the VEC’s Your Unemployment Benefit Rights and Responsibilities. The copy mailed to you when you file has the details for your own claim type.

What the weekly form asks for, contact by contact

When you file online, the VEC’s weekly claim asks for each contact in this order:

1. Company name
2. Complete mailing address
3. Company phone number
4. Date of contact
5. Type of work applied for
6. Whether you contacted them by fax, email or online application (yes or no)
7. If yes, the fax number, email address or website you used
8. Name and title of the person you contacted
9. The result (for example: hired, not hired, waiting for a response, selected for interview)

It then asks whether you contacted another company, and repeats the same questions for each one.

I have filed Virginia’s weekly claim myself; the field order above is taken from one of my own filed reports.

An example contact

An invented example to show the format. The company, person, address and phone number are not real.

Company name	Blue Ridge Supply Co.
Complete mailing address	100 Example Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Company phone	(804) 555-0100
Date of contact	10/14/2026
Type of work applied for	Operations Manager
Fax, email or online application?	Yes
Fax number, email or website used	The careers page link you applied through
Person contacted and title	Dana Whitfield, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Result	Waiting for a response

Why the record matters after your claim ends

Because contacts can be verified and claims audited, the log is your evidence that each week met the requirement. Keep the confirmation emails and the links you applied through with it. A week without the record is the week you cannot defend.

Common questions

How many job contacts does Virginia require each week?

At least two job searches or contacts with employers each week, unless the VEC tells you otherwise. The contacts must be made within the week you are claiming.

Can I contact the same employer twice?

Only for a different job opening. The VEC says job contacts cannot be repeated with the same employer unless you are applying for different openings there.

How long do I keep my Virginia work search records?

For at least one year following your benefit year begin date.

How do I send my work search contacts to the VEC?

If you file your weekly claim online, you enter the contacts as you file each week. If you file by phone, you give basic information by phone and send the detailed written record every four weeks on the Work Search Record form the VEC provides.

This page explains Virginia’s work search rules as the Virginia Employment Commission publishes them, checked on October 20, 2026. It is not legal advice, and the VEC’s own instructions for your claim come first. Career Backstory is not affiliated with the VEC or any state agency.