There are times when an employer has a particular job or jobs that they are having problems getting people to do. You may have been brought in to do job A but find out after you get there that you are doing job B that you did not sign up for. This typically happens with a job that tells you that you will make a lot of money and when you take the job, you find that it is based on commission. If this has happened, you may receive unemployment benefits. You will have to prove that the reason you quit was because job A was much different than job B. During your interview, tell Unemployment Personnel that your qualifications and experience clearly dictate another type of job Tell them that this i...

If the reason you quit your job was because of excessive hours, be prepared to explain what your idea of hours were when you accepted the job. Have you always worked 40 hours and never been asked to work hours until recently? Explain to the interviewer that there was sudden change and you were not given time to make arrangements at home and was unable to keep up the new hours. By the time you get home now, the children are asleep and you leave for work early before they wake up.

It’s important to stress how these changes have affected the children and other family members in your life. Tell Unemployment Personnel that you have been so tired that your work has begun to suffer. Your quali...

Car problems can really get you into trouble with your job. If you have an old clunker that finally gave out, you will have to consider what your next steps will be in order to get to work. The problem is that you may not have enough money to get a new car or get your old one fixed.

Depending on where you live, public transportation may not be available and if it is, may not get you to your employer. During you interview, tell them that you have always used this car to get to work and the fact that it no longer works put you in the predicament you are in. Talk about the fact that you considered other options to get to work and state what those are including walking. If you considered carpooli...

As an applicant, if you are fired from your job, you are not automatically disqualified from unemployment. In the case of willful misconduct, the employer will need to proof that the discharge was due to willful misconduct. If the employer fails to provide the information you will most likely receive benefits. Usually you will have to provide proof in most situations, but in this case the burden of proof falls to the employer.

If the situation goes to a hearing, the employer will most likely try to present a compelling case that justifies the separation. If you provide an equally compelling case showing that you should not have been terminated, you will most likely win your unemployment benef...

Most labor dispute situations disqualify you for unemployment benefits. If you are on strike, you are considered to have voluntarily left your job even if you feel that you have a good reason to do so. You have the right to unionize and participate in that type of activity. Most state legislatures will not allow striking workers to receive unemployment benefits due to work stoppages caused by the labor dispute. If you are unemployed due to a lockout, you will receive benefits. An employer’s lockout would mean that your employer does not allow you to work unless you agree to their terms in the dispute.

If you are in the category of workers that is classified an illegal alien, you will be unable to receive unemployment benefits. According to the law, you are not allowed to be working in your state. Illegal aliens are not:

Citizens of the United States. If you are a citizen natural or naturalized you have the right to work in any state. In order to prove that status you can provide a Social Security card, driver’s license or state id or a birth certificate from the United States.
If you are not a citizen of the US and you have a work permit, you are not considered to be an illegal alien. You may have to show your green card, certificate of naturalization or your foreign passport to prove...

All states disqualify you from receiving unemployment benefits if you make a false statement to Unemployment personnel. You cannot intend to mislead unemployment personnel or know that your statements would cause Unemployment personnel to be misled. If you accidentally give false information, that is not a basis for disqualifying you from receiving your unemployment benefits.

Some states disqualify you from receiving unemployment benefits for failure to disclose information or concealment. If you know that the information that Unemployment Personnel is looking for and knowingly keep that information from them, you will not receive unemployment benefits.

Most of the time when you are charged wi...

If you receive unemployment benefits in another state, it automatically disqualifies you from receiving unemployment. You cannot collect unemployment from two states during one period of unemployment. Even if you have not heard yet on a pending unemployment benefit and you file in another state because of a move, you will be disqualified automatically from receiving unemployment in your new state.

Unemployment benefits are to provide temporary financial payment until you can find suitable work. You have to put forth effort to find new work. The amount of effort varies from state to state. Some states ask that you apply for at least 2 jobs per week or others may ask that you apply for positions that they referred you to. Once you are approved for unemployment benefits, you must make sure that you know what you are required to do for your state, so that you don’t lose your unemployment benefits.

If you fail to accept suitable work, the ramifications are much clearer. The unemployment office will monitor this and your previous employer can even offer you your old job back. Your form...

Disqualification is similar to ineligibility for unemployment. Either term will keep you from receiving unemployment benefits. Disqualification issues are usually contested more than eligibility. Most people will usually take themselves out because they perceive themselves to be ineligible due to issues we discussed in Chapter One. Disqualification usually concerns the reasons why you were terminated from a job.

Employers try to be fair with their employees. They put checks and balances in place so that an employee is given enough information to do his or her job well and not get into trouble. Employees try to do the best they can for their employer. They do not want to lose their job. Employ...