myjobcontacts › States › Indiana
How many job searches do you need for unemployment in Indiana?
Short answer: You must do at least 2 work search activities every week you file a voucher. Activities can be job applications or things like building a resume or going to a WorkOne workshop. Keep a log and save it for 6 months.
Each week
2 work search activities
The week
Sunday through Saturday
Request payment
File your voucher every week in Uplink.
Official log form
Keep records
Keep your work search log and proof (confirmation emails, papers) for 6 months after each activity.
What counts as a work search in Indiana
- Applying for a job with an employer that has or expects openings, online, by phone or in person
- Contacting or visiting employers that have or expect openings
- Interviewing for a job, or job shadowing
- Creating a resume or cover letter, or creating or updating a LinkedIn or similar profile
- Going to a job fair or networking event
- Following up on a job referral from WorkOne or DWD staff
- WorkOne activities: RESEA orientation, a reemployment plan, an interview or follow-up meeting, a workshop, or a test like TABE or WorkKeys
- Registering with or uploading your resume to Indiana Career Connect
- Searching for jobs online (Indiana Career Connect, Indeed, LinkedIn and similar), or doing an online workshop or career assessment
What doesn’t count
- Anything that discourages an employer from hiring you, like failing a drug test, dressing badly for an interview, or applying only for jobs you are far over- or under-qualified for
More on this in what counts as a work search contact.
How to report your job contacts
Each week your voucher asks you to confirm that you did your work search. You don't list the activities on the voucher. Keep your own weekly log (DWD's Work Search Activity Log works), save a copy, and keep confirmation emails and papers. DWD can ask for the log at any time.
When: File your voucher every week in Uplink. You can file starting Sunday for the week that just ended. It must be done by 8:59 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, or you are not paid for that week.
Where: Uplink Claimant Self-Service (CSS).
When the search starts: From your first week, including the unpaid waiting week. You must file a voucher for the waiting week too.
Keep a work search log
Keep your work search log and proof (confirmation emails, papers) for 6 months after each activity. DWD’s form is the Work Search Activity Log. It asks for: week beginning sunday through saturday, activity (choose from list), date completed, activity or employer name, location of activity or employer, contact information (contact name, phone, email, web link).
The free myjobcontacts app keeps the same details and prints them in the same columns as DWD’s form. Prefer paper? Use the free printable work search log.
Who doesn’t have to search
- You are in training approved by DWD
- You are job-attached with a specific recall date no more than 60 days from when you were separated
- You are a member in good standing of a DWD-authorized union hiring hall
- You use a DWD-approved hiring, referral or job placement service (excused for up to 60 days)
Union members: If you are a member in good standing of a DWD-authorized union hiring hall, your work search can be waived.
See work search exemptions for how these work in other states.
Reviews, audits and RESEA
DWD can check your work search at any point in your claim. It also runs random quality control audits that look at work search contacts; if you are picked, an auditor contacts you for an interview. At your WorkOne RESEA visit, staff review your past weeks' logs.
RESEA: After your 4th week of benefits, you may have to visit your local WorkOne in person for a review of your work search records and an orientation (RESEA). You get a letter if you are selected. Bring your past weeks' logs. You must take part fully to keep getting benefits.
What to expect: unemployment work search audits.
If you miss your number
If DWD can't readily verify your activities, it can hold your weekly benefits and make you pay back benefits for those weeks. If you didn't try to find full-time work in a week, you are not eligible for that week. Fraud adds a penalty on top of repayment and can lead to prosecution.
Sign up with the job bank
After you file, an Indiana Career Connect account is created for you. Log in, finish your profile and create a resume. If you live in another state, register for work there. Indiana Career Connect.
Keep every job contact in one place
myjobcontacts is a free work search log. Pick your state and it shows how many contacts you still need this week, reminds you before you request payment, and prints a clean log if DWD ever asks for it. No sign-up. Your list stays on your phone.
Start my free logQuestions people in Indiana ask
How many job searches are required for unemployment in Indiana?
You must do at least 2 work search activities every week you file a voucher. Activities can be job applications or things like building a resume or going to a WorkOne workshop. Keep a log and save it for 6 months.
What counts as a work search in Indiana?
Applying for a job with an employer that has or expects openings, online, by phone or in person; Contacting or visiting employers that have or expect openings; Interviewing for a job, or job shadowing; Creating a resume or cover letter, or creating or updating a LinkedIn or similar profile, and 5 more on the list above. Check your notice for anything your state added for you.
Do I have to keep a work search log in Indiana?
Each week your voucher asks you to confirm that you did your work search. You don't list the activities on the voucher. Keep your own weekly log (DWD's Work Search Activity Log works), save a copy, and keep confirmation emails and papers. DWD can ask for the log at any time. Keep your work search log and proof (confirmation emails, papers) for 6 months after each activity.
What happens if I don’t do enough job searches in Indiana?
If DWD can't readily verify your activities, it can hold your weekly benefits and make you pay back benefits for those weeks. If you didn't try to find full-time work in a week, you are not eligible for that week. Fraud adds a penalty on top of repayment and can lead to prosecution.
Who doesn’t have to look for work in Indiana?
You are in training approved by DWD. You are job-attached with a specific recall date no more than 60 days from when you were separated. You are a member in good standing of a DWD-authorized union hiring hall. Your notice will say if this applies to you.
Does Indiana check or audit work search records?
DWD can check your work search at any point in your claim. It also runs random quality control audits that look at work search contacts; if you are picked, an auditor contacts you for an interview. At your WorkOne RESEA visit, staff review your past weeks' logs.
Checked against DWD’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026.
Sources
Work search rules in every state
myjobcontacts is not a government website and this is not legal advice. Rules change, and your own claim notice or letter is what counts. If something here doesn’t match what your state told you, follow your state.