myjobcontacts › States › New Mexico
How many job searches do you need for unemployment in New Mexico?
Short answer: Unless NMDWS exempts you, you must make at least 2 different work search contacts every week you certify. Applying for jobs counts, and so do some other activities, like job fairs, workshops and job center services.
Each week
2 work search activities
The week
Sunday through Saturday
Request payment
Certify every week online in the UI Tax & Claims System or by phone at 1-877-664-6984, after the week ends.
Official log form
Keep records
NMDWS's work search page says to keep records for up to 5 years.
What counts as a work search in New Mexico
- Applying for a job you are reasonably qualified for
- Interviewing for a job you are reasonably qualified for
- Taking a skills test that is part of a job application
- Contacting an employer you think may have suitable work to ask if they are hiring
- Mailing a job application or resume as a job notice tells you to
- Searching for jobs on jobs.dws.nm.gov and using its Virtual Recruiter job alerts
- Adding your resume to an online job board, or creating a profile on a professional networking site
- Getting a job referral from a state job center, or making a reemployment plan with America's Job Center New Mexico
- Going to job clubs, job fairs or job-related workshops (resume, interviewing, job search)
- Job-related education or skills training, or documented use of online career tools
What doesn’t count
- Just calling an America's Job Center New Mexico office without getting any services
Same employer twice? Your 2 contacts each week must be different contacts.
More on this in what counts as a work search contact.
How to report your job contacts
When you do your weekly certification, you report your work search contacts: the date, the type of work, the employer, the person or website, how you contacted them, and the result. Have this ready when you certify. Also keep your own detailed log, with proof like online confirmation pages.
When: Certify every week online in the UI Tax & Claims System or by phone at 1-877-664-6984, after the week ends. The older handbook says the online system takes weekly certifications 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Friday.
Where: Unemployment Insurance Tax & Claims System.
When the search starts: With your first weekly certification. You must also register in New Mexico Workforce Connection within 14 days of filing your claim (older handbook).
Keep a work search log
NMDWS's work search page says to keep records for up to 5 years. The official Work Search Log form says to keep it for 8 years after your claim. NMDWS’s form is the Work Search Log. It asks for: date of contact, type of work, employer/agency name, person contacted or website url, contact type (email, fax, mail, in person, phone, online, resume), outcome of work inquiry (applied, no decision, hired, not hiring, pending, interviewed, interview date set, no response from employer).
The free myjobcontacts app keeps the same details and prints them in the same columns as NMDWS’s form. Prefer paper? Use the free printable work search log.
Who doesn’t have to search
- Union members with a hiring hall, if you have proof of union status, follow your union's rules, are in good standing and are on the out-of-work list
- Anyone NMDWS has exempted from work search (check your notice)
Union members: Union members on a hiring hall's out-of-work list, in good standing, with proof of union status, may have work search waived. Union members not on the out-of-work list must register with New Mexico Workforce Connection.
See work search exemptions for how these work in other states.
Reviews, audits and RESEA
NMDWS routinely audits work searches and can ask for your log any time during your benefit year. If you are picked for a work search audit, you get a letter and a form. You must send the details for each contact and proof, such as online confirmation pages.
RESEA: If you are picked for worker profiling and reemployment services, you must take part in all assessment interviews, orientation and referred services (older handbook).
What to expect: unemployment work search audits.
If you miss your number
If you do not make and report 2 contacts, you may not qualify for benefits that week. If you are selected for an audit and cannot verify your contacts, you can lose benefits.
Sign up with the job bank
Register as a job seeker in New Mexico Workforce Connection (jobs.dws.nm.gov) within 14 days of your initial claim (older handbook). If you file from outside New Mexico, register for work in your state or get a union statement. New Mexico Workforce Connection (New Mexico Jobs).
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 NMDWS ever asks for it. No sign-up. Your list stays on your phone.
Start my free logQuestions people in New Mexico ask
How many job searches are required for unemployment in New Mexico?
Unless NMDWS exempts you, you must make at least 2 different work search contacts every week you certify. Applying for jobs counts, and so do some other activities, like job fairs, workshops and job center services.
What counts as a work search in New Mexico?
Applying for a job you are reasonably qualified for; Interviewing for a job you are reasonably qualified for; Taking a skills test that is part of a job application; Contacting an employer you think may have suitable work to ask if they are hiring, and 6 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 New Mexico?
When you do your weekly certification, you report your work search contacts: the date, the type of work, the employer, the person or website, how you contacted them, and the result. Have this ready when you certify. Also keep your own detailed log, with proof like online confirmation pages. NMDWS's work search page says to keep records for up to 5 years. The official Work Search Log form says to keep it for 8 years after your claim.
What happens if I don’t do enough job searches in New Mexico?
If you do not make and report 2 contacts, you may not qualify for benefits that week. If you are selected for an audit and cannot verify your contacts, you can lose benefits.
Who doesn’t have to look for work in New Mexico?
Union members with a hiring hall, if you have proof of union status, follow your union's rules, are in good standing and are on the out-of-work list. Anyone NMDWS has exempted from work search (check your notice). Your notice will say if this applies to you.
Does New Mexico check or audit work search records?
NMDWS routinely audits work searches and can ask for your log any time during your benefit year. If you are picked for a work search audit, you get a letter and a form. You must send the details for each contact and proof, such as online confirmation pages.
Checked against NMDWS’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026. We could not confirm how long to keep your records, the job bank sign-up rule, how RESEA works, when you request payment, who doesn’t have to search, what happens if you miss your number on an official page, so check your notice for those.
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.