myjobcontacts › States › North Dakota
How many job searches do you need for unemployment in North Dakota?
Short answer: Job Service North Dakota tells you how many job contacts to make each week. Check your claim notice or your To-Do list in UI ICE. A job contact means applying for a specific job you are qualified for and would take.
Each week
No set number
Some people have a different number. See below.
The week
Sunday through Saturday
Request payment
Certify each week after it ends.
Official log form
Keep records
Check with JSND. We suggest keeping your log until your claim is fully closed.
Different numbers for some people
- Returning to the employer that laid you off: 0 a week. If you are going back to your employer, you do not make job contacts, but you must be available for recall.
- Paid-up union member on the out-of-work list: 0 a week. You do not make job contacts while you are on the union's out-of-work list.
What counts as a work search in North Dakota
- Applying for a specific job with an online application on the employer's website or kiosk
- Emailing, mailing or faxing a resume or application for a specific job
- Applying in person, if you talk with someone who can hire and hand in an application or resume
- Calling about a job, only if the employer asked applicants to call and you leave your contact information
- Applying through a staffing agency for a specific job
What doesn’t count
- Following up on an application
- Going to a job interview
- Contacts where you do not know who the employer is (for example, a 'confidential' posting)
- Phone calls the employer did not ask for, or where you did not leave your contact information
- Contacts to get self-employment
- Applying for a job that does not exist at that employer (for example, a nurse job at a restaurant)
- Signing up with a recruiter without applying for a specific job
- Jobs with fewer hours than you worked in your base period
Same employer twice? You can list the same employer twice in one week only if each contact is for a different posted job. A posted job counts only once per posting period. An employer with no opening cannot be used again if you used them in your last two weekly certifications.
More on this in what counts as a work search contact.
How to report your job contacts
When you certify each week, you answer whether you made your required number of job contacts. Keep a record of every contact on the Job Contacts Record or your own list, with the details Job Service asks for. If you certify by phone, be ready to send your records when asked. Save confirmation emails or screenshots.
When: Certify each week after it ends. The earliest is Sunday. You have until 10 p.m. Central on the 13th day (a Friday).
Where: UI ICE (Unemployment Insurance Internet Claims Entry).
When the search starts: The same week you apply, including your unpaid waiting week.
Keep a work search log
JSND’s form is the Job Contacts Record (SFN 58789). It asks for: contact date, employer name, address, and telephone number, how contacted (in person, telephone, mail/fax, internet), person or website contacted, position applied for, job order number, application or resume submitted? (yes/no).
The free myjobcontacts app keeps the same details and prints them in the same columns as JSND’s form. Prefer paper? Use the free printable work search log.
Who doesn’t have to search
- You are returning to the employer that laid you off
- You are a paid-up union member on the out-of-work list
- You have a job offer that starts within 4 weeks and send Job Service the offer letter or email, and Job Service tells you that you can stop (keep making contacts until they say so)
Union members: If you are a paid-up union member on the out-of-work list, you do not have to make job contacts.
See work search exemptions for how these work in other states.
Reviews, audits and RESEA
Job Service verifies job contacts. It also runs random quality control audits. You may be asked to show your Job Contacts Record at any time.
RESEA: Job Service may require reemployment services, such as online lessons, workshops or a meeting with a case manager. You get a letter with due dates. Missing them can stop your claim.
What to expect: unemployment work search audits.
If you miss your number
If you do not make your assigned contacts, you may not be paid for that week. Giving false contact information means losing benefits for that week and paying them back, plus possible interest and penalties. Fraud brings a 1-year disqualification and a 15% penalty.
Sign up with the job bank
Within 10 days of filing, create or update a resume on ND Workforce Connection (or register with your local workforce agency if you live outside North Dakota). Resumes expire after 90 days, so keep yours active. ND Workforce Connection.
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 JSND ever asks for it. No sign-up. Your list stays on your phone.
Start my free logQuestions people in North Dakota ask
How many job searches are required for unemployment in North Dakota?
Job Service North Dakota tells you how many job contacts to make each week. Check your claim notice or your To-Do list in UI ICE. A job contact means applying for a specific job you are qualified for and would take. Some people have a different number: Returning to the employer that laid you off (0); Paid-up union member on the out-of-work list (0).
What counts as a work search in North Dakota?
Applying for a specific job with an online application on the employer's website or kiosk; Emailing, mailing or faxing a resume or application for a specific job; Applying in person, if you talk with someone who can hire and hand in an application or resume; Calling about a job, only if the employer asked applicants to call and you leave your contact information, and 1 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 North Dakota?
When you certify each week, you answer whether you made your required number of job contacts. Keep a record of every contact on the Job Contacts Record or your own list, with the details Job Service asks for. If you certify by phone, be ready to send your records when asked. Save confirmation emails or screenshots.
What happens if I don’t do enough job searches in North Dakota?
If you do not make your assigned contacts, you may not be paid for that week. Giving false contact information means losing benefits for that week and paying them back, plus possible interest and penalties. Fraud brings a 1-year disqualification and a 15% penalty.
Who doesn’t have to look for work in North Dakota?
You are returning to the employer that laid you off. You are a paid-up union member on the out-of-work list. You have a job offer that starts within 4 weeks and send Job Service the offer letter or email, and Job Service tells you that you can stop (keep making contacts until they say so). Your notice will say if this applies to you.
Does North Dakota check or audit work search records?
Job Service verifies job contacts. It also runs random quality control audits. You may be asked to show your Job Contacts Record at any time.
Checked against JSND’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026. We could not confirm the weekly number, how you report contacts, how long to keep your records 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.