North Carolina Unemployment Checklist: Weekly Work Search Rules, Excel Log and Documents to Gather

Who it is for

People claiming unemployment in North Carolina who need to keep a weekly work search record for NC Division of Employment Security (DES), and family members helping them stay organized.

Not the right fit if

You claim unemployment in a state other than North Carolina, or you need help with a denied claim or an appeal: this organizes the weekly work search record and doesn't advise on eligibility.

Why it is different

• Built only from our North Carolina work search data file, checked November 2026 against 1 official page: NC DES: Your work search responsibilities.
• 4 items the official pages didn't state are printed as "Not confirmed — check" with the agency's page, never guessed.
• The Excel summary flags any week with fewer than 3 logged activities, recalculating with zero formula errors.

What is inside

• North Carolina weekly work search log (Excel). A log with the columns NC Division of Employment Security (DES) asks for (Date, Employer or organization, How you made contact, Address, website or email, Phone), a weekly summary that counts your activities against North Carolina's 3 per week and a documents checklist.
• Start here: North Carolina filing and work search steps. The 7 facts NC Division of Employment Security (DES)'s pages confirm, each with its source and check date, and 4 marked "Not confirmed — check": official list of activities, official log form, who may not have to search, how the week is counted. The weekly requirement, in the agency's words: Reach out to at least 3 job contacts each week. One reemployment activity can count as one of the three. How to report: Enter your work searches and job contacts in your MyNCUIBenefits account before you file your weekly certification. Activities North Carolina counts: submitting a job application, résumé or letter of interest; in-person or video meetings or interviews with employers, including at job fairs; emailing an employer; one reemployment activity a week (training, career counseling, skills assessments, job clubs, career fairs); initial NCWorks registration (counts once). Records: DES recommends keeping copies of your records for two years. Job bank: NCWorks (registration required).
• Documents to gather. A checklist of the papers a claim usually asks for (IDs, employer names and dates, pay records, separation papers), with space for anything North Carolina's application adds.
• Printable weekly work search log. A paper version of the log with North Carolina's columns, one week per page, for claimants who prefer to write it down.