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

Who it is for

People claiming unemployment in Tennessee who need to keep a weekly work search record for Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and family members helping them stay organized.

Not the right fit if

You claim unemployment in a state other than Tennessee, 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 Tennessee work search data file, checked November 2026 against 3 official pages: TN DLWD: Weekly work search requirements; TN DLWD: Do I qualify?; Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development: Required Work Searches.
• 3 items the official pages didn't state are left out and put on the kit's look-up list with the agency's page, never guessed.
• The Excel summary flags any week with fewer than 4 logged activities, recalculating with zero formula errors.

What is inside

• Tennessee weekly work search log (Excel). A log with general columns (Date, Activity, Employer or organization, Address, website or email, How you made contact, Result), since the official pages we checked didn't list required fields, a weekly summary that counts your activities against Tennessee's 4 per week and a documents checklist.
• Start here: Tennessee filing and work search steps. The 6 facts Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development's pages confirm, each with its source and check date, and a short look-up list of 3 points to check on the agency's page: official log form, what to record for each activity, how long to keep records. The weekly requirement, in the agency's words: A minimum combination of 4 job searches and/or re-employment activities each week, unless waived. Using services at an American Job Center can also meet the requirement. How to report: Report your work searches on your weekly certification. Activities Tennessee counts: applying for a job; Résumé help on Jobs4TN; contacting an employer you believe may have work; interviewing for a job; searching on employment websites such as Indeed or LinkedIn; searching for work on Jobs4TN.gov; re-employment activities such as job fairs. Job bank: Jobs4TN. Who may not have to search, per the agency: A definite return-to-work date with your employer in the near future; getting work only through a union hiring hall; enrolled in agency-approved training.
• 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 Tennessee's application adds.
• Printable weekly work search log. A paper version of the log, one week per page, for claimants who prefer to write it down.