Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance requires 3 documented employer contacts per week. Log your contacts in BEACON at beacon.labor.maryland.gov before submitting your weekly certification. Maryland's large government contractor and federal agency support workforce in the DC corridor creates rich work search opportunities — the Greater Washington area's federal procurement, technology, and professional services sectors provide substantial documented work search possibilities for Maryland claimants.
- 3 employer contacts per week. Enter each in BEACON before certifying — employer name, position, date, and method.
- Maryland American Job Centers in Baltimore, Silver Spring, Greenbelt, and elsewhere provide job referrals and employer connections.
- Document contacts specifically — Maryland DUI audits work search records and expects verifiable details.
Always verify exact numbers, deadlines, and forms on the Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance's official website – this page provides general guidance, not state-specific legal advice.
What Counts in Maryland
Valid Maryland contacts: specific job applications to specific employers; job interviews (phone, video, or in-person); staffing agency contacts about active placements; Maryland American Job Center services including employer referrals; and job fair attendance with documented employer interaction. Vague activities — general resume updates, passive LinkedIn profile changes, or generic career events without employer contact — do not count. For federal contractor workers, each contract proposal or application submitted to a specific federal agency or contracting prime counts as a contact if you are the worker applying for the role.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I'm a federal contractor worker in Maryland looking for new contracts. Can contract solicitation count as work search?
- Applying for a specific employment position through a contractor that is pursuing federal work counts. Submitting your resume to a specific staffing firm for a specific contract role counts. Working on a proposal for a new contract as a self-employed consultant does not count the same way — that is business development activity, not employment job search. Maryland DUI evaluates work search in the context of whether you are seeking employment. Target specific positions with specific employers or contracting firms rather than logging proposal work.
- Maryland requires 3 contacts, but the security clearance requirement makes my job search slow. What do I do?
- Many cleared positions in Maryland allow applications from workers with active or recently expired clearances — applying to those positions counts as work search contacts. Recruiters specializing in cleared positions (e.g., ClearanceJobs, DVIDS, recruiting firms in the DC cleared space) count as contacts when you engage them about specific opportunities. Maryland DUI's American Job Centers have knowledge of the DC cleared job market — schedule an appointment and request referrals to cleared-position employers. Three contacts per week is achievable in the cleared community with targeted outreach.
- I already have 3 interviews scheduled this week. Do I still need to log separate applications in BEACON?
- Each scheduled interview counts as a separate work search contact if it is with a separate employer or for a separate position. Three interviews with three different employers this week = 3 contacts — no additional applications needed for the minimum. Log each interview in BEACON as a contact with the employer name, position, date, and interview format. Interviews are among the strongest evidence of active job search and are exactly what Maryland DUI wants to see in a work search log.
- BEACON won't let me add more than 3 contacts per week. Is there a maximum?
- BEACON's interface may limit displayed entries to the required 3. If you have more than 3 contacts, log the 3 most significant ones in BEACON for that week and maintain your own backup log of all contacts. Additional contacts beyond the required 3 strengthen your audit defense — keep documentation of all contacts made each week even if BEACON only captures 3. If you are audited, your additional contact records serve as supplementary evidence of active job search.
- I declined a job offer in Northern Virginia this week. Maryland DUI says I refused suitable work. What do I do?
- Appeal within 15 days through BEACON. The DC metro labor market includes Northern Virginia — Maryland DUI evaluates suitability based on whether the position is reasonably comparable to your prior work and accessible from your Maryland residence. The commute from Maryland to Northern Virginia is part of normal DC metro area commuting. If the position was unsuitable for a reason beyond location — substantially below your prior wages, outside your skills, or with problematic working conditions — document that specifically in your appeal. The commute argument alone may not be sufficient in a metro-area suitability evaluation.