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Tips on How to Handle a Phone Interview with EDD for Unemployment Benefits 

edd unemployment benefits phone interview
As part of your unemployment application process, EDD might contact you and request a phone interview with you in order to determinr whether you are eligible for unemployment benefits. There are two common reasons the EDD phone interview might be required: (1) there is some kind of ambiguity/discrepancy in your application that the Department wishes to clarify; or (2) there is a significant disparity between your version of events that lead to your most recent employment separation and the version provided by the employer. For instance, you said you were laid off, while the employer said you were fired. Or, you stated that you were terminated for performance, while the employer says you were terminated for theft of workplace violence.  Often, employers exaggerate the termination reasons in order to avoid having their unemployment insurance account charged when benefits are paid, which also leads EDD to conduct phone interviews in order to make their eligibility determination.  

Below are three important, and easy to follow tips to make sure you phone interview goes well and to maximize your chances of receiving unemployment benefits without the need of appealing the denial of benefits later:   

1. Keep Your Answers As Brief and As Relevant as Possible. 
During the EDD interview, you will be asked very short and very specific questions. Make sure that your answers are equally short and specific. If you are asked "What was the reason that the employer gave you for your termination?", just answer that question. You don't need to explain whether it's fair, and whether you agree with that reason. You also don't need to talk about any kind of discrimination or retaliation, etc. Remember, your EDD interview is only focused on one thing - your eligibility for unemployment benefits and the reasons you no longer work for the subject employer. If you are asked question, provide a factual answer, rather than an argument. No one needs to know about "harassment" and "abuse" that you endured from that employer.  The EDD is mostly concerned with the most recent events which lead for your employment separation.  In short, you should only be answering the questions asked; you should not be arguing or trying to prove something. 

2. Be nice.  
Remember - the person who will be interviewing you does this all day every day. This is a difficult and at times frustrating job that makes EDD agents notoriously impatient. When you are being nice, you will stand out from a dozen of angry, frustrated claimants that agent had to talk to before talking to you. There is no need to take your unemployment frustrations on him. It certainly won't help you get on his good side, which you should try to do during the interview. There is no need to tell the phone interview officer all about how awful your former boss was, or how frustrated you are with the system and with EDD. That won't help your application. 

3. Don't Exaggerate or Misrepresent the Reasons for Your Separation or Termination
Although it's a good idea to remember the dates of important events and other basic information, your phone interview is not a memory test. If you don't know something, or if you don't remember something, it's perfectly fine to say "I don't know exactly" or "I am not sure", and it's much better than exaggerating something, which will make you look like a liar to EDD, even if it was an innocent mistake. 

If you keep the above three simple rules in mind, your EDD phone interview is more likely to go well, and won't last more than 15 minutes, which is generally good news. 


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Law Office of Arkady Itkin - San Francisco & Sacramento Injury and Employment Lawyer
We represent employees and employers in employment and wrongful termination cases, as well as victims of serious injuries in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, Palo Alto, San Mateo and throughout Northern California. We all represent businesses and start-ups in a wide range of business and employment issues and disputes. 


57 Post Street, Suite 812, San Francisco, CA 94104; Tel. (415) 295-4730; Fax. (415) 508-3474; [email protected]
  • Home
  • Employment Law
    • Wrongful Termination >
      • At-Will Employment
      • Termination After Unfair Warnings and Write-Ups
      • Union Grievance, Workers Comp and Wrongful Termination
      • Labor Code 970 Claims
      • Promissory Estoppel and Employment Contracts
      • Implied Contract Claims
    • Discrimination >
      • Proving Discrimination
      • Age Discrimination
      • Disability Discrimination >
        • Protected Disabilities
        • Medical Leave / Disability Accommodations
        • Job Reassignment As A Disability Accommodation
        • SSI Disability Benefits and Your Court Case
        • Sample Request for Reasonable Accommodation
      • Pregnancy Discrimination
      • Race Discrimination
      • Sample Discrimination Complaint
      • DFEH and EEOC Investigations
    • Retaliation >
      • How to Prove Retaliation
      • Dealing with Retaliation While Still Employed
      • Retaliation for Complaining
      • Whistleblower Retaliation
    • Harassment
    • Defamation at Workplace
    • Prof. License Defense
    • Leaves of Absence >
      • Medical Leave as Reasonable Accommodation
      • FMLA Entitlement and Reinstatement to Work
      • CFRA Leave
      • Employers' FMLA Notice Obligations
      • Paternity Leave (FMLA)
      • Sample FMLA Leave Request
    • Wages / Overtime Claims >
      • Wage Claims
      • Employee or Contractor
      • Exempt / Non-Exempt >
        • Admistrative Exemption
        • IT Support Specialists Compensation
        • Computer Professional Exemption from Overtime
        • Recruiters / Account Executives Exemption
        • Complaining About Being Misclassified
      • Vacation Pay / PTO
      • On-Call Time Compensation
      • Deductions fr. Commissions
    • Unempl. Benefits Appeals >
      • Tips for EDD Phone Interview
      • Unemployment Benefits Appeal Hearing Representation
      • CUIAB Hearing Tips
    • Employment Law Blog
    • For Employers
  • Personal Injury
    • Five Tips For Injury Cases
    • Slip-and-Fall Injuries
    • Assault and Battery
    • Recorded Statements
    • Repairing Your Vehicle
    • Unpaid Medical Bills
    • Injury Law Blog
    • Medical Malpractice
    • Police Excessive Force
  • Practice Areas
  • About
  • Results
  • Submit Case
  • Contact
  • Resources
    • Consultations
    • Workplace Rights Checklist
    • Deposition Tips
    • Mediation Tips
    • Effective Mediator
    • Suing Current Employer
    • Severance Agreements
    • Workplace Investigation
    • Arbitration
    • Statutes of Limitations
    • Healthy Litigation Mindset
    • Trial Tips
    • Working Remotely
    • How To Find The Right Lawyer For Your Case