Filling in the RAV job search form (716.007)

What the form is and when it is due

Anyone registered with the RAV shows every month how they have looked for work. For this, unemployment insurance has a form called “Proof of personal job search efforts” (Nachweis der persönlichen Arbeitsbemühungen), number 716.007. One form covers one calendar month.

The deadline is printed on the form: hand it in to the RAV by the 5th day of the following month at the latest. According to the form, efforts submitted later are only taken into account if there is an excusable reason. By the way, the duty to look for work already applies during your notice period.

Instead of using paper, you can also record your efforts online in the eServices of arbeit.swiss. There you can also save each month as a PDF for your own records. Ask your RAV advisor which way is usual in your canton.

What counts as a job search effort

At its core, any serious application for a job that matches your experience and training counts. Which kinds of jobs and which channels suit you, you decide together with your RAV advisor.

Quality matters: a written application should be complete, meaning with a cover letter, CV, reference letters and diplomas, and the language should be clean. According to a note on the form, this can also include jobs outside your previous occupation if necessary.

• Written applications for advertised jobs, by email, portal or post.
• Unsolicited applications to companies without a job ad.
• Enquiries by phone or in person.
• Enquiries through your professional or private network.
• Applications for jobs the RAV assigns to you.

How many applications per month?

There is no fixed number for everyone. How many job search efforts you hand in per month, you agree with your RAV advisor. They take into account your occupation, your region and the situation on the job market.

Some cantons also want your efforts spread across the whole month rather than all in the last week. Quality counts just as much as quantity: complete, well-matched applications instead of many quick clicks.

The columns of the form

At the top you enter your name, your AHV number (Swiss social security number) and the month and year. Then each application gets one line with these details:

• Date of application: day and month.
• Company, address, contact person and phone number.
• Job title, exactly as it appears in the job ad.
• Assigned by RAV: tick it if the RAV assigned the job to you.
• Workload: full-time or part-time with a percentage.
• Application: by letter or electronically, in person or by phone.
• Result: still open, interview, hired or rejected.
• Reason for rejection, if you know it.

Example: one line filled in correctly

This is what a complete line can look like. The company and people are invented. What matters is that the RAV can follow every detail: when did you apply, where, for which job and through which channel, and what came of it?

Tips so nothing is missing

Enter each application on the same day. Otherwise, by the end of the month, the date, contact person or phone number will be missing. Always note a contact person, even for applications through a portal.

Keep job ads, cover letters and rejections. The form states that you must hand them in on request. One folder per month, digital or on paper, is enough. And don’t forget to sign at the end.

Many applications are still open at the end of the month. That is normal: enter “still open” and mention later invitations or rejections at your next advisory meeting. If you know a reason for rejection, write it down. It shows you and your advisor what to work on next.