Most people only have one chance to prevail at an unemployment hearing. Here are 10 specific behaviors to avoid at your hearing at all costs.
Even if a hearing isn’t held at a courthouse, there are still behaviors to avoid.
I cover these behaviors in depth in my office during consultations. Keep in mind that these are just nine! There are plenty of other unacceptable behaviors I’ve seen at Arizona hearings that I caution my clients to avoid.
- Don’t ignore the instructions on the hearing notice you received. This includes making sure you submit your evidence on time for the hearing officer to review.
- Don’t be late.
- Don’t appear without an eyewitness to support your case, particularly when you’ve submitted that person’s name.
- Don’t appear without documentation you need to support your case, even if you’ve submitted it.
- Don’t come unprepared.
- Don’t appear with a devil-may-care attitude. Although an unemployment hearing is not a trial or a court of law, it is a “quasi-judicial” process with definite and defined consequences for both the employee and the employer.
- Don’t leave your manners at home. Be polite and respectful of the hearing officer and the witness(es). Address them formally, and don’t be sarcastic or argumentative.
- Don’t dodge questions.
- Don’t squander opportunities to ask questions but do wait your turn. You will be allowed to ask questions of the employer and his witnesses. This is a good opportunity to bring out additional relevant information that the hearing officer has not elicited.
- A word of caution: don’t ask a question if you don’t know the answer— or if there’s a possibility that you won’t like the answer. Think twice about asking the witness a “Why?” question. You may get more that you bargained for.
If you’re facing an unemployment hearing, be as prepared as the other side. Contact my office for a consultation.