Renew Job Application Online: What No One Tells You

Hello, I'm Pablo García and if there's one thing I know a lot about is renewing your online job application. Having gone through this process more times than I'd like to admit, I think it's time to share my experience to help you avoid making the same mistakes I made at the beginning.

What does it mean to renew your online job application?

Before anything else, let's clarify what this renewing your online job application is all about. Basically, when you are unemployed in Spain, you need to keep your registration as a job seeker active. This is what allows you to continue collecting unemployment, sign up for training courses or simply be on the lists of employment services so that they can offer you jobs. This renewal has to be done every 90 days.

If you don't do it, the penalties can be very serious: from losing the right to receive benefits to being taken off the list of job seekers. Let's go, a brown that you better stay well away from.

My personal experience with renewal

Let me tell you that my first contact with this renewing unemployment online thing was not a walk in the park. Back in 2012, when I was on my umpteenth temporary job, I realized that, after three months of looking for work and renewing at the office, I had forgotten a day! Result: I was without benefits for one month. And believe me, a month without income when you are already on a tight budget is a nightmare. Since then I got my act together and learned to renew my online demand so that it would never happen to me again.

The first thing I discovered was that, if you do it online, you don't have to step foot in an office anymore. And that's a tremendous advantage, especially if, like me, you hate queues. In addition, most autonomous communities already have online platforms where you can renew your claim without the need to stand in a physical line.

Advantages of renewing your employment claim online

The advantages of renewing your claim online are clear:

1. 24 hours to do it. You are not limited to office hours. You can renew your claim at any time of the day, even at 3 a.m., if you feel like it.
3. From anywhere. It doesn't matter if you are at home, at the bar or even at the beach. All you need is Internet access.
5. You receive a PDF document (DARDE). This is the piece of paper that proves you have renewed correctly, so keep it like gold. You can even send it to yourself by email so you don't lose it. It is not mandatory to print it, but it is always good to have a copy on hand.

How to renew your job application step by step

Let's get down to business. To renew your claim online, follow these simple steps:

Access the employment portal of your autonomous community. This is important because each community has its own employment platform. For example, in Madrid you enter Comunidad de Madrid, in Andalucía you access Junta de Andalucía, and so on with each region. If you don't know where to look, just google "renovar demanda de empleo + tu comunidad autónoma".

Log in with your username and password. If this is the first time you do it, you will have to register. Some communities allow you to do this with your "contrast data" (ID, date of birth, etc.). If not, you may need to ask for a password in person, but that's usually once and then you can renew from home.

Follow the instructions. Once inside, it's simply follow the steps they tell you to follow. It is usually three or four clicks. Come on, even my grandmother could do it.

Download the DARDE (DARDE). Don't forget this step, because this digital piece of paper is your lifeline if something goes wrong. It will serve to prove that you did the renewal correctly.

What happens if you forget to renew?

This is where the problems come, because your hair can fall out if you forget to renew your claim. If you don't renew it on time, you're likely to be penalized. That could mean they take away your unemployment for a month or more. If you're lucky, they give you a one- or two-day window, but better not to risk it.

A trick that has saved me more than once is to set an alarm on my cell phone. In fact, I set two alarms: one the day before and one the day of the renewal.

Special cases: what happens if you travel abroad?

Ah, and an important detail: if you are thinking of traveling abroad while collecting unemployment benefits, don't forget to inform your employment office. Traveling without warning can bring you a lot of problems, including losing your benefit. So, better to be safe.

What I learned after so many years

After renewing my employment claim more times than I can count, I've learned some key lessons that I want to share with you:

1. Be proactive. If in doubt, consult before it's too late. Don't wait until the last day.
3. Keep your DARDE in several places. Send it to yourself by email, save it in your cloud, print a copy.... It's better to be safe.
4. Renew online whenever you can. It's more convenient, faster and saves you endless queues.
6. Put an alarm. Believe me, this advice is worth gold.

Renewing your job application online doesn't have to be a headache. Follow these steps and you won't have any problems. In the end, it's simply a matter of getting organized and taking advantage of the facilities that technology gives us.