Filling Your RAV Proof of Work Efforts: Step-by-Step 2026 Guide

Anyone registered as unemployed in Switzerland knows the monthly duty: filling in the proof of work efforts and submitting it to the RAV on time. It sounds simple — yet every month it becomes a source of stress, because by the deadline nobody remembers the details of all twelve applications.

This guide walks you cleanly through the form once: what belongs in it, which deadline really counts, which mistakes cost penalty days — and how to automate almost all of the typing from next month onward.

What the proof of work efforts is

The proof is your monthly evidence to the RAV (ORP in French-speaking Switzerland, URC in Ticino) that you are actively seeking work. It is the basis on which your unemployment benefit continues. It is usually submitted digitally via the official job-room.ch platform, or by whatever route your counsellor specifies.

Important: the number of applications required per month is not the same everywhere. It is set in your personal agreement with the RAV — typically 10 to 12. What you agreed with your counsellor always takes precedence.

Step 1: Log applications throughout the month

The biggest mistake happens before the form is even open: leaving everything to the last day. Instead, note each application on the day you send it. For every entry you will later need:

• the date of the application,
• the method (electronic, post, in person, by phone),
• the company name and full address (street, postcode, town),
• the role and the workload (full-time/part-time),
• the result (pending, interview, rejected, hired).

Recording these as you go turns month-end into a formality.

Step 2: Fill the form field by field

Log in to job-room.ch and open the proof of work efforts. For each application, enter:

1. Application date — the real day you sent it, not the listing's date.
2. Application method — usually "electronic" today. Pick what actually applies.
3. Company details — name, street, postcode, town. The postcode/town field is a typeahead: type and click the suggestion, otherwise the form may not validate.
4. Role and workload — job title plus full-time or part-time.
5. Result/status — the current state of the application.

At the end, check that your number of entries meets your agreed minimum, then submit.

Step 3: Meet the deadline on the 5th

The deadline that really counts: your work efforts must reach the RAV by the 5th of the following month at the latest. So you submit June's applications by 5 July. If the 5th falls on a weekend or public holiday, confirm the exact cut-off with your counsellor — do not rely on assumptions.

Submit late and you risk the whole month counting as unfulfilled — even if the applications themselves were flawless. So set a reminder for the 1st or 2nd of the month, not the 5th.

The three mistakes that cost penalty days

1. Reconstructing the month from memory. At 11pm on the 4th, nobody recalls the postcode of a company from three weeks ago. Gaps and vague entries are the most common trigger for follow-up questions.
2. Too few entries. A single month below your agreed minimum can lead to penalty days — money deducted from your benefit.
3. Incomplete company details. A bare company name with no address is not a valid entry. Every line needs the real, complete data.

How to fill the proof almost by itself

Here is the part that dissolves the monthly ritual: the whole form can be filled automatically — free and with no monthly cap.

ApplyCH is a free Chrome extension for the Swiss job market, built around exactly this workflow:

• Save as you apply. One click on any listing — LinkedIn, jobs.ch or a company careers page — captures the full posting, company address included, which the form later requires.
• Keep your quota in view. The extension counts your applications against your monthly target so the 5th never surprises you.
• Transfer with one click. Open the proof form, hit autofill — date, method, company, address, workload and result are entered from your saved applications. No more retyping.

On top of that, ApplyCH drafts AI cover letters in German, French, Italian or English following Swiss conventions and tailors your CV to each posting. The free plan includes unlimited RAV autofill, CV import and templates, plus 2 full AI generations and 2 previews per month — no credit card. Pro is CHF 9.99 per month.

Install ApplyCH free from the Chrome Web Store, save your next application — and watch the proof on job-room.ch fill itself. That is how a monthly duty becomes a single click.

ApplyCH is an independent tool and is not affiliated with job-room.ch, the RAV/ORP/URC or SECO. Always review your submitted entries yourself — the legal responsibility for the proof of work efforts remains with you.