Unemployment is different depending on which state you live in. For example, I live in North Carolina right now. Here, you have to apply for unemployment benefits (which you can do online, ,via phone, or in person). When you qualify, you begin to receive benefits. All you have to do is make sure you are actively seeking new employment during your period of unemployment (unless disabled, etc) and remain available for new work.
Some states make it easier to collect benefits, others are more of a pain in the ass and end up giving you a hard time just for you to collect, having strict requirements. I chose not to collect as I would only have gotten a few hundred dollars a month, I opted to do freelance which made me more until I joined the military.
