For many, getting to the bottom of some common misconceptions about unemployment benefits and salary requirements can be a real task. Asa Aarons filed the following Employment Report.

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The one thing many workers share in common are questions and concerns about the process of filing for and sustaining unemployment benefits.

We recently sat down with George Reisman, director of the Adjudication Services Office to address some common misconceptions. First up, a part time job. Reisman says accepting one does not have to mean giving up your employment benefits, but does present a drawback.

"It behooves you to take a part time job that would be long days because for each day that you work, you lose a quarter of your employment," Reisman said.

The department works off of four effective days per week. Each day you work, whether for one hour or 10 hours, reduces your unemployment payment for that week by 25 percent.

So in the world of unemployment compensation, work a part time job four hours for one day a week and you can keep three quarters of your benefits. Work it one hour for four days and you'll lose the entire week's worth of money from the state.

"You should know before you accept a job what the conditions of the employment are whether you'll be working an hour or two a day for five days a week, because if you work an hour a day for five days a week you would not lose all your employment benefits," Reisman said.

Some people are afraid to look for work because they’ll have to take the first thing offered. For example, a worker in one of the city's thousands of photo studios might be offered a job as a gas station attendant. While nothing is wrong with either profession, the respective skills may not blend that well.

"First of all, you need to be fitted by training and experience. So if you're a photographer, you would not be required to accept the job of a gas attendant," Reisman said.

As for being low-balled on something within your chosen field and then having to accept it, Reisman says not to worry.

"We look at the occupation and what it pays for area and if the job pays substantially less than the prevailing wage then you can refuse the job with good cause," Reisman said.

Prevailing wage information is provided by the state and can be found by visiting labor.ny.gov.

Many of these questions are also covered in a series of unemployment manuals printed in a number of different languages that are available at the state's one stop employment centers.