While you may not need the money, it appears you are entitled to it.
File for unemployment. If you don’t get it, no sweat. If you do get it, accept it. Since you don’t need it, treat it as something special, say money to go to the new house.
I’m an environmental engineer, currently working for a civil/environmental engineering consulting firm.
Besides engineers, we have lots of geologists working for us. They work on everything from geotechnical investigations (e.g. soil borings) to environmental investigations (e.g. potentially contaminated soil and groundwater, and subsurface contaminant fate and transport), to remediation work.
The geologists complement the engineers quite well.
Generally you doin’t put “fired” on your resume and most of the time you don’t get a recomendation from your last employer since you usually want to get hired before you tell them you are leaving.
Not only are you entitled to it, as Duckster says, but it’s your money. Your employer paid into the UI fund based on your salary, and presumably could/would have given you a higher salary if he wasn’t required to do so. Please don’t think you’re leaving the money for those less fortunate then you by not applying for it - it was your money to begin with.
And people only ask why you left your last employment if you put “fired” on the resume, right? Because otherwise it never comes up. Oh, wait; it comes up all the time: “And why did you leave your last job?”
And I fail to see the relevance of what your experience has been “most of the time” since obviously in her case she will have already left before finding that crucial next job.
I have always had to provide a reference from my current or last employer in my profession. The three times I have been applying “in confidence” (without the knowledge of my current employer), I was extended an offer contingent upon them talking to my current supervisor and receiving an acceptable reference. At that point, I had to reveal the job search, and all three bosses were very good about giving me a good reference; they know people move on. But it has not been my experience that your next employer is not going to want to talk to your last employer, so if you don’t have a good reference you’d better have a good explanation for why you don’t.
So all the talk about what she may be “entitled to” still misses the larger point IMO, which is to determine what is going to be in her best interests long term. It may not be in her best interests to trade the fiction of an amicable parting (both parties say she quit; the boss gives her a good reference) for some unemployment compensation, if that makes her search for her next job longer and harder.
And maybe not - I went through a “voluntary” resignation in November yet was still able to collect unemployment. As part of that process I had to sign some legal papers so I don’t think I can go into details, but suffice to say all parties to the documents involved were unhappy. There’s a bunch of legal and regulatory issues involved. Since I’m not a lawyer I’m going to shut up now, but legal advice might be a good idea in the OP"s situation.
I find it interesting that you assume a contract is involved in employment - I don’t work in a profession where you get an employment contract of any sort.
Well, there are always exceptions. You can usually demand to have a signed contract or even an appointment letter that lays out what your rights and responsibilities are. In ‘at-will’ states, you are generally required to sign a piece of paper that says you understand you are in an at-will environment and may be terminated at any time for any reason. If that’s the case, then you’re well-advised to protect yourself, if possible.
That’s the thing - the “if possible”. I have never been in a situation were such negotiation is possible, it’s always been a matter of “Oh, you don’t want to sign the standard agreement? OK - nice to know you - NEXT!”
Most people are NOT in a position where they can negotiate any sort of protection or employment contract. If you work in an industry where you can, count yourself fortunate.
And everyone with brains always answers that question with a positive spin: “I was looking to advance my career in such-and-such direction”, or “I felt that a more <something the interviewer’s company is known for> focus would be more interesting and productive for me.” You could always try “I got canned”, but I don’t see how the difference between being “fired” and being “asked to resign” should affect the way you answer that question.
And then there’s me, a college student… with family and debt. $1200/month is better than I get.
I don’t think anyone is saying that dropping well below what your cost of living has become is a great thing, just that $1200/month is still a significant amount of money for a lot of people.
I never said anything about “asked to resign.” Resigned, full stop. And there is a HUGE difference between “fired” and “resigned,” and you certainly can, and should, answer those questions very differently.
Hey I’ve been fired or layed off our counselled out from nearly every job I’ve ever had. I’m pretty sure I know what I’m talking about.
I’m not saying you should lie. But there’s the truth 
and then there’s “the truth” 
!
Also, go ahead and ask your former employer if you can use them as a reference if you’re sure it isn’t performance based.
Actually, I’ve never been technically “fired” for cause (ie stealing, shiting in the bosses coffee, whatever).
That wouldn’t cover the rent for my studio in Manhattan. And I was out of work for 6 months with nothing but $405 a week unemployment checks.
But whether she calls it fired or resigned, it’s still exactly the same thing and can have exactly the same answer.
“Why did you leave your previous job?”
“I needed to seek out new opportunities. There was no potential for advancement.”
And the like. Whatever you can say honestly after being forced to resign is the same thing you can say honestly if you are fired.
{mom mode on}
I would suggest to all of you discussing it that talking about the $300/week benefits is a road that will only lead to bad feelings here - we all have our own situations and circumstances (yes, I know the OP started it).
{mom mode off}
I have quit and been fired from many positions, and people keep hiring me - like msmith says, it’s all in how you spin it. You don’t go into your next interview unprepared; you sit down and figure out the best way to present your unique situation without lying and without making it sound like you’re a complete loser. For example, I left one position because of bullying, but the company had just been bought at the same time - my presentation in interviews is that I left because of the change in ownership (which is more than a little true - the new management sucked). They don’t need to know that I was an emotional basketcase by the time that company was done with me. In LVGeoGeek’s particular case, I might present it as a mutual decision because of irreconcilable differences - it just wasn’t a good fit for either party. That’s as much truth as they need.
I don’t know what things are like in Nevada, but it would cover the rent on a house in a very good neighborhood in Atlanta. It would cover many mortgages here.
Manhattan is a little “special” when it comes to real estate prices, I understand. That may be giving you a false perspective.
Manhattan is hardly representative of the country as a whole. $1200 a month is a mortgage payment on a new four-bedroom house in Orlando - and we’re one of the top five growth markets in the nation.
My rent on my 2 bedroom apartment in podunk ass Bakersfield, CA is $975 a month. Most houses my friends are renting (and that my dad rents out) go for between $1200-$2500 for 3 bedroom homes. While $1200 would cover our rent and utilities, that would be about it. I suppose that’s all you need, in the grand scheme of things, but some folks enjoy having cars to drive and doctors to visit.
So, while I do agree that every little bit helps, that money would hardly make a difference for someone who went from a big salaried position.
Not necessarily. If you are forced to resign you may be able to successfully argue that the employer, not you, is the “moving party”.
Its yours. Why not claim it?