Volume 7 Issue 3 May 2014 

Yes, it’s hard to believe that someone would not give you a good reference. Surprisingly, every now and then I obtain a bad reference about someone. Therefore, it’s important that you really vet your references to make sure they will provide positive information about you.

Getting good references doesn’t start at the point of asking for a reference. Getting good references starts with developing good relations on a long-term basis. Of course, this should be a natural process and part of all of our ongoing efforts to have good interpersonal relationship skills. Said another way, just because you had a good conversation yesterday with someone is not cause to ask them for a reference today.

When you ask someone to provide a reference for you, judge their response to you. If it’s enthusiastic, that’s a good clue that it will be a good reference. If they nod with little expression, take awhile to get back to you, say they don’t know enough about you, etc., then you might want to get another reference. Not all references are necessarily contacted so this person shouldn’t feel slighted if not called.

References are confidential so you don’t know what the reference will say about you. However, if you consistently don’t get jobs, bad references may be the reason. Change who you get as references and see if this makes a difference in your job search.

By Linda Farr

The following information about why doctors leave practices and how to increase physician retention is included below.

This survey was done recently by CompHealth.