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Ask the expert: What is the best way to talk to reference contacts during recruitment?

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, August 31, 2010

Do not rely solely on printed forms for the reference contact to fill out and then mail back. Most candidates will ask their program directors or supervising physicians to prepare written letters of reference that they can mass-produce and send when needed. Although this certainly spares the person providing the reference a great deal of time by not having to repeat him- or herself over and over again, it usually does little to provide the potential employer with any real insight to the candidate. All too often, the person responsible for checking references simply puts those letters in the file and then checks the box that references were obtained. Most employers have used these forms, and unfortunately, many program directors will only provide references by using such forms.

However, much is lost with the absence of direct conversation. Even the inflection of the person’s voice can be very telling about his or her feelings regarding the candidate. A phone conversation is likely a better gauge for evaluation than words on paper.

The above excerpt is adapted from Practical Guide to Hospitalist Recruitment and Retention, by Kirk Mathews, MBA, and John Nelson, MD, FACP, published by HCPro, Inc.

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