Letters of recommendation are an important tool in getting you hired! They should only be requested of people who are actually qualified to offer an opinion about your qualifications.

Many job seekers make the mistake of choosing people who do not know your skills and abilities and therefore they sound weak and unconvincing. Select key people you have reported to or worked closely with, that carry weight... e.g. Chief Physician, Director of Human Resources, Administration Managers. A well written letter from a peer is also often helpful.

Letters of recommendation should also be asked of people who have a good command of the language and can write. You would be amazed at how many fantastic supervisors (who love you and your work) cannot produce a credible letter of recommendation with no typos, spellos, and with enough convincing evidence that it does more harm than good. Select these people carefully.

Also, it is entirely professional and ethical to bullet the areas you feel they can best cover. Most people appreciate this reminder of your successes, and will prove it in a significantly better letter as a result. A letter of recommendation on hospital letterhead, dated but not addressed to a specific person is more useable.