If this information is requested, candidates for a chiropractic job should have solid, credible, professional references willing to verify their skills and enthusiasm. Although StudentDC.com notes that references are not considered standard in many chiropractic job applications, you should be prepared to furnish them if asked. This means cultivating professional and academic contacts during your years of training.

You will most likely make several important contacts during your undergraduate and chiropractic school education. Be sure to cultivate these relationships, as they will not only serve as future references, but will also most likely enhance your educational experience. Potential professional mentors may include school faculty members, practitioners you encounter in your clinical practice experience, leaders of professional associations, work-study employers, and more. It is a good idea to include references from different aspects of your education and experience, so as to demonstrate a wide range of classroom and applied knowledge.

You can also include as references people who can discuss your personality and character, and who can recommend you as a personable, dedicated, and ethical individual. Ideally, these should be people who can speak to your professional credentials as well.

However, references should not be included automatically, but only if requested. If a potential employer asks for references, StudentDC.com recommends including these on a separate sheet of paper, rather than combining them with your résumé or curriculum vitae.

One important point to remember is that you should always contact potential references prior to including their names or contact information in your application. This serves not only as a professional courtesy to the reference, but also ensures that your application will not be derailed by an unexpected negative assessment. It is always best to make sure the potential reference is comfortable and confident in endorsing you. This approach also gives the reference time to consider his or her remarks in order to best benefit your cause. StudentDC.com recommends contacting all references ahead of time.

Although you may or may not need to have references for your job application, it is always best to behave as though you will. During your job search, you may need to comply with various different application guidelines, and it will serve you well to be ready for the most comprehensive requirements. In any case, developing respected academic and business contacts will benefit you throughout your career, regardless of whether you are ever called upon to use them as references.