Letters of Recommendation Are Worthless

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Bonnie, in answer to your question, I'd be very wary about hiring someone without being able to speak with their references. For me, a letter wouldn't suffice because I'd have no way of knowing if they'd written it themselves, and it would deny me the chance to ask the questions I have to ask before I can be comfortable hiring someone (about weaknesses and so forth). I think in your situation the thing to do is to really put a premium on keeping in touch with your references, so that even when they move around, you're still in contact with them. (This is good for networking anyway.)

Alison Green of DC 7:31PM November 17, 2008

I think there are exceptions. I worked as a Civil Service employee for the Air Force for many years. My spouse was in the service. We moved every 3-4 years. The people I worked for moved every 3-4 years. There was no way for me to keep their contact info current. The only way a potential employer could get any "feedback" from my former bosses was by reading letters of recommendation they'd written for me. Not as good as being able to call and talk to them, but when that's not possible, isn't a letter better than nothing?

Bonnie of CA 7:05PM November 17, 2008