By Stuart Rudner ( May 9, 2018, 8:54 AM EDT) -- I admit, it has become a pet peeve of mine: employers want references to help them select the best candidates, but many of them refuse to provide references. And they do so out of a fear of liability that is completely irrational and unfounded. If I have said it once, I have said it 100 times: there is no good reason to have an absolute policy against providing references. To the contrary, it will usually be in an organization’s best interests to help a former employee find a job....