Helpful Hints:

Don't plan on your first job being your last job.

Don't sign a restrictive covenant so restrictive that once you leave you have to move in order to practice.

Do not, I repeat, do not buy a house until you make partner.

Take a job that leads to partnership in one year, not more than 18 months.

Don't take a job where all you will do is make life easier for your associate/employer. ie. taking call, covering hospitals, and seeing overflow patients. You'll need to build your own practice.

Investigate the reputation of the group or individual you join. Ask the OR staff, competing physicians, state medical boards, etc. Try to get as much information as possible.

Find a job location that is a "well kept secret." ie. growing population, good jobs, adequate housing, good schools, etc.

Don't, I repeat, don't use a practice recruiter. They want to fulfill their needs, not yours. Again, don't use one. Hospital recruiters are usually better.

The best jobs are found by word of mouth. Ask graduates from your program. Ask other docs who aren't in your specialty. Ask your friends, family, associates who reside in an area you're interested in about their personal physician and who they refer to for surgery. Call that surgeon and inquire about opportunities in that area. They might not don't want the competition unless they are looking for someone; furthermore, they don't want to anger their former patient or refering doc by giving inacurate information or being hostile.

Don't join a practice with a high attrition rate. Multiple physcians who have left the practice in less than 2-3 years.

Hopefully this is helpful for your graduates.