What happens if they can't reach your references? Or can only reach some of them? The only numbers I have for some of my references are school numbers. Could this be why I'm not getting offers?
I called one of the districts that I had applied to because I had not heard anything from them. They informed me because they had received a response from only one of the three references I provided and they needed at least two. I quickly informed the other references to return the reference forms and I received a call the next week for the district interview. If I were you i would call the district and ask for the status of your submitted application so that you are aware if there is a hold up. Good luck!
I thought of this the other day because all mine are school references with school numbers. I just figured they would ask the school for that person's home # to get in touch with them. In my case all my references work in the main district I am applying to so I didn't think it would be a problem. It wouldn't hurt to call and check the status.
I think if they really wanted a reference, they could mail a letter to the address as opposed to calling.
If you don't give both work and personal numbers, you may be out of luck. It is illegal for a school to give out the phone numbers of their employees without permission, and most search committees / administrators are unlikely to go digging for a particular reference's home number. To be safe, if you're sending out resumes in the summer, and including references who don't work in the summer, then you should probably put 5-6 references with 2-3 ways to contact each.
That is what I do, MsWK! My reference sheet has as many numbers as possible (I got permission to use 3 of their cells) and email and street addresses. My references are such a great asset for me so I want to be sure they are able to be called! However, I do have a couple of back-ups if someone is away or may be busy. One of my refs is retired and travels a lot.
