I have letters of reference from temp jobs that I use to interview for other temp jobs (I work with newborns). As a regular nanny, I include a few letters of recommendation along with contact info as references. I want families to be able to see how glowing my references are right away, in case it takes a day or two for them to line up with my former bosses. I feel it provides an incentive to hold off on hiring someone else until they've heard from my employers.

I never ask for a recommendation letter. If the person gets exhausted as a reference, having a letter isn't going to help me, because parents aren't going to believe it's authentic without verifying it. Second, most of the parents don't have a clue what I do with their kids all day, do basically I would need to write the letter myself and let them sign, which is way too close to forging for me. Last, I have enough issues with parents reading everything I give them, and they're going to call my references anyway, so I don't see the point to giving them something else to read.

I think it is only natural for whomever reads your recommendation letter(s) to also want to speak directly to the person who created it.

1). Like you stated OP, just to verify its authenticity and 2). They may have questions that they would like answered more specifically than was addressed in the letter.

Like a PP stated, make sure that you do not exhaust your references however. Usually your references are working full-time along with having to care for young children as well. So be courteous and only give out their contact information after a personal interview that you feel may offer you a job based on how your references pan out.

I know on some childcare websites, nannies are encouraged to post their references on their profile, but I do not recommend doing so. Nor do I recommend giving out your reference's contact info to strangers, people you have not met in person yet.

I have recommendation letters and give their contact, info too. Often times prospective employers want to verify the authenticity of the letter.

I would not take a reference letter at its word unless I could call the author and verify its authenticity. BTW, when I have asked for letters of reference I have offered to write a draft to get the person started.

I tailor my references to the specific job I'm applying for. If it's a job with multiples I will use the reference that had multiples . If they are all similar I divide them up that way they aren't all called. I only give out 2 reference unless specifically asked for more. I've nrver been asked for more.

I'm an MB. I can't answer the beginning of your question, but I just wrote a letter of reference for our former nanny, in which I included my contact info. She has let me know when she expects me to get a call and I'm happy to be a reference for her.

If they were happy to write a glowing reference then they probably are happy to give a verbal reference as well. I certainly wouldn't hesitate.

If they weren't comfortable giving a reference, then you should worry, but given what you described I don't think you have a problem. Just try to only have serious employer prospects call them and that's all you need to do.

...do you also include the contact info for the former employer who wrote it as one of your references? I recently asked two former MBs to write letters of recommendation for me, thinking that would be easier for them than having to respond to every single future potential client I interview with. I have other great references, so I figured I'd just include the recommendation letters from those two MBs, and then contact info for other references. But now I'm thinking that it might come off as odd to have glowing letters of recommendation when I'm not also providing the opportunity to follow up on them with the employers who wrote them (because obviously, anyone could just write a fake letter of recommendation pretty easily, right?). I don't know, what is standard here?

I'm starting to feel guilty for asking them to even write the letters because now they had to take time to write them (and they are lovely and fairly long, 1.5-2 pages each), and they may still have to continue to respond to reference requests?