Anything longer than a minute tries the patience of the listener. It would be smart to ask the recruiter to let you know when reference-checking is completed. That way, you'll have an opening to call back if you don't hear anything for a day or two. When you get to the offer stage, your voice-mail message should include the dates and times you can be reached at specific phone numbers. This might encourage employers to call you earlier in the day.
Timing is everything with voice mail.
When leaving a message, you could tell the recipient that you will keep your phone line free for 15 minutes, just in case they are able to call you right back. Busy human-resources professionals will appreciate this and may dial your number first. They get sick of voice-mail phone tag, too. It's easy to improve your voice-mail skills. Practice being concise if you have a tendency to ramble.