Writing a reference

[bigstripeytiger]

I would like some advice about writing a reference that is not going to be wholly positive.

I have been asked to write a reference for a colleague, which I have agreed to do (realistically she had no option but to ask me).

For the most part she is good at her job, but does have some difficulties with her manner, which are widely aknowledged within the small unit in which we work.

I feel that I have to mention this, in order to not create a misleading impression, but I do think that the person has many strong qualities which outweigh the problems with manner, and so would not want to create an overly negative impression either.

Giving a reference that simply contained dates of employment would be very unusual in the industry that I work in, and would be seen as quite damning.

Is there any advice for the approach I should take, or any ways of conveying a problem with manner that doesnt make it sound too bad?

Thanks.

Message withdrawn

Thank you, it would be a relief if I didnt have to mention the difficulties with manner.

well there's always the 'I would recommend you interview this candidate to gain a full picture of her abilities' approach.
Alternatively, I have seen references in the past (student ones though, not professional, which might be a bit different) which are very upfront but also positive and do actually say things like 'This person is considerably better at teamworking than a first impression might suggest'. But actually I think Bloss's suggestion is probably the best.

Thank you, if it seems the consensus is just to leave it out then I will gladly do that