When you say yes to serve as a reference for someone, you may be getting yourself into a potentially awkward situation. When doing reference checks hiring managers often ask if there are any weaknesses you've noticed in the candidate. No one is perfect. Of course this candidate has weaknesses you’ve noticed. However, you should be really thoughtful about how choose which weakness to discuss and how you frame it. After all, if you’ve agreed to be someone’s reference, you likely have a lot of great things to say about the person. (If the weaknesses are too great, you may consider stepping out of such a role.)

When selecting the weakness to share you want it to be something that really has been a weakness, but one in which the candidate has demonstrated significant growth. It should be a weakness that the candidate is aware of and is actively improving. For instance, you could say that the candidate has a tendency to be shy in meetings, but with some coaching and a solid effort, you’ve witnessed her becoming more vocal in meetings. 

If it was a positive one, you could also talk about your experience providing feedback to the candidate. If you are her peer or her former supervisor, you could turn this question into a strong positive for the candidate by showing off how she handled feedback humbly, and how she took your suggestions seriously. This sounds good to a hiring manager who is no doubt curious about how this candidate will react upon receiving feedback, and about her ability to make change.

Want more guidance on how to prepare for answering the weakness question? Click the button below for a FREE worksheet to help you organize your thoughts.