In order to hold weight, a recommendation letter should come from a respected source. You would be a wonderful fit if you worked with the candidate in a supervisory position, say, a manager or boss of some sort, for an employer always wants a professional reference. Occasionally, letters from a colleague, a friend, neighbor, or family member will also do. And what elements should your recommendation letter include to be effective?

#1: Explaining Your Qualification

In the first paragraph, you should explain who you are, how you know the candidate and how long you worked with him. In this way, you are showing that you’re much qualified to give an honest assessment. Strong letters give positive descriptions of your qualifications in a concise and powerful way, which creates a professional and trustworthy image of you.

#2: Being Customized to the New Position

While you should speak to the candidate’s accomplishments in his past role, you should also show why he’d make a good fit in the next one. You should explain why he has the desired ability to do the job well, and attach the greatest importance to this, even if the candidate’s making a career change. The candidate should provide you with everything you need to know to customize your letter. By drawing on this information, you can express confidence that the candidate will succeed in the new role. Then when the hiring manager reads your letter, he’ll feel reassured that the candidate would make a good fit.

#3: Using Specific Examples

Finally, your letter should provide specific examples about the candidate. Don’t just list adjectives like, “friendly, intelligent, and hard-working”; instead, present circumstances in which the candidate demonstrated those qualities. Not only will examples point to the value the candidate brought to your organization or company, but they’ll also paint a picture of how he works in day-to-day operations. Using two to three specific examples in your letter will boost its level of persuasiveness.

In the early hours of the morning, Gary Miller was in his truck, traveling down the road alone to deliver. Everything seemed calm. But with the sound of a fire siren (警笛) cutting through the wind, he became alarmed. Miller, a trucker by trade, has been a volunteer firefighter for 40 years. That loud, sharp siren assured him that help was on the way.

Most people never realize that this help is often a crew of volunteer firefighters. They make up 70 percent of the country’s nearly 1.2 million firefighters. “When I was a teenager there would be many who responded. About 20 people were coming into the voluntary fire station at one siren.” Miller laughed. But now, at his 54, that memory is almost ironic (讽刺的)to him. When a call comes in, his station might get only three or four people responding. He said: “People don’t want to, or rather, they don’t have time to volunteer.” Adults’ burdens have become greater. There isn’t as much time left for volunteering when most people rely on a two-income household now more than ever.

Firefighters face far more than what we imagine. The emotional stress on a firefighter stands out. “We’re asked to help someone at their most vulnerable (易受伤的) time. But we can’t always save the day like we hope to.” Miller reflected on the case years ago. “A mother’s car was hit hard, and she had two children in the backseat." By the time he arrived on the scene, there wasn’t much to be done. “One child died in my arms and I felt so defeated.”

Along with the emotional stress, the physical danger is just as great. Even with the progress of equipment and new training, that’s still not always enough to save a firefighter’s life. In 2016, 60 firefighters died in the line of the duty. “When you respond, you never know if it is to be your last,” Miller said. “And that’s just a risk we take.” Miller continued. "It's dangerous. But it's also the most rewarding thing I've ever done."