1 . 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.
1. Who are the intended readers of this passage?| A．Assessors. | B．Employers. | C．Candidates. | D．Recommenders. |
| A．powerful friend | B．supervisory manager |
| C．respected neighbor | D．trustworthy colleague |
| A．Presenting the reader with the candidate’s ability. |
| B．Exhibiting his knowledge about the new industry. |
| C．Customizing the letter with eye-catching drawings. |
| D．Showing the candidate’s intelligence with examples. |
Yold
The year 2020 marks the beginning of the decade of the yold, or the “young old”, as the Japanese call people aged between 65 and 75. By continuing to work and staying socially engaged, the boomers, in their new appearance as the young old, will change the world.
The yold are more numerous, healthier and wealthier than previous generations of seniors.
The yold are challenging the traditional expectations of the retired in many aspects. They won’t wear indoor shoes and look after the grandchildren.
Today, some big things will have to change, under pressure from the yold themselves. The most important is public attitudes towards older people and in particular the expectation that 60-somethings ought to quietly retire into the background.
| A．Healthy yold people will require great changes in health spending. |
| B．They become one of the fastest growing groups for airline businesses. |
| C．The rise of the yold will definitely be a blessing to both culture and economy. |
| D．Health worsens with age, but the yold are resisting the decline better than most. |
| E．Many companies treat older workers unfairly by offering training only to younger ones. |
| F．Bosses may think productivity falls with age, but studies in Germany suggest things different. |
3 . When Liam McGee departed as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuse, he came right out and said he was leaving “to pursue my goal of running a company.” Broadcasting his ambition was “very much my decision,” McGee says. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.
McGee says leaving without a position lined up gave him time to reflect on what kinds of company he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his aspirations. And McGee isn’t alone. In recent weeks the No. 2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. As boards scrutinize succession plans in response to shareholder pressure, executives who don’t get the nod also may wish to move on. A turbulent business environment also has senior managers cautious of letting vague pronouncements cloud their reputations.
As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net. In the third quarter, CEO turnover was down 23% from a year ago as nervous boards stuck with the leaders they had, according to Liberum Research. As the economy picks up, opportunities will abound for aspiring leaders.
The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. Says Korn Ferry, senior partner Dennis Carey: “I can’t think of a single search I’ve done where a board has not instructed me to look at sitting CEOs first.”
Those who jumped without a job haven’t always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana when the business became part of PepsiCo (PEP) a decade ago, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny internet-based commodities exchange. Robert Willemstad left Citigroup in 2005 with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.
Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. “The traditional rule was it’s safer to stay where you are, but that’s been fundamentally inverted,” says one headhunter. “The people who’ve been hurt the worst are those who’ve stayed too long.”
1. When McGee announced his departure, his manner can best be described as being _______.| A．arrogant. | B．frank. | C．self-centered. | D．impulsive. |
| A．their expectation of better financial status | B．their need to reflect on their private life |
| C．their strained relations with the boards | D．their pursuit of new career goals |
| A．top performers used to cling to their posts |
| B．loyalty of top performers is getting out-dated |
| C．top performers care more about reputations |
| D．it’s safer to stick to the traditional rules |
| A．CEOs; Where to Go? | B．CEOs: All the Way Up? |
| C．Top Managers Jump without a Net | D．The Only Way Out for Top Performers |
