RTA Letter: Job Application - Rice University, December 2024

This assignment requires the student to write a 'Response to Advertisement' (RTA) letter in block format, assuming the identity of 'Jack S. Turner.' The letter is a job application for an entry-level position in international shipping. The student must incorporate four Toulmin elements: claim, support, warrants, and backing. The letter should highlight the applicant's experience, including summer internships with APL Lines and dock work experience, and emphasize relevant skills and qualifications for a logistics management role. The assignment focuses on formatting, persuasive writing, and the ability to present oneself effectively in a professional context, demonstrating an understanding of the shipping industry and a proactive approach to job searching. The student is required to save the document as a .doc or .txt file and submit it as an attachment.

RTA – Response to Advertisement Job Application
Letter
Point Value: up to 100 points
Parameters: This is an exercise in identification, composition, and
formatting. You will be required to assume the ‘Jack Turner’ identity
below. Read the narrative, identify your key information and compose
the letter in a persuasive manner. Remember, you are Jack Turner
trying to secure employment. Do not write as yourself.
 Refer to the spacing illustration in section 6 of the textbook as
your formatting guide
 Refer to the Toulmin illustration in section 6 of the textbook as
your guide for placement of Toulmin Elements.
 Refer to the letter style, ‘block format’ in section 5. Arrange
the content of your letter according to this illustration.
Instructions: Compose one ‘response to an advertisement’
letter in block format using information from the narrative below.
You will need to include 4 Toulmin elements in this letter:
claim, support, warrants, backing.
Submission: Save your document as a word document or rich.txt file
using the file name: <Completed—RTA-letter-Solicited-Last Name>
then submit as separate attachments using the assignment function.
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My name is Jack S. Turner. Right now I live in Houston in an
apartment on Jamison Ave., but not for long if I don’t find a job before I
finish school. My dream job would be to work as a logistics manager
for a major international container shipping line. I can’t expect to walk
right into this job, so settling for an entry level management position

may be within reach. I’ll graduate college in December from Rice
University with a B.A. in International Business.
I know my experience is pretty close to what companies might
want given I’m just finishing school and haven’t had much direct
experience. I did land an intern position APL Lines the summer of 2008
where I worked in export documentation and created international bills
of lading for global accounts. I learned all about shipping lanes, how
goods are rated for shipping cost, insurance, arrival times, and even
restrictions on goods going to certain countries. During the summer of
2007, I worked at the same shipping line but as a dock worker loading
shipping containers. It’s a good thing there is a port in Houston, I
would not have been able to learn about commercial merchant ships,
the speed, the design, the crew compliment, and loading the
containers. I even learned how the ships are loaded using cranes that
run alongside the ships, how they are secured for storms at sea, and
how they are manifested aboard the ship.
I’m hoping my summer jobs will be enough to land a good entry
level position because it’s rare to have related skills for your dream
career right after you graduate. Both summer experiences really
helped me to see that international shipping is more than just filling
out paperwork. There’s a lot to learn when it comes to the actual
physical work that is involved, the ships that carry the goods, and the
high risk of shipping over the ocean rather than by air. Just wearing a

tie or nice trousers looks good, but it’s also good to be able to say I
loaded the container. I know about commercial ships and ocean travel.
In other words, I’ve gotten my hands dirty learning from the bottom
up.
I bring relevant experience to the table so my dream employer
won’t have to worry about training me after I hopefully get hired.
Besides, I’m disciplined, energetic, and a quick-learner. Yea, I feel
pretty good about myself given the economy. So good, I’ll write to the
human resource offices in the states at two major container shipping
lines line Maersk and Evergreen.