Prepping Your Gear: Resume & Cover Letter 101

    1. Lesson 1: Resume

    2. Lesson 2: Cover Letter

About this course

  • $199.00
  • Create a resume
  • Create a cover letter

Meet Your Instructor

Maria Reitan

Tired of the unrelenting hours and constant stress, and concerned about the direction broadcast news was taking, Maria Reitan left her successful news career after 15 years to pursue a new career in public relations. She’s never looked back. That move to one of the nation’s most decorated agencies, Carmichael Lynch, allowed her to parlay her news skills to help drive results for some of the biggest household names around: Trane, American Standard, Tempur-Pedic, Select Comfort, Calphalon, MasterBrand Cabinets, Hasbro, and Gerber to name a few. She spent a decade at Carmichael before moving to a boutique PR agency as president and chief strategy officer. Since her days in news, Maria has enjoyed building organizations and teams. With that in mind, she founded her strategic communications consultancy Topsail Strategies in 2015. She kept to her broadcasting roots through her weekly marketing-to-women podcast on Webmasterradio.fm which she's hosted for more than a decade. PurseStrings reaches tens of thousands of business professionals. Her podcast and client campaigns have been awarded the public relations industry’s highest recognition including the Silver Anvil, Bronze Anvil, PR Platinum, PR Week, Golden SABRE and Minneapolis PRSA awards. Maria has a B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Social proof: testimonials

“Maria's coaching has been invaluable. Her concrete advice and very specific feedback have helped me better articulate my skills as a journalist and find the language that the corporate world understands and values. I now feel like I have the tools I need to succeed in my job search: a compelling and well-thought-out resume, a strong cover letter that explains my value, and persuasive answers to any interview question.”

- Erin Kennedy, Former Anchor/Reporter

“Bottom line: hiring Maria was one of the best professional decisions I've ever made. We worked together after I secured an interview for an executive-level communications position. As someone who also transitioned from media to corporate communications, she was immediately able to identify the best strategies for me to exploit my unique expertise. From resume editing, to interview prep, to just a pep talk - her assistance was essential to me securing the position.”

- Adam Bagni, Former Reporter

“Maria is a topnotch career coach, mentor, cheerleader, advisor and friend. She is smart, easy to work with and best yet - her process works! She helped me with the transition out of television into corporate communications. I am thrilled with my new job and career path and I've never looked back, thanks to Maria's help. I highly recommend her!”

- Sarah von Fischer, Former TV Reporter

“The confidence I gained through working with Maria is everything. After more than two decades, it was difficult for me to see possibilities outside of a newsroom. Maria instilled in me a belief that whatever career I wanted to explore next, was well within my skill set. I now work in communications and am home with my little boy at night for the first time in years.”

- Heather Lerman, Former Anchor/Reporter

“Maria's coaching has been invaluable. Her concrete advice and very specific feedback have helped me better articulate my skills as a journalist and find the language that the corporate world understands and values. I now feel like I have the tools I need to succeed in my job search: a compelling and well-thought-out resume, a strong cover letter that explains my value, and persuasive answers to any interview question.”

- Erin Kennedy, Former Anchor/Reporter

“Bottom line: hiring Maria was one of the best professional decisions I've ever made. We worked together after I secured an interview for an executive-level communications position. As someone who also transitioned from media to corporate communications, she was immediately able to identify the best strategies for me to exploit my unique expertise. From resume editing, to interview prep, to just a pep talk - her assistance was essential to me securing the position.”

- Adam Bagni, Former Reporter

“Maria is a topnotch career coach, mentor, cheerleader, advisor and friend. She is smart, easy to work with and best yet - her process works! She helped me with the transition out of television into corporate communications. I am thrilled with my new job and career path and I've never looked back, thanks to Maria's help. I highly recommend her!”

- Sarah von Fischer, Former TV Reporter

“The confidence I gained through working with Maria is everything. After more than two decades, it was difficult for me to see possibilities outside of a newsroom. Maria instilled in me a belief that whatever career I wanted to explore next, was well within my skill set. I now work in communications and am home with my little boy at night for the first time in years.”

- Heather Lerman, Former Anchor/Reporter