Vanessa Coates Careers

09/09/2026

Prepping My Guy for His First Day of Preschool ❤️

Today was my little guy’s first day of preschool, and apparently I only know one way to prepare someone for a big day…

I prepped him exactly like I prep my candidates for an interview. 😂

“Are you excited?”
“Are you ready?”
“Be a good listener.”
“Use your manners.”
“Be kind.”
“You’re going to do GREAT.”

There was just one piece of advice I don’t normally give my candidates:

“And don’t forget to go potty in the big potty.” 😂

He had his backpack on, he was ready to go, and he walked into preschool like an absolute champ.

Meanwhile, Mom may have needed a little more prep than he did. ❤️

Big day for my little man. Go crush preschool, buddy.

09/08/2026

THREE INTERVIEWS. ONE DAY. 😳

I recently had a candidate scheduled for three different interviews in one day.

Do I normally recommend that? Not necessarily.

But sometimes availability is availability, momentum matters, and you make it work.

The bigger question becomes:

How do you prepare for three interviews without completely exhausting yourself—or accidentally talking about Company #1 while interviewing with Company #3? 😂

Here are a few things I recommend:

1. Know WHO you are interviewing with.
Before each interview, take 5 minutes and reset. Look at the interviewer’s name, title, and anything you know about their role. You want to walk into each conversation knowing exactly who is on the other side of the table.

2. Know the COMPANY.
This is where you need to pivot.

Your experience hasn’t changed in the last two hours. Your leadership style hasn’t changed. Your accomplishments haven’t changed.

The company has.

Take a few minutes before each interview to review the concept, their values, their menu/service style, locations, and why THIS particular opportunity interests you.

3. Don’t recreate the wheel.
There is a LOT of overlap between interviews.

Tell me about yourself.
How would your team describe you?
How do you handle conflict?
Tell me about a difficult employee.
What are your strengths?
Why are you looking?

You don’t need three completely different answers.

Know your stories. Know your numbers. Know your wins.

Then adjust the examples and emphasis based on the role you’re interviewing for.

4. Create a RESET between interviews.
Do not walk out of Interview #1 and immediately mentally carry it into Interview #2.

Grab some water. Eat something. Take a short walk. Put your phone down for a few minutes.

Then pull up your notes for the NEXT company.

New company. New conversation. Clean slate.

5. Don’t overanalyze the interview you just finished.
This one is BIG.

You don’t have time to replay every answer and decide what you should have said differently.

Write down a few quick notes while they’re fresh, then move on.

You can dissect it later.

6. Remember—you already did the hardest part.

You prepared your career story.

You know what you’ve accomplished.
You know how you lead.
You know what you’re looking for.

Now your job is simply to be present enough to figure out:

Is this the right opportunity for me?

Three interviews in one day can feel like a marathon.

But with preparation, a good reset between conversations, and the ability to stay present, it can also be a VERY productive day.

And recruiters—if we’re going to stack interviews for our candidates, we have a responsibility to help them prepare for the marathon. 💪

08/31/2026

✈️ Starting a new job — but training away from home?

One of my candidates starts a brand-new chapter today, and his first stop is training out of state. 🎉

It got me thinking: Getting the job is one thing. Being ready for Day One is another.

If your new role starts with travel, here’s a checklist to help you leave home organized and arrive ready to learn.

🏠 BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME

☐ Schedule bills/autopay
☐ Arrange pet care + leave instructions, food & vet info 🐾
☐ Ask someone you trust to check on your house
☐ Give them a key/code + emergency contacts
☐ Arrange plant care 🌱
☐ Hold mail or have someone bring it in
☐ Plan for packages/deliveries
☐ Take out trash & clear perishables from the fridge
☐ Finish laundry/dishes — future you will thank you!
☐ Adjust thermostat & check doors/windows/garage
☐ Fill prescriptions
☐ Coordinate childcare, school & family schedules
☐ Share your itinerary with someone at home
☐ Plan for lawn/snow/seasonal home care if needed
☐ Arrange transportation to/from the airport

💻 GET ORGANIZED

☐ Download company apps & training platforms
☐ Test your logins BEFORE you leave
☐ Save trainer, manager, HR & recruiter contacts
☐ Save hotel, flight & training information
☐ Download anything you’ll need offline
☐ Bring ID + onboarding/payroll documents
☐ Pack a notebook & pens
☐ Bring ALL the chargers + a portable charger
☐ Check the dress code AND destination weather
☐ Pack comfortable shoes + a backup work outfit
☐ Leave suitcase space for uniforms/training materials
☐ Bring a few creature comforts from home

🧠 WHEN TRAINING STARTS

☐ Come in humble
☐ Ask LOTS of questions
☐ Take notes
☐ Learn the WHY, not just the task
☐ Introduce yourself to everyone
☐ Be flexible — plans change
☐ Pay attention to the people who know the operation best
☐ Be ready for anything
☐ Learn how THEY do things before trying to show how YOU did things somewhere else

And maybe the most important one:

Give yourself permission to be new.

You aren’t supposed to know everything on Day One.

Take care of the little things at home so that when you arrive, you can actually be present.

Show up prepared, curious, coachable and ready to learn.

Learn the people. Learn the culture. Learn the operation. Enjoy the beginning. ✈️💼

And to everyone starting a new job this week — congratulations. Go crush it. 🙌

08/20/2026

In a world where fear can feel loud, there is a whole other world filled with optimism, kindness, hope, and good people doing good things. 💛

Happy Thursday! ☀️

08/18/2026

MINNESOTA HOSPITALITY LEADERS — WE’RE HIRING! ❄️

From the Twin Cities to Rochester, St. Cloud and beyond, we have some great leadership opportunities across Minnesota right now. 🍽️

If you’ve been thinking about making a move, take a look at what’s out there:

08/18/2026

Life Events & Ways to Transition Through Them 🌱

Life comes with a lot of transitions. Some we plan for, some we don’t.

For the sake of today’s conversation, let’s talk about one most of us will experience at some point: starting a new job.

New jobs are exciting—but they can also be uncomfortable. New people. New expectations. New systems. And suddenly, things you used to do without thinking require a whole lot of brainpower again.

Here are 5 things I recommend focusing on during that transition:

1. Bring in your community. 🤝
Lean on the people closest to you, and if you have a mentor—use them! A great mentor can help with goal setting, navigating uncomfortable learning curves, and creating a safe place to ask every question. There are no dumb questions when you’re learning something new.

2. Take care of your health. 💧
Your brain is working overtime right now. Water. Vitamins. Good food. Sleep. Movement. Give your body what it needs to keep up with everything your mind is absorbing.

3. Do something that makes you feel GOOD. 👔
Maybe it’s a new professional outfit, a haircut, new shoes, or something small that makes you stand a little taller. Confidence matters when you’re walking into a brand-new space.

4. Become a student again. 📚
YouTube. Podcasts. Articles. Books. Learn everything you can about the industry, company, position, and skills you’re stepping into. Curiosity can shorten a learning curve tremendously.

5. Give yourself permission to be NEW. ❤️
You are not supposed to know everything on day one. Ask questions. Take notes. Make mistakes. Listen. Be coachable. Give yourself some grace while you build your confidence and competence.

Career transitions aren’t just about learning a new job. They’re about taking care of the person who is learning it.

08/12/2026

In honor of Day One of Tony Robbins’ Business Mastery today… 🔥

I’ve taken Business Mastery before, and I walked away from that experience with incredible takeaways, pages and pages of notes, new ideas, strategies, and that feeling you get when your brain has been completely stretched.

Seeing Day One happening today inspired me to pull those materials back out.

And WOW. 🤯

I forgot how powerful an immersive experience can be.

But what surprised me most wasn’t how much I had forgotten.

It was how much of it means something different to me now.

I’m in a different season of business. I’ve had more wins, more failures, more uncomfortable conversations, more leadership experience, and a lot more perspective.

Lessons I heard one way then, I hear completely differently today.

It reminded me why immersive experiences are so valuable.

When you remove yourself from your normal routine and spend concentrated time learning, thinking, questioning, and being surrounded by people who are doing the same thing — something shifts.

And you may not even use everything you learn immediately.

Sometimes you carry a lesson with you until you have the experience necessary to truly understand it.

That might be my biggest takeaway from revisiting Business Mastery:

📚 Keep learning.
🧠 Revisit what you’ve already learned.
✨ Invest in experiences that challenge the way you think.
🌱 And remember that an old lesson can become a completely new one when you’ve changed.

I think I’ll be digging through these notes for a while. 😊

Have you ever gone back to a book, course, conference, or training years later and realized it hit completely differently the second time?

08/11/2026

🏔️ Colorado Spotlight is here!

I’m currently partnering with several hospitality brands across Colorado on leadership opportunities, including:

• FOH Managers
• General Managers
• Sous Chefs
• Kitchen Managers & Chef Leadership

Competitive compensation, strong cultures, and exciting growth opportunities throughout the state.

📩 If you’re considering your next move—or know someone who is—let’s connect.

Salary ranges listed are based on experience.

08/10/2026

I had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants this weekend and it reminded me of something about recruiting.

I went in by myself, had a quiet lunch, put my phone down, and just enjoyed being present.

And I watched.

The service touches were high-level. Professional without feeling scripted. Personable without being overdone. The team seemed genuinely engaged. You could feel the culture in the room.

And so much of that comes back to leadership.

The GM here is GOOD. You can feel his commitment to his team, his restaurant, and the experience they’re creating.

Which brings me to a funny recruiter confession:

I will never recruit this GM. 😂

Is that a bad recruiter decision?

I actually think it’s the opposite.

Part of being a recruiter is knowing when someone is exactly where they’re supposed to be. He seems invested, connected and proud of what he’s building. Why would I try to disrupt that?

Now, if he ever called me and said, “Vanessa, I’m ready,” that’s different.

I’d help him in a heartbeat.

Because then I would know he’s ready — not that I convinced him to be.

Sometimes recruiting isn’t about pulling great people out of great places.

Sometimes it’s recognizing when someone is thriving and simply respecting it.

And selfishly… I really don’t want this restaurant to change. 😂

Places like this always ground me back into the industry I love. ❤️

08/05/2026