Common positions a fitness club is hiring for include part time and full time fitness trainers, group exercise instructors, front desk staff, sales reps, customer service reps, cleaners and administrative roles. Less common available roles, but critical to the success of the business are general manager and fitness manager roles. Wizehire provides industry-optimized job templates specifically for fitness roles that will increase your visibility and attract a larger pool of qualified candidates.

To attract qualified fitness professionals, you can promote your gym club’s employer value proposition whenever you can. These are your unique selling points, and should include what perks differentiate your business. Competitive pay isn’t enough — talk about your positive work environment, growth opportunities, and benefits. Utilize various channels, including job boards, social media platforms, and local fitness networks, to reach potential candidates. Include success stories when you can. One example could be how an employee started as a front desk associate and got promoted to a personal trainer, assistant manager, or club manager.

Develop a thorough screening process that includes reviewing resumes, conducting initial phone or video interviews, and inviting candidates for in-person interviews. Wizehire’s suite of evaluation tools can help make doing just that easy. During interviews, assess their qualifications, experience, communication skills, passion for fitness, and alignment with your gym’s core values and culture. Different roles will require their own screening and interview questions. Wizehire’s best-in-class hiring platform, coupled with our fitness fluent coaches, can help you determine and include the right screening and interview questions for your business.

Desirable skills and experience in the fitness industry may include strong knowledge of exercise techniques, ability to create personalized workout programs, experience leading group fitness classes, excellent interpersonal skills, and a passion for helping others achieve their fitness goals. For entry-level positions, you should not require experience in a health club, but applicants should have a passion for providing positive club member experiences.

Front desk staff and member services representatives should possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, be friendly and approachable, have the ability to multitask and handle customer inquiries, be knowledgeable about gym policies and offerings, and exhibit a customer-centric attitude. Use Wizehire’s exclusive DiSC+ personality assessment to identify your candidate’s work style, motivators and personal strengths and then determine if that matches the qualities you are seeking in your front desk staff or customer service representative.

To ensure alignment with your gym club’s culture and values, you need to clearly define and communicate your club’s mission, values, and expectations during the recruitment and onboarding process. Incorporate behavioral-based interview questions that assess candidates’ compatibility with your club’s culture and seek references to validate their fit. During onboarding, make it clear what kind of fitness experience you want to provide club members and how you meet and exceed them.

Implement strategies such as offering professional development opportunities, creating a positive and inclusive work environment, providing competitive compensation and benefits, recognizing and rewarding achievements, fostering open communication, and promoting work-life balance. Retention starts on day one of their onboarding. Studies show that one-third of new hires will quit before six months, and this is usually due to poor communication, unclear job roles, and poor leadership.

Conducting background checks and verifying certifications can be done through third-party screening services or by directly contacting the issuing organizations. Ensure compliance with legal requirements and seek consent from candidates before initiating background checks. Learn more about Wizehire’s integration with Checkr. We’re helping fitness clubs like yours reduce hiring bias, and run background checks straight from your Wizehire dashboard.

Effective ways to promote your job openings include utilizing online job boards, leveraging social media platforms, partnering with local fitness schools or organizations, attending fitness industry events, and encouraging employee referrals. Using Wizehire’s best-in-class hiring platform, post to 100+ job boards with one click so you reach jobseekers who are looking for work in the fitness industry. You can also choose to spend a daily or weekly budget to advertise your job posts on job boards. Before you do that, make sure you have a solid job post that’s working for you and a structured hiring process set that will attract the right applicants to your open role.

To create a positive and inclusive hiring process, ensure job descriptions and requirements are unbiased and inclusive. Implement diverse sourcing strategies, establish diverse interview panels, provide equal opportunities for all candidates, and promote diversity and inclusion in your gym club’s culture and practices.

Along with standard interview questions, consider asking situational or scenario-based questions that assess problem-solving skills, interpersonal skills, and knowledge of fitness industry trends. Additionally, practical assessments or demonstrations of relevant skills can be valuable in evaluating fitness job applicants. Our platform comes standard with interview questions for every round and Wizehire’s coaches can help you customize them if needed.

Provide comprehensive onboarding programs that include training on gym club policies, procedures, and software systems. Assign mentors or buddy systems for new hires, offer ongoing professional development opportunities, and create a supportive environment that encourages growth and success. Leverage Wizehire’s growing toolbox of onboarding solutions and support to springboard your new team member’s success from the start.

Wizehire’s coaches and our integrations with Payscale combine to provide expert insights into competitive compensation benchmarks. You should also research industry standards and consider factors such as regional market rates, experience levels, and the unique benefits of working at your gym club. Offer competitive base salaries, performance-based incentives for new membership sales roles, health and wellness benefits, employee discounts, and opportunities for career advancement.

Stay updated on fitness industry trends and innovations such as digital fitness platforms, virtual training options, wearable fitness technology, and emerging fitness training techniques. Being aware of these trends can help attract forward-thinking candidates.

Best practices for onboarding include providing a structured orientation program, assigning a mentor or buddy, setting clear expectations and goals, facilitating introductions to team members, providing necessary resources and equipment, and conducting regular check-ins to address questions and concerns.

Utilize applicant tracking systems (ATS) to streamline the recruitment process, manage candidate data, and automate communication. With Wizehire’s ATS, you can implement a standardized process, create templates for job postings and interview questions, and use scheduling tools to efficiently manage interview appointments. Technology like this will dramatically reduce your administrative tasks, especially if you have more than one fitness health club.

Yes, there are various professional networks and associations in the fitness industry. Examples include the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

Promote a positive employer brand by highlighting your gym club’s unique culture, employee success stories, community involvement, and employee benefits. Leverage social media platforms, encourage online reviews and testimonials from satisfied employees, and showcase your gym club’s positive work environment and employee satisfaction.