Seek Out Special Skills
Look for job candidates who have already demonstrated leadership skills.
Experience is good to have in any field, so you should look for people who have it. But go beyond just looking for anyone who's worked in a fitness center before. Look out for applicants who have run a weekly yoga class or spin class, for example. Even if you aren't planning on holding classes right now, you might want to in the future, and having someone on hand who has done it before will be helpful. Furthermore, when you choose to hire people who were leaders in their previous positions, you can feel confident that they'll take initiative and assume leadership roles while working for you.
Spell Out What You're Looking For
Developing a job description that spells out exactly what you're looking for in an employee is a vital part of attracting applicants who qualify for the job. If you're too vague, you'll end up wasting time interviewing people who aren't right for the job.
In order to write a great job description, you need to know exactly what it is that you're looking for. If you're looking to expand your staff or replace an employee that's leaving, take a good look at your current staff to see what makes them great at their jobs. Is it their people skills? Their energy? Their knowledge on fitness-related topics, like nutrition and supplements? Whatever is making your current employees effective is something that you'll want to look for in new employees.
Consider Team Interviews
Bring your best employees into the interview process.
Instead of conducting new hire interviews alone or having an HR employee do it, consider conducting team interviews with some of your top current employees. There are a few reasons why this is a good idea. Fitness center work is inherently social - your employees are going to be working with people every day. This will give you a chance to see how the candidate reacts to a group of people they don't know. Someone who's painfully shy when confronted with a group of strangers is probably not going to be an effective fitness center employee, no matter how fit or knowledgeable they are.
This will also give you a chance to see how the candidate meshes with the team that you already have in place. Your current employees may have questions for the candidate or input on their performance in the interview that you never would have thought of. Since they're the ones who are going to have to work closely with the next person that you hire, that input is valuable.
Hiring is one of the most important aspects of running a successful fitness center, so it's important to get it right. If you're looking for expert advice and assistance when it comes to building a great fitness center, contact us for more information.
