The Problem
The thrill of the hiring-hunt is very exciting. With each new resume that pings your inbox you cannot help but imagine how this new hire will positively changes your department’s DNA, and maybe even helps move the needle on your entire club culture!
But buyer beware… ambitious candidates are not always crystal clear on their experience. In an article posted to CMAA’s blog, “Resumes: Does it have to be truthful or is there a creative leeway?” you will learn that embellished responsibilities account for 38% of all lies on resumes.
Hiring is important, no doubt. In fitness, it is absolutely crucial. If a personal training business was easy to build, then the turn-over rate would not be so high. The average career (not job, but career) in personal training lasts about three years. It is a tough place to make a living, but it can be done with the right mentoring.
For every ten fitness professionals you hire, maybe one will become a top performer. That’s frustrating, certainly, because every fitness pro you hire is hired with the expectation of becoming that next top performer. But something always gets in the way—ambition, inability to connect with members, fear of failure, intimidation, competing interests, etc. At some point you realize that hiring is really, really hard. Wouldn’t it be great if you have a crystal ball and you could see a candidate’s future before making the job offer?
You sort of do…
The Solution
If you have a large enough staff then you have a top performer or two. If you have a small staff of maybe just four or five fitness pros then it is more difficult to say that the top performer among them is exemplary.
1000 Hills Fitness identified this crystal ball, and polished it off. We embarked on a six-month process to interview, analyze, and categorize the characteristics of our fitness pros. We were looking for characteristics that separated top performers from the rest with the hopes that we could someday use this guide to inform hiring decisions.
Think of all of the characteristics that you look for in a hire. Here’s a quick peek:
Curious Adventurous Balanced Scholarly
Friendly Polished Empathetic Kind
Creative Diplomatic Experienced Genuine
Agreeable Self