Ask the Expert: Adam Robinson on Best Hiring Practices

You have questions, we have answers. This month we spoke with Adam Robinson, the CEO and co-founder of Hireology, on best hiring practices. 

What are some of the most common hiring challenges you’re seeing? Tough competition. The fitness industry is highly competitive, with scores of different brands and types of fitness concepts all vying for the same talent, which makes it challenging when it comes to staffing locations. When our fitness customers are struggling to hire and are losing candidates to other nearby gyms, we advise them to offer a variety of employee benefits and perks, and to share them on their employment site and in job postings. This “reasons to pick us” list should also be reinforced during the interview process. For many job candidates, the company culture and perks gained working for the company are the two main deciding factors when it comes to whether or not a candidate accepts a job.

What hiring trends are impacting the fitness industry? We’ve become a more health-conscious society and the number of people who are making health and wellness a priority in life is only going to continue growing. In order to take market share away from competition, you need to focus on assembling the right team. The people you hire are your biggest asset, because they’re the ones interacting with your members and creating an environment that makes them want to keep coming back years down the road.

What are some of the best hiring processes you’ve seen among clubs? Proactively recruiting talent. This means working with local job boards, local classifieds, any contacts you have in the industry, and even reaching out to people on LinkedIn who are currently working in the industry, but might not be looking for a new job. Reaching out and speaking with passive candidates can help drive the opportunity to them and entice them to consider a new career move. This is especially important if you’re in a highly competitive job market.

Where are the greatest missed opportunities in the industry when it comes to hiring? Not using assessment tools to evaluate a candidate’s potential. Going beyond a resume and interview by testing hard skills, aptitude, personality and fit for your open position will significantly improve your pipeline and speed up the process of finding the best candidate. It’s helpful to hire personalities that match with one another to ensure a successful future for your gym.

Another missed opportunity is not having a well-defined hiring process. A structured hiring process is cost effective and will streamline how you find and qualify candidates. Plus, it can provide measurable, tangible results for your business by helping you avoid damage caused by bad hires. A successful hiring process includes four main areas: define, source, select and verify. It should start by identifying the role to be filled. Then, marketing the open position and receiving applicants, which is followed by evaluating candidates for the position and company culture. The process concludes with following up with ideal candidates to confirm the skills and information they’ve represented.