So, you’re hiring and from our previous article you know what you’re looking for. But, what should the process be when it comes to recruiting your next team member?

My favorite way is through Group Exercise Auditions.

Group Exercise Auditions are a great way of taking all of your group fitness applicants and putting them through a group recruitment process, this could be a full or half day depending on the number of applicants.

Each group audition often looks slightly different, however the consistent theme is that you would get all applicants to prepare a part of a class to teach, then actively participate in the others classes as they teach one at a time.

You, as the recruiter, can either take part or watch with a panel from the back of the room. Both options come with pros and cons; to participate is to feel the movement that is being coached and to watch enables more time to observe and take note. My ideal setting is to have both, someone on staff taking part and someone on the panel!

Why are they great?

I have constructed a list of all the reasons Group Exercise Auditions should be the next way you run recruitment:

• A chance to see your new recruits teach in front of an audience. 

Nothing is more awkward than a one on one practical interview. This way your recruits get to authentically teach a part of a class to real participants.

•  A way to see them coach “members”. 

Whilst they are doing this you get to observe how they coach and connect with the “members”  as well as see how they handle different abilities in the room.

• You get to see how they interact as a team. 

The observation doesn’t start and end in the classroom, you get to see how they interact with others before and after class as well. This gives a small insight as to how they might interact as a part of your team if recruited.

• A way to watch them participate.

You can observe them not just as the teacher but also as the participant. How willing are they to support others? How much effort do they put in?  How willing are they to ‘give it a go’ even if it’s not their discipline. These behaviors can say alot about a person’s character

• You get a heap of recruitment done in one day.

You get to bring a large amount of people through your doors in one go, meaning recruitment can be done and dusted just through this one single process. Who doesn’t want to save time and money?!

• You can easily showcase what you’re looking for.

Having a group recruitment process is a great opportunity to be able to formally introduce yourself as the company with everyone that has applied. You will have the chance to talk about the company and your values, as well as give clear direction as to what is going to happen on the day. This helps the recruits understand if they align with you, as well as the fact you can communicate any expectations before you begin.

Hopefully this article has given you clear reasons you should be using group recruitment as a process in your club or studio.

Article by Emma Masters