You’ve worked hard to get where you are now—lean and mean with a newly acquired fitness teacher certification—and you’re ready to launch a rewarding new profession.
Although physical fitness is a plus when applying for the position of fitness teacher, this is not the only factor in ensuring your success in the interview.
Even though practicing for fitness instructor job interview questions isn’t quite the same as lifting weights to build calf muscles, it’s still important to be well-versed on the questions you’ll be asked and have ready responses.
So, suit up and get your heart racing with the best responses as we go through the most common fitness instructor job interview questions and answers to help you ace that all-important fitness teacher job interview!
1. “What made you want to become a personal trainer?”
A successful first impression is essential in every interview, and how you respond to this sort of question will rely heavily on how much information you are ready to provide about yourself.
Some of the best fitness instructors in the business can empathize with the many customers they train and work with because they, too, have had to face and conquer personal demons on the path to physical fitness and health.
Highlight your challenges in becoming a fitness trainer, if any. Answer with self-assurance and enthusiasm, and provide an interesting fact about your background that will set you apart from the other candidates.
2. “Please describe your experience with customer service.”
Helping customers navigate the gym and providing advice is part of a fitness instructor’s everyday routine.
Give concrete instances of your past customer service successes to support your claims. You may include examples from any customer-facing position, not just those in the fitness industry. Meanwhile, if you’re searching for your first job, it’s a good idea to think of times when you assisted friends and family and showed strong communication and an awareness of others’ needs.
3. “Tell me about our business.”
Again, a popular interview question, but the answer can vary significantly based on the organization to which you’re applying. What type of fitness teacher you want to be and what kind of exercise you want to specialize in will determine the type of gym you would like to find employment for since various gyms offer different training.
Are you interested in working in a weightlifting gym where you can focus on helping customers bulk up? Alternatively, you may select a gym that only serves women to promote gender equality. Which sort of fitness center you’re interested in working at will give you a good idea of how to respond to this question.
4. “How do you stay up-to-date on fitness information?”
Keeping up with the newest fitness trends is crucial if you want to make a name for yourself as a fitness trainer since new fitness and working out techniques are constantly being invented. You might use this question to show the recruiter that fitness is more than just a profession to you.
Involving on social media and following what online health experts advocate is a beautiful way to stay up with the latest fitness approaches. Highlighting your social media knowledge is a smart way to demonstrate that you keep your thumb on the physical fitness pulse.
5. “What are your views on a vegetarian diet?”
Avoiding meat and dairy items have been more common among health-conscious people in recent years, leading to a rise in the number of vegans.
Many health-conscious gym-goers, inspired by vegan lifestyle experts and fitness instructors, have switched to meat alternatives to maintain a nutritious diet while retaining nutrients like those contained in fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.
You might not even follow a vegan diet or support it in your workouts, but you should learn about vegan options since you will inevitably deal with vegan customers. Be polite and avoid offending others no matter how you feel about veganism. On an important note, your interviewer may be a vegan.
6. “Explain the hallmarks of a productive training session.”
To a significant extent, your customers’ goals will determine how you measure success.
Is your customer trying to shed some of that pesky tummy fat? Or maybe you’re teaming up with someone who would want to seem lean and muscular in time for summer.
Give a specific demonstration of a client you’ve trained with, and explain how you helped that client get from their objective to the end result. Detail your philosophy on private lessons and the strategies you use to ensure the success of each session.
7. “What do you do to keep your customers interested and enthusiastic?”
Since many people don’t see exercise as enjoyable, fitness instructors are crucial in keeping their clients motivated to push through the pain in pursuit of their fitness objectives. Many fitness instructors want to add their unique method into their lessons, so how you respond to this question will likely reflect your training philosophy and temperament.
An essential part of being a fitness trainer is selling oneself to customers who may be wary of trying out the treadmill or lifting weights for the first time because of their anxieties or fears.
Think of creative methods to keep customers motivated, and use them as examples to sell your persona and your way of training.
8. “Have you earned any credentials in this field?”
One must have a valid certification to work as a fitness trainer. The specific credentials you’ll need to become a certified fitness trainer vary widely among regions and countries. In most situations, you must have completed a certification course, which may take less than three months.
Carry documentation of any certifications you have acquired for your interview, and be well-prepared.
9. “What’s your track record in terms of sales?”
While many personal trainers’ primary motivation is to see their customers succeed in their fitness objectives, their primary responsibility is to make sales. When working at a health club or similar facility, staff have the additional burden of bringing in new members and keeping them as paying members for the duration of their employment.
During this portion of the interview, you should be prepared to discuss and show your sales approach and the strategies you utilize to win over new customers.
10. “What makes you an excellent fitness trainer?”
To succeed in this field, you must set yourself apart from the competition by providing a product or service that no one else is providing. Consider what sets you apart from other fitness instructors and the things you can provide that the other candidates can’t.
Give a brief overview of your background and experience. Focus on the moments when you went above and beyond for a client.
Preparing for fitness instructor job interview questions is analogous to the time spent preparing for a rigorous exercise. However, you may not lose any calories being grilled by an interviewer; you are bound to feel the effects of the exertion. You should do well if you practice answering possible interview questions with a buddy.
