Every September, the air cools, the leaves drop, and lights shine bright over football stadiums across the country. But this time of year isn’t just for tailgates and pumpkin spice lattes, it’s hiring season. Sandwiched between the lazy days of summer and the hectic weeks of the holidays, September through October is traditionally a busy staffing period you can’t afford to let slip past.
With the January rush only a few short months away, now is a critical time to staff your club’s team. The run-up to the New Year is an important opportunity for new staffers to learn their roles and met the wave of January 1st signups head-on. Here are seven critical hiring stats to give you insights into the state of staffing.
1. The Industry is Growing
Uncle Sam forecasts a bright future for the fitness industry. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 13% growth rate for the personal training and instructor field by 2028. Compared to the national average, that’s a highly accelerated growth rate. Investing in a quality training staff now can keep you competitive and profitable as your field of competitors continues to grow.
2. Hiring Isn’t Cheap
It takes money to make money, or perhaps more specifically here, it takes money to hire someone to make you more money. SHRM finds on average, it costs $4,129 to hire one employee in the United States. This price tag is just one of the many reasons it’s important to hire the right person the first time. Once you have a great team member in place, it will be well worth the money.
3. It’s a Candidate-driven Market
In a nearly fully-employed economy, applicants can be choosy and put off accepting an offer until the right fitness business comes knocking. Glassdoor reports 69% of job-seekers will turn down an offer if a company has a bad reputation. If your club has a negative rep thanks to dissatisfied former employees, strive to address these issues or you’ll lose your best candidates to your competitors.
4. Competition for Talent is Fierce
The talent pool is currently shallow thanks to low unemployment. The National Federation of Independent Business estimates 45% of small businesses found too few or no qualified applicants for job openings. If your job posting doesn’t immediately draw dozens of qualified resumes, don’t get discouraged. You may have to play more of a waiting game than you’re used to this year.
5. Ask Your Employees for Referrals
How do you find that MVP employee who consistently goes above and beyond? LinkedIn reports 48% of businesses credit employee referrals for their quality hires. Leverage your staff members’ natural networking abilities to identify great professional talent. You’ll likely land an awesome new team member and reduce the time and cost of your hiring process.
6. Keep Qualified Resumes
While we hope every hire will work out for the best, sometimes it just isn’t a good fit. BambooHR finds 22% of turnovers happen within the first 45 days. It’s best practice to keep strong resumes on file. You can pull from this backup file in a time of need and prevent your club from the pains of being short-staffed.
7. Underperforming Players Hurt Your Whole Team
Mistakes happen, especially in hiring. Resumes and in-person interviews can only tell you so much. Unfortunately, when the wrong person gets the job, the costs go beyond dollars. Monster.com finds 34% of business owners estimate wasting over 50 hours of time on their most recent wrong hire. If it feels like waiting to fill a position is a waste of time, consider how much more time you’ll lose training the wrong person.
For more hiring tips and strategies, download our free Crush The Rush e-book to prepare for January now, not later!
