How to hire a fitness specialist

How to hire a fitness specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step fitness specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a fitness specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new fitness specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a fitness specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your fitness specialist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a fitness specialist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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   Hiring the perfect fitness specialist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents fitness specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Fitness Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Fitness Specialist	Fitness trainers and instructors lead, instruct, and motivate individuals or groups in exercise activities, including cardiovascular exercises (exercises for the heart and blood circulation), strength training, and stretching. They work with people of all ages and skill levels.	$11-20
   Certified Personal Trainer	A Certified Personal Trainer is a person who will guide, help, and motivate you to move forward and become successful. Anyone with a mastery of a specific subject can become a personal trainer; however, certification is given only by accredited organizations that can offer licensure or certification programs... Show more	$10-22
   Manager/Personal Trainer	A manager/personal trainer performs fitness training, human resource management, and sales in a single job role. First-aid certification is one of the main requirements for the role... Show more	$18-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPR
   • Fitness Assessments
   • ACSM
   • Sales Floor
   • Blood Pressure
   • Customer Service
   • Patients
   • Rehabilitation
   • Incentive Programs
   • Fitness Programs
   • Health Promotion
   • Fitness Equipment
   • Front Desk
   • Training Sessions

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
   • Lead group strength training exercises, conduct vitals, and monitor EKG telemetry before during and after exercise.
   • Conduct CPR and a workshops for facility.
   • Water safety, CPR, and a certified.
   • Maintain cleanliness of exercise equipment.
   • Maintain cleanliness and safety protocol of fitness equipment.

   More fitness specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your fitness specialist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A fitness specialist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, fitness specialists' average salary in ohio is 53% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level fitness specialists earn 43% less than senior-level fitness specialists.
   • Certifications. A fitness specialist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a fitness specialist's salary.

   Average fitness specialist salary

   $15.61hourly

   $32,472 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level fitness specialist salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average fitness specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$43,087	$21
   2	Connecticut	$37,361	$18
   3	Washington	$36,929	$18
   4	Maryland	$35,914	$17
   5	New York	$35,212	$17
   6	Colorado	$35,000	$17
   7	Massachusetts	$34,470	$17
   8	New Hampshire	$34,422	$17
   9	District of Columbia	$34,338	$17
   10	Texas	$33,779	$16
   11	Illinois	$33,554	$16
   12	Arizona	$32,543	$16
   13	Minnesota	$32,365	$16
   14	New Jersey	$31,368	$15
   15	North Carolina	$30,938	$15
   16	Virginia	$30,410	$15
   17	Florida	$29,114	$14
   18	Alabama	$28,915	$14
   19	Wisconsin	$28,028	$13
   20	Pennsylvania	$27,338	$13

   Average fitness specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University Settlement	$40,416	$19.43
   2	Erickson Senior Living	$35,938	$17.28	2
   3	Dana Incorporated	$35,820	$17.22
   4	East Alabama Health	$34,985	$16.82
   5	Transforming Age	$34,874	$16.77	2
   6	Indian Health Service	$34,828	$16.74
   7	WakeMed	$34,721	$16.69
   8	Cenergy International Services	$34,526	$16.60
   9	Approved Cash	$34,432	$16.55	28
   10	Xponential Fitness	$34,401	$16.54	16
   11	A Snail’s Pace Running Shop	$34,357	$16.52
   12	Corporate Fitness Works	$34,269	$16.48
   13	Senior Living Communities	$34,110	$16.40
   14	Evergreen Woods	$34,063	$16.38
   15	Beacon Health Options	$33,959	$16.33	2
   16	Chesapeake Regional Healthcare	$33,892	$16.29
   17	Dover	$33,431	$16.07
   18	Pacer	$33,381	$16.05
   19	Stars and Stripes	$33,196	$15.96
   20	Simplex Healthcare	$33,118	$15.92

4. Writing a fitness specialist job description

   A fitness specialist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a fitness specialist job description:

   Fitness specialist job description example

   A Fit Specialist will advance the Pacers Running mission, vision and strategies in our retail stores and provide day-to-day customer service excellence. The Fit Specialist will seek to enhance the customer experience and serve location customers through a high level of service, empathy, and store awareness. The Fit Specialist must be customer-service oriented.
   
   This position is responsible for front of house appearances including customer service, cleanliness, restocking. The Fit Specialist is also responsible for back of house appearances including organization of the stock room, hold shelf, and the transfer shelf.
   
   The Manager entrusts this person to properly fit all customers with little to no oversight, and trusts them to follow the gait analysis process (which will be taught during training). The Manager entrusts this person to give the best quality of customer service, and to make sure the sales floor is attended at all times, and looks neat and orderly.
   Qualifications Skills Including but not limited to: Should have strong communication skills Must be able to work effectively as a team Must be comfortable in fast-paced environment
   Expectations Must be available on weekends and holidays Should have a passion for at least one of the following: running, walking, fitness, the outdoors.
   Pillars of Responsibility
   Customer Engagement Celebrate the accomplishment of all runners. Help as many people as we can through running Set a high tone of customer service on the sales floor (energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge) Be able to fit customers using the Pacers Fit Process, understand the point of each phase of the process and be able to relate the process back to the customer clearly. Learn enough about the products we sell to answer any questions from customers Maintain a high level of store awareness (who is in the store, who needs help, what needs to be done, who needs help at the register) Be able to accurately and efficiently ring up customers (or take returns) at the register Correctly record customer special orders when necessary Correctly record inter-store transfer information on transfer sheet Be able to quickly and efficiently perform an inventory count or search for a manager or customer
   Front of House Maintain a clean store on a daily basis (sweep, mop, dust, windows, trash, vacuum) Re-hang and organize apparel in size order Maintain a consistent level of inventory on the floor from day to day (re-stocking product)
   Back of House Management Maintain an orderly and clean stockroom Organize backstock items like socks and extra apparel Process online orders in a timely manner
   Available shifts and compensation: We have available shifts all days of the week. Compensation depends on your experience. About Pacers Running: Pacers Running is looking for an individual to join our team. Our ideal candidate is self-driven, motivated and trustworthy.
   By applying to this job, you agree to receive periodic text messages from this employer and Homebase about your pending job application. Opt out anytime. Msg & data rates may apply.
   
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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find fitness specialists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your fitness specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit fitness specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting fitness specialists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new fitness specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect fitness specialist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new fitness specialist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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