What do you wear to a fitness interview? It’s a question I hear a lot and not just from new graduates.

I interview around 20-30 fitness professionals a month. Count that up over the past 2 ½ years and that’s over a 1000 people that I’ve met about working in the fitness industry. Let’s not even get into how many people I’ve interviewed as a hiring manager at a gym.

When I meet each candidate, I’m usually less interested in his or her C.V. and more interested in how they present themselves. Are they friendly? Do they have good eye contact? Do they look professional? In my experience that last one can be a shocker.

I’ve met candidates in suits, shorts and jandals, PT gear and everything in between. I understand that it can be confusing to know what to wear to a fitness interview. You might not know if there will be a practical component to the interview and what the dress code is at the workplace. I remember having the same problem for my very first interview for a role as a fitness instructor.

More than 10 years later I’ve come up with the perfect answer to the problem:

Call the interviewer.

I know! It’s so simple, it usually works. If you call the employer, ask what the interview format will be and what dress is appropriate you’ve already made a great impression. You’ve shown that you can see a problem, work to find a solution and been proactive enough to call the person who can give you the answer.

On the few occasions that I get these calls, the candidate already has a tick in the ‘good’ box before I even meet them.  Add this to a confident hand shake, good eye contact and friendly demeanor and I know I’ve got a great candidate to work with.

Of course, sometimes you can’t get in contact with the interviewer. If this happens, err on the side of caution, dress casually smart; no suits, no jeans, just somewhere in between. If you think there’s a chance of a practical component to the interview, take some gym gear with you and leave it in the car. Use the Scouts motto and ‘be prepared’.

Looking back on your own experience, what advice would you give someone going for their first fitness interview?