What to Wear to a Personal Training Job Interview

Sitting here just staring into cyberspace I came across a post that caught my interest on facebook. It asked the question "What should you wear to you interview as a PT?" I sort of thought that was a pretty legit question considering this really was not covered in my PT manual and looking around its not a very often discussed topic. When you think about it it's still pretty important. Here was my experience with interviewing and what I wore. Mind you, this worked for me so I can't exactly say this is the universal truth. I really can't imagine other gyms across the country would be a whole lot different.

First off, this is not your typical job interview. Not a minimum wage job nor some high end business opportunity. I've seen around that it was suggested business casual, a suit coat, nice pants, tie, etc.etc. Really that is overkill. Good pieces of advice I found originally were to dress the part. Not the part of if YOU are going in to get a lift but how would you look to train someone while at the same time still look professional. You may need to bring a change of clothes depending on the interview. I haven't run into an interview where they wanted an assessment workout the first day. Usually that is saved for the second interview. Still, bring some workout gear just in case and leave it in the car. Of course it doesn't hurt to ask ahead of time when they call.

Shirts. Something nice but sport professional is the best way I can describe this. So in other words that cut-off size too small tee from jr. high is NOT something you want to walk in with. To be honest you can't really go wrong with a sporty polo. In fact many gyms I'm seeing this is standard dress. It looks good and is still functional for the job. Underarmor has some pretty good golf polos. In fact that is what I wore was a solid black polo I picked up about a week beforehand. If you know me I am not much a golfer...at all. The shirt itself is still comfortable enough that it looks good and if I wanted I could get a workout in it. But the way I train there's no chance in hell I am wearing a $50 shirt to my gym.

What about pants? This can be a little tricky. I wouldn't exactly recommend athletic pants. If they look good then they may work but I opted for a pair of cargo khakis. Slacks or jeans just dont fit the job description. Anyone I see lifting in jeans is usually not taken too seriously while dress slacks just are not functional for the part. Looking back I think cargo khakis are a good option for physical therapists as well since at my gym the rehab guys almost always seem to be wearing that.

Shoes? Something athletic but nice. I went with a pair of 'dressy' sketchers I bought some time ago. They essentially go with any pants I choose so figured those will work well. With footwear I honestly think that anything would work as long as they look good and are not boots or loafers or something along those lines...or sandals. Thats a big NO.

As for anything else its always a good idea for any job interview to check the jewelry and be clean shaven. Have a recent haircut. Smell nice. Standard procedure there.

Just a couple other pointers. I've heard some crazy ass horror stories from interviewers and I really could not believe the crap some people say or do. Here's a decent list of DO NOT's;
-Wear clothes with mystery stains
-Forget to wipe the lunch off your mouth
-Come in drunk or wreaking of booze
-Swear like a sailor. Or trucker
-'Bro' talk doesn't fly
-Show up late
-Act disinterested
-Make demands (you CAN, however, negotiate within reason)


I may come back to this down the road and touch up some things. Once again this is what worked for me. Some facilities may be much looser on their impressions and might be looking for someone who is a little more down to earth. I've talked to a few guys that got jobs just by showing up to a workout. These are usually private or small gyms. Corporate places not so much. Other places may think that casual dress is under dressed. Frankly with how uptight and prissy gyms are getting I wouldn't want to work there anyways.