Going for a job interview can make most people nervous and say the wrong things.....but you'd think most people trying to get work in a gym would be full of confidence and charm...WRONG!

I thought I'd share with you some of my experiences as a Fitness Manager and Training Director interviewing people for jobs. The idea came just this week, when I had quite possibly the worst candidate interview for a position.

*Names have been omitted, and all were for fitness related jobs

10th Place

He arrived all in white (who wears all white clothes?) with a cap on and smelling of smoke. Aside from that, his teeth were of a distinctly yellow/grey tint that actually went well with the white clothes. Was that shallow of me? Gym members would have thought the same thing.

9th Place

He looked very smart, in a suit, recently cut hair...promising. Then the interview started and it went wrong. He had gum in his mouth. GUM! All I could think about were cows chewing grass and a lack of respect for the occasion...NEXT.

8th Place

She said all the right things on the phone and her CV was good. I gave her directions and confirmation call the day before. On the interview day she got lost and showed up over 1 HOUR late. I was a busy man so decided to give her a speed date-style 2 minute interview. She didn't get the job.

7th Place

Let's face it; flirting when done with finesse is a good way to get bonus points during an interview! However on this one occasion, it left me feeling dirty. A young lady coming from the hotel industry looked the part, well dressed and spoke clearly with confidence. On introducing myself, I was forced to endure the most awkward handshake of my career. During the clasping phase of the shake she decided to stroke my fingers with her thumb, then as she slide down my hand, added a middle finger massage to my palm. Now I'm no prude, but I feared for the elderly gentlemen!

6th Place

My only interviewee walk out, happened a couple of years ago. She wasn't particularly suited to the role, but I always give people the opportunity to change my mind. She didn't think she could so walked out mid-way through! If you think an interview isn't going well, you are probably right.

5th Place

For most of the interviews I conducted, I expected candidates to show me a practical demonstration of what they could do. I never told them this beforehand, so I could see how they react and what they know. On one occasion this totally confused a guy (why he was confused, I'll never know...it was a gym based job!). He forgot how to do a squat, and informed me that to exercise my biceps I can do dips!

4th Place

He was confident and had more fitness qualifications than me, but had an obsession with Chek and Poliquin. I have no problem with their (Chek/Poliquin) methods of exercise but, he sounded like a sect member who would gather worshippers to the Chek/Poliquin 'cult'.

3rd Place

An interview is designed to find out the suitability of the candidate for the role. A simple question is "What do you like about.......(the job role)? I had a lady once say "I'm not really interested in personal training, I want to work in the police force". I think she was in the wrong place!

2nd Place

Second place goes to the man who tried to make me feel guilty. Claiming (maybe it was true) that his kids were struggling at school, and his wife was threatening divorce because their dad/husband was out of work, was not the way to get a job. It didn't work.

1st Place

A classic question you should expect to be asked is "What are your main strengths and weaknesses?" Just this week a young man said this about his weaknesses: lack of enthusiasm, working with people, shyness and time management. His one strength was 'computers'. Unbelievable but true. Jobseekers allowance will have to do for him for a long time.

Simon Bubb © 2010