Over the next several blogs, we will cover the topic of managing the employee life-cycle. The fact that there is an employee lifecycle is often overlooked, yet is an important element of being a good. employer and ultimately translates to how your customers and members experience your business.
The employee lifecycle starts with Attraction and Recruiting and goes to the stages of Onboarding, Professional Development & Performance Management, and then either Promotional Readiness, or Exit/Off boarding.
Stay tuned across the next several weeks as we cover each stage of the employee lifecycle.
In the increasingly competitive world of climbing gyms, success hinges on more than just state-of-the-art walls and challenging routes. Your team is the heart of your business—from route setters and instructors to front-desk staff and management. Attracting and retaining top talent while fostering a high-performance culture ensures your gym stands out in an increasingly crowded market. Here are some proven recruiting practices I've iterated on and implemented with success
Define Your Brand, Your Culture and Your Values
Your gym’s culture is not just your brand. Culture = Values + Behavior, and this means your gym's culture is your brand, how you show up in the world and in the local market place, how you treat employees and customers and more. Are you known for inclusivity, a focus on climbing excellence, or being a family-friendly environment? Clearly define and communicate your core values in job descriptions, interviews, and throughout your hiring process. Better yet, don't just communicate them, make sure you entire attraction and recruiting process is guided by your values. The process itself should communicate the type of organization and culture you are without ever having to state your values out loud. This attracts candidates who align with your mission, reducing turnover and creating a cohesive team.
Tip: Work collaboratively with your HR team and hiring managers to design the recruiting process and then ask, "does this process showcase and align to our values?"
Craft Compelling Job Descriptions
Creating a job description that stands out is both an art and a science. Start by clearly defining the role and its responsibilities while emphasizing what makes your gym unique. Generic job postings won’t cut it. Highlight the unique aspects of working at your gym, such as opportunities for professional growth, flexible schedules, and staff perks like free climbing memberships or gear discounts. Use language that reflects your culture—enthusiastic, professional, or fun—to attract the right personalities.
When listing qualifications, differentiate between must-haves (e.g., first aid certification) and nice-to-haves (e.g., familiarity with climbing gym operations). This encourages a diverse range of applicants to apply without feeling intimidated by an overly rigid list of requirements. Here are a few other important considerations:
Don't look for a unicorn, you won't find them. A job description that is three pages long looking for every possible quality will only result in few people applying.
Make the compensation clear and up front. Not only is this now required in many states, it wastes a lot less time in the recruiting and interviewing process. If you're hesitant to post the rates for the job....there's probably a reason.
Posting Locations: To reach the right candidates, post your openings in places where climbers and climbing enthusiasts gather. Consider: Your gym’s website and social media platforms. Local climbing forums, Reddit threads, or Facebook groups. Job boards like Indeed, specialized outdoor industry boards, or even your gym’s physical bulletin board.Partnerships with outdoor shops, universities, or climbing organizations to extend your reach.
An effective job description, combined with strategic posting, ensures you attract candidates who are not only skilled but also excited about being part of your gym’s community.
DEI Tip: If you want attract diverse talent, avoid using gendered pronouns in your job descriptions, and instead of saying "5 years of experience managing a route-setting team", say "demonstrated success managing a route setting team".
Leverage Your Climbing Community
Climbing gyms are often hubs of passionate climbers. Tap into this network by:
Offering referral bonuses for current employees or members who recommend hires.
Posting job openings on your gym’s bulletin board, social media, and community forums.
Partnering with local outdoor shops or climbing organizations for broader outreach.
Referrals from within your community are more likely to yield candidates who understand your culture and have relevant experience.
Look Outside of Climbing: On the flip side of leveraging the climbing community, don't box yourself in and therefor good talent out by only looking at "climbers". Not only will this create a DEI issue but you could be missing out on candidates that could take your business to the next level. Some of the absolute best people I have ever hired had little or zero climbing experience before working in my climbing gyms.
Assess More Than Climbing Skills & Experience
While technical skills like belaying or route setting are important, this is only true for a limited number of roles in your climbing gym. For example, your General Manager does not need to know how to belay to effectively lead your team and run the business. And besides, you can teach them how to belay and all about climbing. This is probably the #1 mistake gym operators make: only looking at people with intimate understanding of climbing and climbing gyms. The best GM I ever hired, who lead their team to success over and over, beating every budget goal and maintaining the highest level of employee and customer satisfaction came from another industry and had never climbed in their life. Here are some things that matter more and are harder to teach than climbing knowledge:
Empathetic and clear communication
Work ethic
Leadership skills
Critical Thinking and Responsibility
Interviewing Tip: Use behavioral interview questions to gauge how candidates handle real-world scenarios. For example, ask, “Tell me about a time you had to align a team to a new initiative: what was approach, what were your actions and what was the result?” or “How would you engage a first-time climber who feels intimidated?”
Streamline Your Hiring Process
Top talent won’t wait long for an offer. Ensure your hiring process is efficient, transparent, and engaging:
Limit the process to 2-3 stages, such as an initial interview, skills assessment (like a route-setting demo), and final interview.
Communicate timelines clearly to candidates - At the end of each stage they should be told what happens next and when
Provide feedback, even to those who aren’t selected, to leave a positive impression.
Recruiting is Customer Service
Recruiting top talent for your climbing gym requires intention and effort. By defining your culture, crafting appealing job postings, leveraging your community, and designing a values-driven approach to the hiring process that is clear and efficient, you can create a team that not only performs well but also elevates the member experience. Remember, every hire is an opportunity to strengthen your gym’s culture and reputation—so choose wisely and invest in your team’s success.
Rise Above has spend decades leading HR teams, building recruiting processes and driving cultural success. Need help? Book a free session below
Kommentare