Hi Everyone,
I am so excited about this opportunity and have a good profile I think with pics and references. I applied for 8 different sitting opportunities and had strange results. Please let me know if it is normal for the householders to ask for a video call but never follow through. I gave my number to a few enthusiastic pet owners but was ghosted. This means all I got after days of checking my inbox every few hours, was a declined message. No explanation. I have been declined 8 times and not sure why. I’ll keep trying but wondering if everyone goes through this. Thanks!
Hello, @kathy99 I would like to wish you a warm welcome to TrustedHousesitters and the forum community. Here you can connect with members who can help give you advice on starting your housesitting adventures.
You can also use the spyglass to search for topics and previous questions.
It would be helpful for you to add your TrustedHousesitters sitters profile to your forum profile so that other members can view it and give you feedback and tips.
Here is how:
I am sorry to hear that owners have either not got back to you or declined your application. I know this can be disheartening. It took me a few applications as well to get my first sit and I decided to try local and last-minute ones to help out and get my first review.
I am sure that there will be lots of helpful advice from other community members. Where are you looking to sit?
Best wishes Carla.
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Hi Kathy
You are able to link to your housesitting profile in your forum profile…not sure how to do that. But you can find instructions somewhere here or someone who responds here will probably give that info, likely a moderator. People can read it and give some feedback that might be helpful for you. I have seen some pretty bad profiles–not suggesting yours must be, but my point is, getting some feedback won’t hurt.
Without seeing your profile, the messages you sent to owners, the types of sits you applied for,etc…it would be hard to give any definitive answer.
There are a few different things that could be happening but ultimately, you can’t know for sure and everything is basically an assumption.
Not sure if all these instances resulted in a decline message, but in any case where there wasn’t, it is possible they got busy and just didn’t get back to you about actually scheduling something yet. Whether you want to wait on them is up to you.
Some owners might start talking with applicants right away, and in some cases, they may begin communicating with someone who may be a good fit, but then more applicants come in that may seem like a better one, so then they don’t continue on with the original person.
Some owners just prefer people with experience and reviews on the site–don’t let this discourage you though. There are plenty of people who will happily offer a first timer an opportunity. It’s cliche but everyone has to start somewhere. My first sit was 4 months in Fiji so not too bad. While just a few listings is surely not indicative of any big trend, I have noticed several lately that specifically state they have recently had bad experiences with sitters and will only consider people with at least several reviews. Again, don’t let this discourage you.
Some owners will reply personally with a decline while some won’t. Some will respond very quickly, some will not read messages for a week or more. The key is not getting too attached to any one assignment or taking any of this personally. For some of the less desirable behaviors of the HO, I think many don’t have bad intentions in their behavior, they just don’t realize how it is being received.
You never really know what an owner is looking for, what makes them connect with an applicant. They may be strictly interested in experience; they have have a similar hobby or job as the sitter and that makes them appealing; maybe the sitter has a really good reason to be in the area, like an event or visiting family; maybe they like picking people who are local or will already be in the area prior. In most cases, it isn’t really rejecting people, it is more about choosing the person that is the best fit.
Applying to sits near you to gain some experience can be helpful–you can offer to meet the owner beforehand. Looking at last minute sits too can be helpful.
Good luck!
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As has already been suggested it’s a good idea to link your profile here so we can have a read and see if we think it could be improved upon.
Also, it’s worth searching in the search box in the top right hand corner to see if your question has been asked before. Here’s a similar question with responses that may assist:
Don’t give up, you’ll get that first sit then you’re away!
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Hi @kathy99,
I just wanted to say I had a peak at your profile and I think it looks great! Really good photos of you with pets and doing what you love. I am sure other members would have some other really helpful tips to help it pop to homeowners…but i just wanted to say…YOUR DAUGHTER IS GOING TO THE OLYMPICS!!! 
Congrats mama! that is amazing and I really REALLY hope you get a sit during that time so you can be there to support her! I’ll keep my eye out if I see anything because you just have to be there one way or another.
As for the getting ghosted thing try not to let it get to you. Persistence will pay off just keep applying and keep going you’ll get your first sit before you know it!
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Thank you so much! I feel better.
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Welcome @kathy99 - Don’t lose hope. Getting ignored still happens to us, and we are on our 32nd sit! But it definitely becomes less and less, as you learn to navigate and pick suitable housesits (if you get a chance with the 5 limit!). I guess our tolerance has been honed a bit: if a home owner doesn’t respond to our application in a timely or friendly manner, then we move on to the next one who does. End of story. They are missing out on a great sitter. You will find suitable matches.
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Hello @kathy99 and welcome to the Community Forum 
As @botvot says, please don’t give up hope! and as @Carla mentioned it would be great if you could add your TrustedHousesitters profile on to your Forum profile by following the attached link and then other members can view it and help to give you tips and feedback.
Whereabouts are you hoping to sit?
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Welcome, @kathy99!
I would definitely follow the suggestion of @Carla and @Samox24 and link to your sitter profile. It will provide context for other members to give you feedback. Every situation and sitter is different.
The short answer is that 8+ declines to start out is not uncommon. But if you share your profile and more about your sitting goals, people can give you more targeted help. I was lucky getting my first sit, but I live in the countryside. If I’d been trying for NYC, I might still be trying … lol.
And yes, people have reported here that sometimes PPs just drop the thread and never get back to them. And vice versa.
Keep trying! –Geoff
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Yes, everyone goes through this!
Unfortunately, rejection and getting ghosted is part of the deal. You just do your best to let it go, and keep trying.
A lot of flexibility is required of us, as sitters!
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