Getting Your FIRST Sit

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
6

Welcome, @KatieBurch!

Totally agree with the others, including @Smiley; I like how she follows “teach a sitter to fish…” :grin:. But I’ll comment more just for fun:

  • It looks like you tried to put your profile link in the post? Per guidelines, the mods don’t allow that. We just roll with it and put the link in our profiles, which I see you’ve done nicely! I used to worry that a new person’s profile link isn’t clickable, but that’s temporary. For more details, I made a detailed reply here: Bit of Advice Needed First Time Owner Looking for Sit in Near Future - #24 by geoff.hom
  • To get your first sit, I’d focus on local, short. I suppose short doesn’t necessarily matter, but some people want to sit only as travel. Rather, think of the first sit as training, or a staycation, whatever will motivate you to find one and try your best. As you’re local, when you apply, you can offer to visit in person beforehand.
  • To really up your game, search for other sitters and check out their profiles. You’ll find some similarities amongst the top ones, and/or some new ideas will speak to you. This includes photos, headline, references, and of course the description. And photo captions, though I never see those because I use the website (vs the app).
  • Oh yeah, keep in mind the differences of the app vs the website. Or at a bare minimum, check out your own profile on the app vs the website. I personally use the website more because I like typing and it’s more stable (than the Android app, at least).
  • Think of this as a stepwise process: 1) find a local sit (or sits) you think you can do and want to do → 2) apply → 3) converse with the HOs/PPs, via any platform/etc. → 4) get confirmed → 5) confirm → etc. The important point here is that 2) gets you to 3); it doesn’t have to get you to 4), though it may.
  • If you’ve done most of what you can to your profile/search and still want more help, just ask here! People are happy to give advice on search/application techniques, as well as feedback on one’s profile.

Welcome to the start of a great adventure!