Hard to get my first sit. Do you have suggestions?

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

Hello all

This community was a great help in getting my Pet Parent profile looking good. Now I’m seeking my first time to be the sitter. I have applied to several and keep getting turned down. Does anyone have suggestions on how to get my first sit? I have 3 glowing external reviews including one from the volunteer coordinator of the cat rescue I fostering for. I have been applying to local sits.

Here is generally what my application letters have been like though I customize each one. I am only applying to sits with cats. Maybe you can help me improve the letter or other suggestions about an approach?

Hello

I would love to be considered to care for Kitty and your home in Summerland from October 7-11. What a handsome cat Kitty is!

As an experienced pet parent, homeowner, and long-time animal volunteer, I know how important it is to find someone reliable, attentive, and respectful so you can travel with complete peace of mind.

Why I’m a Great Fit:

Animal Care Experience: I have years of hands-on experience caring for cats of various ages, personalities, and medical needs—from high-energy pets to seniors requiring medication or extra patience.

Home Stewardship: As a homeowner myself, I understand the importance of keeping a house clean, secure, and well-maintained. I will treat your property with the utmost care and respect.

Communication & Reliability: I’m naturally tidy, quiet, and communicative. I love sending daily updates and photos so you can see how happy and relaxed your pets are while you’re away. I have a lot of potted and hanging plants myself. I would be happy to take care of yours. You can see them in my Pet Parent listing.

About Me:

I am solo sitter and a non-smoker. I love to read, watch TV or movies, take walks and go to water aerobics. I am community oriented. I foster for a local cat rescue, volunteer for my local library, and I am treasurer of my church. I am a semi-retired licensed mental health therapist. I see about 4 clients a week online which means I am mostly around to keep Kitty company and so he can stick to his routine rather than leaving him alone for long stretches.

I was born in Los Angeles and have lived in Southern California all my life so I’m familiar with your area. Since I live an hour or so away, my travel to and from your home is completely straightforward ensuring a seamless transition for you and Kitty.

While I am new to TrustedHouseSitters, I bring years of real-world experience as a homeowner, and trusted caregiver to 37 foster cats of all ages and personalities as well as 2 cats of my own. You will see I have very strong character references from people who can vouch for my extensive experience with as a foster caregiver of cats.

I would take really good care of Kitty and your home. Thank you so much for considering me!

Warmly, Eva

2

As a HO, I think what you’ve written is fine. I wonder if it’s simply because you’ve not had a sit yet? I’ve found that enthusiastic new sitters can be wonderful. Hopefully someone will ‘, take a chance’ on you soon. Good luck

3

If you can make yourself available for last minute sits or apply to sits with the “low applications “ badge you’ll improve your chances of getting that first sit.

If you have a car can you apply to more rural sits ?

We can’t see your sitter profile as it’s not been linked - do you have lots of photos of you with cats ?

4

I’d suggest your application reads a bit like a list, or excerpts from your profile. Maybe try instead to make it more personable and relaxed. This is not a job application, but a meeting of like-minded people.

It’s often been suggested on here that newbies should apply for sits which are local to them, shorter, or in locations which are not so desirable to the masses. Once you’ve got a few reviews under your belt, you’ll find it much easier to confirm the sits you really want.

5

new sitter here and was frustrated with the platform because it was very hard to get that first sit. i ended up applying for many during the off peak travel period, in a lesser known city closer to me and looked for low applications. i also offered to travel to meet in person. ultimately i got lucky with someone who is also a sitter on the platform and gave me a chance - it’s been relatively smooth sailing since

6

Are you able to offer to do a meet-and-greet visit? I think this made a big difference for my first few sits. They were all local.

7

You’ve already got great advice.

Your application is very thorough but I think it might be a bit too long. That’s just my opinion, based on what some HOs shared on this forum but there are very successful sitters with very long applications, so… Some people just don’t want to bother reading so much and much of that information will probably be on your profile, which they have access to.

I would make the specific information about the sit more central to your application, using only relevant info like plant care or med administration.

Instead of this, I would mention that you are or have been a member of THS as a pet owner that is really important and helpful.

Good luck!

8

I would say you are trying to tick boxes with your response, name the pet, name the house, name the best qualities of an house sitter. I feel you have used AI and I would say, that it comes across as very generic.
Spice it up by asking the AI to interview you from the home owners perspective for the house sit.
good luck

9

Maybe try to tailor it to each sit you apply to. I think hosts like it when I say I know their local area specifically, even when I’m stretching the truth a little. Or something in their listing you can relate to. I agree that it might be a little long and that it’s good to offer to meet in person prior to the sit. I had to apply to 20 sits just to get one when I started out, keep applying and stay positive!

10

My concern would be that you make no mention of who will take care of your own cats while you are away. As a homeowner I would think you are going to try and get a sitter after you land a sit yourself. I would then pass on you as there are a shortage of sitters and your profile shows you have never had a sitter at your home. Is that your plans? If not you need to mention who will watch your own kitties. I also find your application to formal and generic. Make it more about them and their specific needs. It’s not a job application.

11

It’s lovely but far too long I personally just keep it short and sweet works for me.

12

To get yourself started, I recommend focusing on local sits that don’t get many applicants. If you’ve read forum posts, you’ll know that many sotters and HOs are apprehensive about selecting newbies. I started off by applying for the less desirable sits, which were great sits.

13

Great point, because it goes to trust. For me, addressing that element in my sitter profile made the most sense. And with both profile and application, I produced them with a single focus: How will potential hosts know that they can trust me?

I always asked myself: What Qs would hosts have and how can I address those in my profile and applications without them having to ask? Do my profile and application sound friendly and conversational? Plus, customizing applications helps a lot.

With the approach above, I didn’t need to take local sits to start sitting. And I landed my first sit after seven applications and I began sitting across the country from me, on the U.S. West Coast. That included getting unsolicited invitations for great sits from early on.

14

This is great, albeit a bit long. I suggest cutting it in half.

First sits will often need to be a bit less desirable:

  • In a remote area that you can drive to
  • More pets than average
  • A new homeowner who also is struggling to get their first sitter.
  • Local/last minute
  • Short/awkward dates that other people don’t want.
  • Smaller, more cluttered homes.

My first sits were with a lot of pets, and one for a new HO. They were good though. :slight_smile:

15

As a homeowner, I think this is much too long. I don’t know how you personalize to each sit, but most of what you’ve written is very generic as others have said. You can leave that all in your profile and just include text that is specific to the sit in your actual application.

I’ve done about 25 sits and this is a sample of a recent application of mine

C_

, I would love to sit for CAT NAME for your July dates. I’m already planning on being in HO CITY on those dates. I’m currently doing a sit in CITY2 and hope to visit family in HO CITY afterwards.

I have a huge soft spot for black cats, and CAT NAME reminds me an awful lot of my own cat D__ who is 11 years old. He is currently enjoying the attention of a sitter at my house in __ while I’m gone for almost 8 weeks. I miss him but he is clearly getting lots of attention!

Being a sitter and homeowner on THS means that I understand both sides of the exchange. I’ve been doing this for about 5 years and have done around 25 sits I had about 16 sitters at my house.

I’m a huge cat person, and very involved in cat rescue and fostering in MY CITY. You can see more details about this on Facebook and Instagram @__.

I’d love to chat more, including a video chat, so we can “meet” each other face to face and I can see your cute home .

16

This is excellent. If I was a host and saw this I would contact you immediately and not look any further.

17

I think one or maximum two short paragraphs, quite informal and friendly and suggest a WhatsApp video chat asap to explore if you’re both a fit for each other. Send a WhatsApp phone number and availability.

18

The part about being new to THS, but not new to sitting should be closer to the top.

This is a very long application. I think it should be cut way down. Others may disagree with me, but redundancies take up time. Say something like, “thank you for looking at my profile and references.” It directs the reader to open your profile.

Apply, apply, apply. The more you apply, the more experience you get with updating your application.

19

Hi there

Welcome to THS and with a little persistence I am sure you will start landing sits. I know it is cliche, but we all have to start somewhere. If there were not any homeowners willing to work with a first-time sitter, the site wouldn’t have lasted very long.

Longer messages in and of themselves may not be an issue, as I know some sitters here say they tend to write longer applications, and it seems to work for them. But this one seems exceptionally long and the format reads as a bit too formal and impersonal.

I tend to send pretty short messages, and I let hosts know at the end that if my message piqued their interest, that we have a really detailed profile where they can learn more about us, and that is where they will find the vast majority of the information you included in your message, such as what we do professionally, how we spend our time, etc…

Our profile is probably on the more detailed side, but we have gotten a lot of positive feedback on it over the years, with hosts saying it answered so many of their questions right off the bat.

Generally, my messages are not more than a few short paragraphs at most ,depending on a few factors, such as the nature of the listing.

I give a short introduction letting the host know we are full-time sitters. I include some info about our travel plans, such as where the sit prior to theirs is located, or if we don’t have anything booked, I let them know the general region we will likely be coming from.

If I know at the time of applying the earliest I could arrive and/or the latest I can stay, I mention that in this initial contact since this could be a deal breaker on either end.

Between working from home and being lazy travelers my husband and I really don’t spend a lot of time away from home on a daily basis, even in more touristic areas; so I let them know we will be around a good deal of the time.

Also, if they mention something in the listing that may be important to them, and we can meet that need or request, I would reference it–for example, if they want the sitter to be okay with the pet sleeping in the bed, I will say that I am. If they mention a particular type of experience is important and we have it, I will mention it.

Overall I think you have included good information for hosts to know. Just keep at it…good luck!

20

I would shorten it, and if Summerland is the correct location of the sit you applied to, that will likely be a competitive location with not too many sits popping up there. It’s a gem of the central coast and many would apply. I would suggest applying to one of the many inland locations and build up a few reviews first.

Also, local sitters carry the risk of bringing uninvited guests with them, as they likely know people/friends in the area. If the sit mentions no guests, I find it helpful when an applicant re-affirms that they will respect that boundary. For example, ‘Although In very familiar with your area, and being close have a straightforward commute to it, I fully respect your indicated preferences regarding guests and don’t intend to have visitors to your home’.

Otherwise, I like the other information included about yourself, as it paints the picture of a responsible person.