I’ve been on a break from sitting for a couple of months to be with family. I am about to head out on my 7th year as a nomadic pet sitter and started to apply for some sits. I recently was declined without any explanation, which rarely happens for me.
I thought of asking the owner but thought it was not appropriate. I looked at their past sitters, and it seems they’re either first timers or with few reviews - usually young females. Wondered if some owners decline if they think sitters are doing this full time, like to give less experienced applicants chance, or could it be I’m older than they like - but the sit is for cats so doesn’t require great stamina, and I’m an avid hiker so not like I’m in terrible shape. Would like to know why HO would decline someone who has 70 5 star reviews. I’m not hung up on it but just occurred to me having too many reviews may a minus for some owners.
Thanks for your feedback!
It’s like trying to find out “What’s the meaning of life”. Everyone has a different idea about that but nobody really knows for sure. Such as it is with your question. I think only the homeowners who post know for sure.
Keep trying, it is definitely harder now than it was before so don’t take it personally, it happens to all of us. I thought the same way recently then all of a sudden I am getting every sit I apply for. Keep on applying and you WILL win 
what @ziggy says.
You may never know and it doesn’t really matter. They are not for you and you are not for them.
Things have certainly changed, everywhere. There’s a different vibe but we too have changed, it’s what we do.
Just keep swinging.
I remember reading a post once where the writer said that they were deterred by sitters with lots of reviews, because they worried that the sitter might think they knew more than the HO about how to care for their animals. Interesting perspective.
We are in a more competitive environment. All we can do is live on the App every hour and keep trying. You could have been declined for any number of reasons.
As an aside, I recently had a video call that went very well. I was surprised at the end when the HO said they were doing another call with one more sitter and would get back to me. Two days later I was declined.
I was obsessed over it for a couple of days then decided to ask for feedback to become a better sitter. The HO had used my time, so maybe I could ask for theirs. (I would not have done this, but for the video call.) They were very kind and let me know the other sitter had more direct experience nursing an old, sickly dog. So the reason was competition. I felt much better and it was a reminder that I need to sell myself better.
Good luck!
People are funny 
btw, I love your name 
What @ziggy says! It’s definitely a competitive market out there… I’ve learned over the year’s that you cannot take it personally. I believe when it’s a 'purrfect ’ match it just works out. Trying to analyze the reason isn’t really worth it. There’s probably something better out there.
Yeah, I don’t take it personally. Just wondered if owners discriminate against sitters with lots of reviews, where the owner thought people wanting free places to stay, not considering they’re getting free caretaker in exchange. Thanks for response!
Thanks, name is from my studies from the surreal artist, Max Ernst.
Then you should count your blessings, I think.
Maybe the other applications had 71 , 5star reviews?
@Loplop is there any chance this sit was for a HO in Bali 
I noticed the exact same thing always single young inexperienced females
What does being a hiker have to do with looking after cats? 
Maybe you’re overthinking. As HO, if I have several great applicants (after weeding out no-so-great ones) I will typically go with the first to apply, not the one with the most (or least) reviews. I also tend to look for people who aren’t traveling too far because it is less stressful for us when we’re preparing for a long trip. That said, our next sitters are brand new to THS and flying from across the world - Africa to California - but I fell in love with them based on their profile and a few messages back and forth and I have zero concerns. You may never know what clicks or doesn’t with an HO. Even if you asked the HO they might not have a better answer than having had to choose between two great candidates.
If ever, there was an appropriate time to respond to the owner, this is it. It’s easy to explain that you’re hoping to learn from their dismissal of the app (in different words, of course. But as others have said, you never know. Maybe they just hit the wrong button? 
Without asking for feedback from that HO, you will never really know and we cannot begins to make assumptions about why they may have rejected you.
I personally believe there is always room for improvement so maybe in the current market, your profile could be updated in some way, but I have no idea.
Even with 70 sits, I would reject an HS for being too cavalier or coming across as flippant and entitled, which has happened recently when an experienced sitter applied to one of my sits.
If you want feedback on your profile you could link it to your forum profile but if you want feedback specifically on that application, ask the HO for feedback.
this forum suggest I minimize replying so @Shella_in_the_Forum: that makes a total sense and I have been declined after the owners led me to believe I was the only one and went with someone with medical experience. I missed out on another sit because they took so long though!
@Lassie that’s an angle I hadn’t thought of!
@Colin, good one
@Enjaybee No, not in Bali but noticed some other sits have the pattern of young female sitters.
I meant as an avid hiker, I should be fit enough to do the tasks, as a non-spring chicken
@Shafofo That’s great, you were able to have faith from sitters so far away and first timers as well. I couldn’t get any sits during my first year membership. I have also thought of location as well and I know that’s a big factor for many.
@bakindoki yes, I was over reliant on my experience, though this is not the first time I was declined without any explanation and usually don’t give it too much thought - assuming they found a sitter better suited… was just curious if number of reviews automatically turned off some owners.
Thanks all for great feedback!
I’m wondering if something changed in the app when they rolled out the new review system. When I recently booked a sitter I didn’t get asked if I wanted to send an email to the other applicants as it did in the past. I forgot about it until one of the applicants sent me a message thanking me for the response. I was appalled to find out the system had just rejected all of the other applicants without having me send an email. I had already emailed all of them saying that I had already scheduled a video call with someone but I was not happy with how that happened.
That’s really strange, as, given a choice, I would definitely choose someone older with lots of good reviews as it shows commitment and I would assume (maybe incorrectly) more experience caring for a home! Good luck with your applications!
Well I think it’s nice that the owner has given chances to new sitters to get them up and running. There are plenty of new sitters who are upset when they keep getting declined because of lack of experience/reviews
Who knows why they didn’t choose you, but I can think of various possibilities. And they could be random. Like if you’re an avid hiker and you mention that, maybe they think you’ll be off hiking a lot. Some hosts want sitters who’ll stay home more often than not, for whatever reason.