I don’t need to know much about the hosts except whether we vibe when it comes to partnering for sits. For instance, it doesn’t matter what they do (did) for a living, what their interests are.
For me, gauging whether we vibe comes across in how they write their listing (in content and tone/attitude) and how our video chat unfolds.
Some folks I sit for, I never meet in person. In instances when we do meet, we typically get to know each other more then, often over a meal and/or additional chatting.
We talk about the local area, travels and pets, for starters, so there’s always common ground. Then usually about careers, family and such. Sometimes, politics, but I personally never bring that up. And I never engage deeply in politics even when others raise it. To me, it’s not necessary that we agree on such.
I’ve never had trouble getting friendly with hosts, but it’s never been a must for me when it comes to sitting. And in my case, I’m visibly ethnically Asian, so if they’re racists, they presumably would’ve never picked me in the first place. Likewise, if they’re ageist.
I’ve experienced good rapport on every sit, even in instances when we never met in person. Trading updates can get friendly. Like I’ve exchanged banter with hosts I’ve never met and they’ve sent me vacation photos. I routinely send fun pet photos and updates, so that probably helps. People tend to feel appreciative of others who clearly love and dote on their pets.
Often, hosts have commented on my career, which I mention as the standard THS declaration of work. Plus, I include my LinkedIn profile. And they already know that I telecommute from my profile. Often, we’ve had some kind of overlap of interests in tech/startups. The hosts bring that up, since they have my info. My current host-wife for instance said she was immediately interested in my application, because of what I did for work.
Plus I’ve already had a video chat with them before confirming and that is insightful as we often stray outside of the essentials to be covered.