With an unforgettable 2020 now in our rear view mirror and many more of us traveling and applying for sits could it be the time to refresh your profile and if you’re a new sitter member get help from more experienced members to create a showstopper profile, one to open thse doors to your new pets sitting lifestyle.
Perhaps your pet sitting wish list has changed, you may have gained additional skills enhancing your potential as a sitter, or simply adding some new photos will give it a new lift, a picture really does say a thousand words.
Profiles are every sitters showcase and while there are owners who have not yet viewed your profile if, like mine, your profile was created a number of years ago, a refresh can only be a positive action to take and if you are a new sitter member who would like help creating your profile simply ask here on the Forum or connect with one of our Membership Services Team.
Have a Top Tip on creating a great profile? Please share with our community …
Thank you @Provence, a very good suggestion. When existing owner members add dates the listings don’t go through the approval process otherwise Membership Services would pickup the error, we do nudge owners to up date the copy on their listings for accuracy.
I have been with THS for sometime now.
I’ve had 3 External References for a long time now since I started.
I have just requested more references from friends to add to the 3 I have.
I was wondering if THS will except new External References now that I have been a member for sometime now?
Hi @Pamela you can add references to your profile at anytime and when we survey owners on what references make the most impact on them, outside of Trustedhousesitters reviews, it’s good, solid character references and if they are in anyway pet related, either through volunteering or pet care, that’s always a plus of course.
If you feel that you need any other advice on ways to add to or improve your profile Pamela, there are great articles on the website blog and our members on the forum are really helpful and supportive … please just ask
I’ve moved your post to this conversation on sitter profiles …
Honestly, I think external references are only important to new sitters with no reviews. Once you have some reviews under your belt that is the main thing future home hosts are interested in when choosing their sitter.
HI @Colin you are absolutely right external references are endorsements which work for any sitter without THS reviews and for new members the addition of at least three external references together with completing the verification process places them in a much stronger position for success, all owner research underlines that fact and the quality of references is far more important than the quantity.
There may be members with THS reviews who have additional sitting or pet related experience outside of TrustedHousesitters, such as volunteering for example, adding those endorsements to a profile can also give a broader view of their experience and ability.
Hi @anon39388349 of course THS reviews are the preferred endorsement of quality and carry far more weight with potential owners, however for sitters in the process of building up their THS reviews, which can take time especially for those not sitting full time, then solid, relevant external references certainly add to their success rate.
It is only recently, in relative terms, that we introduced the review system before that sitters only had external references to support their applications and many also offered owners direct contact details for referees… of course the internal review system is the most effective but we shouldn’t underestimate the place for external references for those sitters building up their profiles.
When I set up my profile, many years ago I added references from the Head Of Rehoming from two Canadian Shelters, Riding for the disabled, an owner of two horses I managed and a riding school I taught at … which helped me secure some excellent sits with rescue dogs and horses.