Why would a picture of a couple laughing together not be suitable?
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I really don´t know and of course, I could be wrong, but something instinctively made me react
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Hi @ArtistDoug more pictures, as others have mentioned, and if you want to get away to meditate and paint without distraction, I certainly wouldn’t want you looking after my pets (if I had any) . Pets are a distraction if you are caring for them properly
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It’s great that you did that for the sitter as many owners wouldn’t bother to answer.
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@ArtistDoug Well I’ve just learnt how to read your profile and am not surprised you’ve had no luck yet. I am surprised that, despite all the suggestions here, you still haven’t made any changes to your profile. It looks to me as if you’re touting for art commissions, not putting yourself forward as a house and pet sitter. Just two pics of you, prospective owners wouldn’t have a clue you liked pets. You need to go back to the drawing board, look at the suggestions in this Forum how to make a good profile and look at other successful Housesitters’ profiles to get some ideas.
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Hi @Snowbird thanks very much for your feedback which is always gratefully received. I see what you mean about the first paragraph, I instantly thought about leaving the pets to the second one as the question leads but you’re right it should go in there so I’ll tweak that.
Thanks too for the other suggestion, I did think being honest about why we might be there would be best but it must be going against us as we can’t even get local ones at the moment. I don’t know if people have a glamorous vision of photography but it really is 95% sitting at a computer and managing your own time but maybe I am just not being specific enough here so shouldn’t assume.
I think the thing that has disappointed me the most though is being completely ignored when the post only has say 0-3 applications, I can almost understand it when the post gets flooded, but even then it’s not hard to just hit decline. It just seems extremely rude to me!
Thanks so much again for the feedback 
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Hi @anon47943759 thanks for your response albeit confusing one. I don’t understand why the second paragraph would ‘rub you up the wrong way’ and what it is you feel we need to tone down please. We have never applied for sits that don’t match our criteria, which incidentally is just to look after lovely pets whilst we can work from home. Just so I can understand is it the bit where we say we would only apply for sits that we know we could dedicate ourselves to?? Because I would have thought this was positive but I’d like to know more. Also, at what point did I make any suggestion of pets being ugly?? On the contrary, we are sayings HOs will get pictures of their pets when we sit because that’s what we do, we get excited and get a camera out. No pet is ugly in our eyes we are wondering how you read it this way.
Also I do find it confusing that you don’t feel the picture of us is suitable for the platform. What is it about it? Is it because it is a professional picture? Is it because we are trying to show people we are a happy friendly couple? Should we smile less? Use a grainy phone picture?
It’s all very well offering your opinion, but unless you give actual feedback that we can work on it is a bit hard to understand why you are put off. Maybe you think we’re ugly? 
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@Smiley @anon47943759 So if we were a plumber and said that in our profile, would you say we were touting for plumbing jobs?
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Nothing wrong with your profile at all.
Admin notice - post moderated.
Hi @Lina_and_Tom and welcome to the TrustedHousesitters website and community. After taking onboard some of the suggestions of our members, your profile is looking great and I personally love your first picture. Happy, smiling, confident faces! Lots of nice pix with pets, and plenty of information to show your past and current experience.
Many owners like that sitters work at home, especially retirees where their pets are used to having someone at home more of the time, and like you my partner and I mention this in our profiles. There are sits and sitters for all occasions, and honesty about your situation is, in my opinion, the best way to ensure expectations are met on both side.
I commend you for coming to the forum for advice, and for engaging with all feedback, and taking it onboard. We look forward to hearing about your first sits very soon… and seeing some fab photography shared here on the forum.
All the best, Vanessa
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thank you @Smiley I have made some tweaks based on the feedback given, but I do hope we don’t get punished for having a creative profession.
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@Pawtastic I don’t think your contribution is offensive at all. I guess the reality of all this is that it is all subjective isn’t it? One person’s ok is another’s no. It’s just the way life is really.
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Guessing most pet owners would love it if you were a plumber. ( ) So handy should anything happen. In fact, I´d need one myself right now. On my sit the water is dripping from the kitchen ceiling. The only fix at my disposal is a towel on the floor.
thank you @Vanessa_A If I might make a suggestion for the site, when you fill in your profile the suggested text for the About Me bit might also want to mention animals. It seems obvious to me now of course, but I followed the prompt to talk about my interests and passions, then the next section mentions the pet sitting so I left pet talk to that and then the experience section. Maybe the suggested text for the about me section could also say something about ‘your connection to animals’ as a steer?
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That’s a good observation and we will take that to our bi-weekly feedback meetings with the member feedback and product teams. Thank you for feeding back your experience and how it could have been more helpful for you.
Hi @Lina_and_Tom
Your profile looks great to me & if i was a HO id definately be interested, unfortunately im a sitter too.
As most have said we all start with zero, its definitely getting thst first sit!
I was really lucky with our 1st sit which happened to be a local lady with one cat. I must admit i think she was wary about a new sitter with inexperience. We talked on the phone first & i arranged to go & meet her & the cat prior to sitting. It was also just a couple of days sit, so probably not that appealing to anyone who’d have to travel.
Maybe we were lucky but I also had a gut feeling to do the sit.
Sadley I also think sone HO’s post dates for sits but dont follow through, maybe change their plans. Its feels like its happening more, so i can imagine its not encouraging for new sitters and it is annoying.
Really hope you get that first sit, do keep trying but go for ones that appeal to you.
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@Lina_and_Tom Love the new profile, it really highlights your relevant experience and love for kitties and other animals. The profile pic is fine btw.
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Welcome to the forum and to THS @Pawtastic 
Exactly my thought too. It starts with a good intention and the advice given is useful and relevant. There is, despite everything, a real risk of standardization and depersonalization of sitter’s profiles which could lose their sincerity and singularities.
So these helpful tips have to be taken with a pinch of salt, and staying true and genuine is one the best advice one could get, as it’s the easiest way to attract the right HO’s and to also stay clear about what one could offer regarding the HO’s expectations.
As Vanessa said,
Well done @Lina_and_Tom on highlighting your qualities and previous experiences on your profile. I wish you a great first sit, which I am sure should happen soon.
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@Lina_and_Tom I commend you for having opened yourself up to feedback from forum members, as I realize it’s not that easy to do for many people (myself included). I am so impressed by the changes you have made, and I think your profile now just shines with positive energy and enthusiasm. 
I don’t know how else to explain the difference I felt in reading the updated version. I hope you come back to the forum when (not if ) you get your first sit booked.
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Well that is very nice for you. 
Regarding “Your profile also says you just want to go their house and paint.” Well I am new here so when it asks me “tell us more about yourself” I assumed that they wanted me to tell more about myself.
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