In scanning the forum, it sound like some folks do a somewhat formal interview with a list of standard questions you ask. I have been much more loosey-goosey with my interviews, and I wonder if I’m skipping some important stuff. What is on your list of questions?
thanks!
If you use the spyglass there are loads of threads on what to ask in your video calls. Please, please don’t approach it as a formal interview though @Lisfnord. This is a mutual exchange where the two parties are looking for a happy match. If you really need a long list of questions then perhaps say to your potential sitters to bring the same to the video chat? #equaledchange
We’re sitters, we don’t have a list, we’ll already have a good gut instinct about the owners profile and messages with us, because they are typically like-minded positive people. Sometimes we just accept without a video chat if we feel like we know them already from our discussions, but with the ones we do video chat with, we simply want to see if the feel-good feeling we have about the owners is the same.
We typically choose owners that have told us everything we need to know in their profile or messages, so we haven’t arrived to anything unknown before.
Agree with HappyDeb - a good listing gives a good impression of the host. Are they transparent, organized and communicating? Are they aware of the needs of a sitter? Do they come across as friendly?
I would be put off by a host with «an interview» and «a list of questions» to be ticked off. I would expect a host to have some topics we should talk about to see whether we are a good match. Ofc we learn and there might be something to learn also from such a list. Maybe cover some topic you haven’t thought about etc. But it would be a probability that I would make it easy for a host that would be «interviewing» applicants with a list. Either withdraw or decline an offer. Might be interesting to know. It seems your approach is something that would come across as a good way to do it to me. Cover the topics, but just having a chat.
We prefer the loosey-goosey style.
If we get the impression a home host is doing a formal interview it makes us uncomfortable and we politely withdraw our application.
As another sitter (with over 100 five-star sits) I agree with what the other sitters have mentioned. It is not a paid job, and is not an interview.
I see it as a chance for HO and sitters to meet, to see if they gel, and that the sit would be a good fit, and for both parties to ask questions if necessary.
A already mentioned, if I felt like I was being interviewed formally with a set list of questions, I would likely withdraw my application.
If you were skipping something important you would know. If your sits are going well, then you’re doing it the right way.
The forum is useful to get lots of information, support, anecdotes, book and film suggestions and all sort of ideas but it does have a downside, it may give us the impression that we are not doing things properly or that we could face all sorts of dangers when sitting or letting our homes and pets in the care of sitters.
I think it’s good to bear in mind that if it works for us , then it’s OK. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be open to improvement but we can only improve in our own way.
That’s a funny question because this week we actually had the fastest process of our entire sitting career. There wasn’t even much talking involved, but the gestures, facial expressions, and the few things that were said — it all matched our vibe perfectly. For us, it’s relatively easy because I have a quick grasp of situations and I usually don’t miss a wink or a subtle movement of the mouth, so I generally sense pretty quickly whether it’s a yes or a no. But with these people, it was a clear yes right away. They invited us, we clicked through their profile, scheduled a call, ended the conversation, and immediately clicked all the confirmation buttons.
It really depends. People are welcome to ask us anything, but in the end, it comes down to the vibe. Of course, some people might be nervous because it’s their first time or they’re feeling unsure — we have no problem with that. But then it depends on how they respond to our answers. If they manage to calm down and feel reassured, great. But if we get the sense that they still don’t fully trust us, we usually step away, even if they say they’d like us to sit for them. It just doesn’t work otherwise. And honestly, I believe they’d probably find someone who’s an even better fit, even if they think we’re the right choice.
I have done interviews both ways, super casual and with a list of questions. I think in the middle works best for me. I dont want it to feel like a job interview but i find if i have a standard list of questions i seem more prepared and interested. I learned this after a job interview. I knew people who had the position at the company i was interviewing with and had talked with them a bunch about the job so during ny interview i didnt have many questions and i think it made me look uninterested. I always ask if the dog has had prior sitters and is OK with strangers in the home, do the pets take their medications without problems, is there a emergency contact, how much contact would they like during the sit, arrival and departure times, and where they like the dog walked. Just enough to feel comfortable withoit it seeming like a job interview.
To me, the meeting is really an opportunity to get to know each other a little and see if we are a good match. It’s a conversation, not an interview. I’ve had a couple of occasions where I was definitely being interviewed (in one I felt like I was interviewing for a CEO position and I quickly withdrew my application). I have done a couple sits where I was treated like staff. Since then I carefully assess whether the HO is viewing this as a partnership or an employer/employee relationship. Fortunately, the vast majority of my sits have been wonderful.
I don’t typically have a lot of questions. If most of the info I need isn’t in the listing, I don’t apply. And I try to provide sufficient info in my application that the HOs don’t have a lot of questions either. The chat is getting to know each other and having a friendly conversation. We talk about the pets, confirm things in the listing, and discuss arrival/departure times. Most questions are typically answered as part of the conversation. As others have said, it’s really a vibe check. If I don’t get a good feeling, then it isn’t the right sit for me.
As a sitter, I always ask (unless it is covered in the initial HO post) :
I keep my conversations very loose with the belief that this will give me a better gauge of the HO by asking and responding to questions as they arise.
Of course some info is essential and I either confirm what I’ve seen written or get that info while in a “casual” coversation.
The flow of a conversation often lends itself to topics beyond just the sit and , without fail, this gives me a lot of info about the HO (and, thus, the sit) and whether we’re a good match personality-wise. Further, it allows us to get to know each other as people and this, without fail, has led to perfect matches.
While the initial conversations are interviews by definition as each is sussing out the other , I’d rather approach them as a , “Hey, tell me about yourself,” opportunity.
We had a video chat with a HO the other evening and it came across very much like an interview, with us being asked things like: “Why do you want to house sit?” and “What do you do on a typical day, when sitting?”. We’ve now happily completed 46 sits and this was their first time at hosting. If they’d read our profile and reviews, they’d know what we love about sitting, and that there is no typical day!
It was a big fat ‘Nope’ from us.
This answer by @systaran sums up our experience and expectations, perfectly. When listings are well detailed and if HOs have read our application then referred to our profile and reviews, the video chat usually is to ascertain whether or not there’s a mutually positive vibe between us and the HOs, and an opportunity to clarify any wider points.
The very title of this thread: ‘Standard interview questions’ immediately infers a one-sided power dynamic, which is off-putting.
Certainly apply due diligence before interacting with any potential sitters, but please then try thinking of us as potential guests, using the video chat as an opportunity to get to know us better. You are under no obligation to confirm any sit, so there is no risk in assuming this strategy.
I observe more than I ask questions. I listen for what a host asks and how they ask. That tends to be telling. If it starts sounding like a job interview or otherwise gives me the wrong vibe, I’m out.
To me, the No. 1 potential dealbreaker of any sit — no matter how good otherwise — is the host. If they’re overly anxious, distrustful, micromanaging, rigid or treat sitters like employees or servants, no thanks.
I ask for the welcome guide well ahead of a sit, so don’t have to ask a bunch during video interviews.
I tend to get robust welcome guides. That’s probably because I partner only with hosts who reply promptly to applications. People who’ve got things together tend to be consistent.
From my POV, sitting is icing and good sits require good partnerships, so no need to settle.
^ I think this is the best answer you could hope for here.
I do like to ask “why THIS sit”*, because it’s important to me to feel that something about my listing, other than a place to stay, made a connection for the sitter, but increasingly I see the call as a way to just get a sense of the person. I also like to go over some of the parts of my sit that might not be to a sitter’s liking, to make sure they really read the listing, if it wasn’t obvious in the application.
*in case it’s not obvious, this is not how I phrase it in actual conversations.
@systaran is so right about the vibe check wording …I recently had a videochat with a husband. I sensed a coolness about him but was going to let it go. I got a message from his wife later apologizing about the way he had conducted himself. She had introduced herself at the start of the call but then left to let him do the talking. I thought ‘well she knows him better than me’ and withdrew my application
I had a sit that turned out well, despite a bit of oddness — the wife did the video chat and the husband didn’t participate even though he was in the background and gave a half-hearted wave. All else went fine with the video chat and other coordinating, like the welcome guide.
I showed up at the sit (local-ish, because I was getting my house remodeled) and he was again stand-off-ish even though he was in the room. I don’t have an issue with that and thought he might be on the spectrum. But then we got to talking somehow and suddenly he warmed up and even gave me a book he’d written. He seemed totally normal, even friendly. Shrug. Some people need warming up and don’t seem to realize or care what vibe they put out.
Later, when I said I might take their dog to the beach, 1.5 hours away, during my sit, he offered their car. I hadn’t even asked for it, because I had my wheels.
Since they offered theirs, I also offered an airport run. I suggested he drive and I take over at the airport and he ended up stopping along the way voluntarily, filling the tank, because he said I shouldn’t have to pay to take their dog out.
He turned out to be a good host after all. 
That’s great for your situation.
I left out the details of what his wife said about him. I made the correct decision for me
Oh, yeah, I wasn’t doubting your decision. Just noting the randomness of people.