I obviously didn’t mean that the way it came across. I don’t care if they own, rent or live in a van.
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It wasn’t meant to be judgemental. I don’t care if they own, rent or live in a van.
This was my response to the first sitter that applied. I didn’t receive a response.
Thanks for reaching out to us. Could you tell me why our listing appealed to you? How would you be travelling to our place? Do you have any more references? Anything else you would like to share with us about yourself would be great. You sound like you would be a great sitter for our babies
I think your messages were friendly. I would probably, however, lose interest. I have gotten messages like that so you are not alone.
The reason why I would lose interest is that I would wonder what you wanted that information for pre-call. If one is not too aquainted with how many sits are agreed, that can sound puzzling. The sits where at least I end up with an agreement I get pretty quickly (approx within 48 hours, often less) a message where the host asks for a videocall, we schedule that and more often than not, by the end of the videocall they would like to offer me the sit. If they don’t it usually doesn’t end up in an agreement one way or the other.
I perceive pre-call questions as questions you need answer to to go further to a videocall. That would imply that the answer to your question could mean that with certain answers you would not be satisfied to go further to a videocall. As I have written about myself and why I housesit in my profile, the questions on whether I own a home (which I do) or myself would lead me to believe that you either haven’t read my profile or you are not satisfied with what I wrote. Same goes for references. I have given the references I want to give in my profile. For me I would probably not want to go further with a host that hadn’t read my profile and/ or wasn’t satisfied with what I had written. Not necessarily because something was «wrong» but because I would think we weren’t a good match communication-wise (and possibly also dodging a bullet from a host that regards me as «staff». I don’t say you do. Just that as a sitter I would rather be supercareful to not get in that position, even if it means not getting a sit that could be good).
I’m sure this thread is both a little bit stressful and an eye-opener for what a «friendly message» could mean to others. And the sitters you wrote to might not in any way have these thoughts, Maybe they just applied for a sit they weren’t really able to do.
It is very forward-thinking to bring up the topic as you have done and you get a lot of feedback, maybe you can use some of it or maybe not, that is your choice.
A part of the challenge is that one is put in a position as an interviewer without really having been trained to. Si this forum can give some of that knowledge.
I’m a strong believer of not only saying what one shouldn’t do, but also give solutions. As others have said, as a sitter I would expect a chat in a videocall to cover some of your questions, and that it would come up naturally. Not pre-call questions. Unless there is nothing about it in the sitters profile perhaps, but then I would 1) probably not go further with the sitter or 2) at least make a mention of reading their profile «I’ve read your profile with interest, and couldn’t find…» I wouldn’t ask pre-call about something they have already covered. A control-question could be; «why do I need this information?» and ask questions that you need the answer to in order to go further.
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@REH14 - If their only covering note was to check out their profiles then, in my opinion, your follow-up questions were reasonable to ask.
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Maybe they ran when they saw pets being referred to as babies.
It’s a red flag for some sitters.
Whatever their reason for not replying it appears they are not the right fit for you anyway and you need a sitter that suits your style and approach.
So yes you could approach things differently next time and you might still get the same nil response.
I just think you need to do things your way, yep consider the advice given on here but then be you
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@REH14 - it’s just guesswork really as to why they didn’t respond. I was surprised you asked them what appealed about your sit as this is something I always cover in my applications and I assumed that most sittters would. I agree with @RosiePosie that if their application only consisted of asking you to check out their profile then your follow-up questions were perfectly reasonable. To be honest, if their applications were that low-effort then I’m not surprised they didn’t respond to your follow up. I would just decline them and move on.
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Possibly the problem is that there’s no ‘obvious’ rationale for your asking this question, so it can be interpreted in any number of negative ways, as has already been pointed out. If their answer makes no difference to you, why ask the question?
I think that when profiles of both sitters and hosts are comprehensive, there’s little need for this type of questioning.
We apply for sits when the dates, area, home and pets appeal to us and fit into our schedule. We wouldn’t apply if those four things didn’t align, so your question might catch us off guard a bit. Sometimes, the fact that sitters have applied is reason enough.
This isn’t an attack, but my perspective as a sitter. As @Maggie8K has pointed out, we are trying to gauge best fit with hosts and the initial point of contact is necessarily via the written word. Just as hosts will decline applicants whose written applications don’t appeal, so too will sitters not follow-up - or will simply withdraw - where pet parents present as entitled, rude or judgemental.
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Or just too many hoops to jump through.
Sometimes I am prepared to do that, when it is a sit I really really want to do. But indeed, Renfrew is less likely to be such a place. It is more likely to be conveniently located on the way, or a fill for a gap in the sitter’s calendar.
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