When you’re looking for work as a house sitter, get off on the right foot with a good profile. A homeowner has a deep, personal attachment to a home so that getting a house sitter is more than just hiring an employee or contractor. When a homeowner chooses a house sitter, he or she is picking someone to whom he can entrust a valuable part of his life. Your profile should communicate that you are that person.
A good house sitter’s profile should communicate two things: information and feeling. The information part is easy because you’ve probably filled up enough application forms in the past. It’s important that you be totally honest and upfront with this information, which a homeowner can (and usually does) verify.
Your profile should provide information about yourself: your skills, talents, preferences, awards and other data that will tell the homeowner what makes you suited for the job of house sitter. Experience as a home owner or house sitter is an automatic plus and references from previous employers may also be cited in your profile. Things you do which could boost your stock as a house sitter should be included in your profile. These can be things like work in a zoo, a stint with the fire department, carpentry or gardening skills and similar activities.
Different people have different reasons for house sitting. Some are retirees looking to keep busy after leaving the regular labor force. Others seek the adventure of faraway places. Still others are trying to save on accommodation costs while saving for a home. It would be good to include your reason in your profile. The places you are willing to do house sitting in and the times you are available should round out this part of the profile.
The “feeling” part of your house sitter’s profile is a bit more difficult and requires a little thought on your part. The homeowner is looking for a human being and not a robot. The tone of your profile and the way it is written will give the homeowner an impression of you as a person. If your profile is carelessly written, you will appear sloppy. If it’s direct and straightforward, you will put across an image of reliability and confidence. If it’s warm and friendly, you will establish empathy with the homeowner. Spend a little time going over your profile. Put yourself in the homeowner’s shoes and see how you would react if you received such a profile. It might help to ask a friend for a reaction to the profile you’ve written.
A well-prepared profile is good for both you and the homeowner. It not only gives you a chance to pitch for the job but it also helps to determine if there is a good match. By providing the right information, a profile helps you and the owner avoid an embarrassing situation of having the right shoe on the wrong foot.