How Do You Screen Your Pet Sitters?
Our New Sitter Screening Process
One of the most important questions our clients ask us is, “how do you screen your pet sitters?” After all, these are the individuals that are put in charge of your precious pets. We put our trust in our sitters to respect your home and give your pet nothing but care, love and affection while you are away.
That’s why the screening process is so important to Wet Nose Pet Sitting. Here’s a glimpse inside how we choose the best sitters for you.
Step 1: Online Application
When a sitter is interested in working for Wet Noses Pet Sitting they first complete an online application. This is where we ask the initial important questions. How much experience do they have? What is their availability for weekends, emergencies and holidays? And do they have physical health problems and/or limitations? All of these help us pick out the right candidates for to start the hiring process.
Step 2: Phone screening
Then we reach out and do a short phone screening just to make sure we want to continue with an interview.
Step 3: Interview #1
Next, we will schedule an interview with our manager. During this interview we also conduct a personality test. This test is used to to weed out anyone with a possible history or predisposition to theft, substance abuse, or anything else that doesn’t represent Wet Noses Pet Sitters.
Step 4: Interview #2
After a successful first interview, our candidate will meet for an interview with Liana, our owner. She will get more in depth and gauge experience levels, both with animals and professionalism in general. She will also assess their level of dedication and availability. We don’t like high turn over and want pet sitters with longevity. Our pet clients can get attached to their sitters; they become friends and we want employees that convey that level of commitment.
Step 5: Background & Reference Checks
Once we’ve determined a prospective pet sitter would be a good fit for our team we then complete a full background check and call their references. We call references of both with animals, professional, and personal interactions.
Step 6: On-the-Job Trial
When the checks come back clear, we then set up a day in the field with a manager and a few already established sitters for a final evaluation. This puts the prospective employee in real life situations and duties on the job. Sometimes people don’t understand exactly all the details and work that go into a day of pet sitting. This can especially be true when it comes to clean ups and unexpected situations. So our “almost” employee gets an inside look at what a typical day looks like before we move forward.
Step 7: CONGRATULATIONS! You’re Hired!
Once all the above have gone well, we bring on the new employee and get them started on training. Then we will pair them with the best pet client for them and let the bonding begin.
More questions? Check out our FAQ’s and don’t hesitate to contact us about our screening and hiring process! We’re here to make you and your pet comfortable.
