4 tips for crafting a house-sitting resume

Though house sitting can be a great way to travel without paying for hotels, it is also a sought after job and some gigs get competitive. See below for some house-sitting resume tips.

• You don't have to have house-sat before in order to prove that you're good at watching other peoples' property.
• Think about times you've done a great job looking over something that was someone else's and include those on your resume.
• Some good examples of things to include are times that you babysat, dog-sat, or even watered plants. Keeping living things alive and well is pretty good proof that you're good at caring for and maintaining things.

• If you're going to include a list of skills and strengths on your resume or house-sitting profile, be sure that you are specific about them and don't be too vague.
• For example, rather than say a do- sitting job showed that you were responsible, say that you tailored your schedule around the dog's needs to properly feed, water, walk, and give the pet everything it required.
• Being specific about experiences and the strengths they demonstrate can help potential employers see how that quality makes you a great candidate for them.

• On your resume, include references. You'll want to provide the names and contact information of people who have seen you do well at other house-sitting and caretaking jobs, and who can sing your praises.
• Consider people for whom you have house-sat, people for whom you have done babysitting, or managers for whom you have worked.

• If you've never house-sat or you don't have any caretaking experience, ask your friends to help you build up your resume. Ask them if you can watch their house the next time they go away, then add that credit to your resume.
• Do a few house-sitting gigs for free, building up your testimonials and references. Then you'll have an impressive resume when it comes time to apply to the dream house-sitting job that you really want.