Nail That Interview!

Congratulations, petsitters! You've dazzled a pet owner with your resume, flawless background check and supercute profile pictures of you playing with fifteen puppies, and now you've made it to the interview. You want to nail it.

These tips and suggestions will help you rock the interview while letting your shining personality and unparalleled responsibility come through. Be warned: you might be such an attractive candidate, you might just find yourself with more jobs than you can handle!

PREPARE FOR THE INTERVIEW LIKE A PRO

Rehearse
Think of the petsitting interview as any other job interview you would go on, just with a furry, slimy or slobbery creature at the center of it rather than a prim-and-proper business executive in a crisp suit. You'll want to try to anticipate the interviewer's questions (look at that, it's a cheat sheet!), and think about how you would answer them. Do NOT memorize your responses word-for-word, or else you'll come across more robotic than competent. Instead, think of specific incidents or stories you'll want to tell to give the pet parent a good feel for your capabilities and personality.

Questions
The interviewer isn't the only one who should be asking questions. Create your own list of questions to ask the pet parent. Not only will this show the interviewer that you take this job seriously, you'll also find out crucial things that may help you decide whether or not to accept the job. So you'll need to collect stool samples for Fido's upcoming vet appointment? Administer a daily dose of flea medicine? Cut up his food into tiny cubes and serve it in his special bowl with soft mood lighting and a parsley garnish? Maybe the job isn't for you after all.

What to Wear
No need to "dress for success" in the traditional sense of the phrase. At the interview, you'll most likely be introduced to the pet(s), so you'll want to make sure you're wearing comfortable clothes in case impromptu playing erupts. As cute as that flowy new skirt is, it's simply not practical attire for interacting with creatures who have sharp claws or beaks, and prefer to bathe themselves in mud instead of taking sudsy, civilized bubble baths.

What to Bring
Keep the professional vibe alive by bringing along relevant documents and items to once again show that you approach your petsitting jobs with great detail and care. Here's what you'll need:

• Cell phone, so you can call the interviewer if you're running late
• Resume
• Driver's license, ID
• List of questions to ask the interviewer
• A sample of your typical contract
• Printed copy of the Sittercity feedback you've received from other pet owners/parents
• A list of your references (names, phone numbers, email addresses, their relation to you) for the interviewer to keep
• Proof of bonding/insurance, if applicable
• A blank notepad and pen to take notes about the pet and job
• Your schedule/daily planner in case the interviewer requests a follow-up meeting or trial petsitting job before the actual job

Map It Out
You absolutely must arrive at the interview on time. Your friends may think it's endearing that you're directionally challenged or perpetually late, but an interviewer will find it far less so. To avoid being late, map out your route, consider construction barriers, create alternative routes if necessary, etc. (If you don't want to arrive too early, stake out a coffee shop closeby to kill some time.) You could also do a little test run, going from your place to the interviewer's a day or two before the meeting, just so you feel more comfortable with the route. Also, you can set your clocks ahead 15 minutes to trick yourself into leaving a little early. Of course, even with all these I'm-prepared-for-anything preparations, you may still run into some snags in your schedule. It happens. Just make sure you call the pet owner to update her and let her know your estimated arrival time.

THE INTERVIEW: WHAT TO EXPECT

Meeting the Pet
Like we said before, at the interview, you'll most likely be meeting the pets themselves since the owner will want to see how you interact with the pet and how he reacts to you. Don't worry about whether you're doing the "right" thing when you meet the pet. You love animals, so do what comes naturally. Although, we can provide a few tips for handling certain personality types:

• If the pet is timid or shy, you'll want to respect his space and avoid any sharp movements. Speak in a soft voice while you slowly get down to the pet's level. Don't look directly into his eyes to stare him down - it's intimidating (and, frankly, a little creepy). Extend your hand gently so he can get used to your smell. And don't be upset, offended or flustered if he runs away anyway. It might just be his nature. Brush it off with a smile and suggest you and the owner sit down to begin the interview.
• If the pet is hyper or young, you won't have to worry about giving him his personal space; he'll just invade yours! He should calm down soon, but how you handle his energy will tell the owner if you are up for the challenge of caring for this pet. Keep in mind that if you act calmly, the pet is more likely to calm down as well.

The Interview
Depending on the pet owner, your interview may be very formal with several questions or very relaxed with more conversation than interviewing going on. Either way is fine, and it's completely up to the pet owner how to proceed. If you have a formal interview, the owner may be stricter about you following specific procedures during the job. Conversely, an informal interview may indicate that the owner won't have firm procedures in place and may give you more latitude in how you care for the pet. It's up to you to decide whether you feel more comfortable knowing exactly what's expected of you or whether you'll perform better with more independence.

Time
Again, this is up to the pet owner, but interviews typically last 45 minutes to an hour. Try not to schedule anything immediately after the interview, in case the interview ends up running longer than expected. If you have to dart off before the interview ends, the pet owner will be left wondering if you'll cut your visits short during the petsitting job.

FOLLOWING UP

Since this isn't exactly a corporate position, it probably isn't necessary to mail a formal typed thank-you letter on your own personal letterhead, complete with full-color headshot. But it is still a good idea to let the owner know how happy you were with the interview and how great it was to meet in person. Send a sincere, well-crafted email to thank the owner for setting aside the time to meet, and let him know that you loved spending some time with the pet (if you, in fact, did - no sense lying about it). Conclude the email with a brief let-me-know-if-you-have-any-more-questions line, and hit send.

Of course, if the job actually isn't what you're looking for, a follow-up email can still be gracious even though you'd like to decline the position. Let the owner know as soon as possible, so he can continue his Sittercity search without facing an overwhelming time crunch.