Been doing regular dog walking/pet sitting up in East Harlem for about a year now—mostly word of mouth, a couple through an app. Now I’m finally applying to full-time coordinator/office manager jobs around Midtown and Flatiron. Do I put this on my resume or leave it off? It fills a gap, but I don’t want to look like I’m not serious about a desk job. It’s real money, not just a hobby. What’s the move?

Wait, I just started cat sitting in the Bronx and I have this same question. Do you list it under experience or just bring it up if they ask about the gap? I had a phone screen last week and panicked, said 'freelance pet care,' and they just moved on. So maybe it’s not a big deal? But I also don’t have many clients yet, so it might look thin.

I’ve hired for admin roles in Manhattan, and I’d rather see a clean one-line entry for self-employment than a mysterious gap. Keep it concise under experience:

• Independent Pet Care Provider — Harlem, 2023–present
• Scheduled and managed recurring dog walking/pet sitting for a small regular client base
• Handled keys, home security, payments, and last-minute schedule changes

Don’t call it a 'side hustle' on the resume—self-employed reads more professional. In an interview, you can say you built a client base while job hunting and will transition walks to early morning/evening if needed. That directly addresses the commitment worry. If they still act weird about it, that’s a red flag about their flexibility anyway.

You don’t need to list every client or app name. A tight two-line entry plus a quick spoken explanation is enough. And don’t fudge dates—if it overlaps with your job search, just say so.

Also, not job-related, but if you need to clear your head after a long week of applications, there was a good thread on the Cold Spring tunnel walk here: Breakneck Ridge flag stop: start there or just do the Cold Spring tunnel walk?

I’m with Lina mostly. List it if it covers more than a few months, otherwise it’s just a weird line. I hired a receptionist once who had a dog-walking thing on her resume and it actually made me remember her—she was organized about it, not cutesy. Just don’t put 'CEO of Pup Inc' unless you actually have an LLC, because someone will ask.

Good advice so far. The one thing I’d add is to be explicit about scheduling before you get deep into interviews. A lot of private pet-sitting clients expect midday availability, and an office hiring manager in Flatiron is going to care less about the gig itself and more about whether you can be at a desk from 9 to 6. If you tell them you’ll switch to early mornings, evenings, and weekends, it defuses the whole thing.

I had a staff member once who kept a weekend catering gig after we hired her. It was fine until December, when she kept trying to leave early for event prep. The issue wasn’t the side work—it was that the schedule conflict came out after the offer. So list the pet care, but be the first one to bring up how it won’t collide with their hours. That’s the kind of thing that makes a manager trust you.