I was recently the 5th person to apply for a sit. Once I started typing my application does that mean no one else can start an application, or, can several people all be typing an application at the same time?
If there are several people typing an application is it the first person to ‘submit’ who becomes the 5th applicant? If this is the case then what happens to the applications?
I hope this all makes sense. I’m just curious.
Not sure if this is the answer you are looking for:
HO’s view: The last of the five appears at the top of the inbox. If all five are coming in at the same time and the HO takes a look once five are in they would see the fifth application first. However, an HO might be reading the applications in real time. Can’t speak for other HOs, but for me the order they come in isn’t a big factor in my choice.
I know from experience applying to sits that you can click apply and be working on your application email and then hit send and it’s too late because someone hit send ahead of you.
I know as an HO that sometimes I get 6 applications so there are glitches.
Awhile back, I remember one of the product team members stating on here that once an application is started, the sitter should be able to submit it. If that is true, then it is possible a HO could receive more than 5 applications.
Once there are four confirmed sits , all people that are activly writing their applications are allowed to send it , even if there are more than one person writing at the same time. However, it is important that once you’ve started writing you do not click away from your application to check anything or you will lose your place.
We were recently accepted for a sit as thd 6th and final application the home host recieved
Hmm. This is interesting and I’m not sure what “look away” entails. I think I have lost my place at least once and not had an appication accepted. I wonder if this means going to another window to check on the pet names or something else in the listing? It is easier to send the application sans email or with a one line email, but there’s always a danger of automatic decline by HO to an “empty” application even with a complete email sent 10 minutes later.
That could happen if your internet connection was interrupted. You may not even have noticed it. Usually such interruptions happen when one is moving around by car or in trains etc. I guess that is due to transferring to a different cell (or of course in tunnels etc). But short interruptions of the Wifi can also happen here at my place at home.
As a follow-up question…do sitters feel ‘rushed’, and find themselves submitting applications before they read the whole posting, or before checking other things like flight/car rental/locations that are important to consider? Just wondering, as a homeowner, if sitters are feeling the pressure to ‘hurry up and get the app in under the wire’,. Sitters, we are very interested in hearing how you’re feeling when you’re submitting your applications.
There is, of course, pressure, even if only imposed by oneself. There isn’t much pressure from the system itself. Nothing is blinking or rushing you. There is time, though I’m not sure how much. Never tested it. Guessing until you click away?
@2Globetrotters , Yes! definitely feel under pressure. I missed out on applying one time because I was reading through the listing. Since then, if it now has 4 applicants I do feel I need to read and apply in a hurry.
Yes, many sitters feel rushed. The system shows how many applicants there are, that number has often gone up next time they load the page. Quite often the listing is not available anymore (in “reviewing” status).
The system fails to say that there is no rush once one has an open application window. THS could easily write that in the prompt (now it says “tell them how good you are”). That would be good for sitters and HOs alike. Right now it is only a small fraction of sitters that know this.
I don’t feel pressed on my end.
I read the entire listing before applying. If that looks good, then I click the apply button and keep the application open on one screen while the listing is open on another. Then I read all the reviews.
I use a prewritten msg that I have loaded on a saved key on my mobile devices for Trusted Housesitters applications and I customize / personalize it, so it’s relevant to the sit. Sometimes I send the long version and sometimes an abbreviated version.
I’m currently also doing an experiment, in which I sometimes add a politely worded mention that I move on if I don’t hear from the host(s) promptly. I’m doing that to see how well it works vs. not including it.
My practice also is to not look beyond the first photo before I read the listing. If I do that and the listing is good, without red flags or key missing info, then I look at the rest of the photos. That’s because humans are easily swayed by images, and I try to avoid that trap. To me, even in the nicest sit, bad hosts would be a deal-breaker, so I try to weed them out early. I look for various signs that point to hosts who are entitled, selfish or otherwise think they’re doing sitters a favor, think they’re in a position to treat sitters like staff. (Happily, I’m coming up on a year’s THS membership and my 12th sit and all the hosts I’ve partnered with so far have been nice, reasonable folks.)
I don’t rush, because there are always more sits being listed. And I don’t have bucket list locations, nor do I need to stack sits, like nomads do. Sitting for me is a nice-to-have, not a must.
I had no idea that once you were “in”, your place was sort of reserved until you were finished writing your application. So, would a sitter be able to click the ‘submit an application’ button, and then take the time to read through the whole listing before writing the actual application letter? Thanks for letting me know this! It seems like an important caveat that needs to be made clear to sitters and homeowners alike. I hope THS does something to make sure everyone knows this, so nobody feels like they have to write a one or two line application letter. As a homeowner, these impersonal ‘applications’ really put me off, but if sitters feel like they have to rush, I could sort of understand it. Thanks again for the info, pietkuip!
There is not a fixed number of places, it is just that the Apply-button disappears when five applications have come in.
But once the sitter pressed this (and ticked the box to choose dates?) and keeps the application window open, one can take one’s time. At least if the internet connection is stable and as long as the computer does not fall asleep.
I often open an application window, and then I take my time to decide. Most often, I will close the window again, but that could be hours later. Or I can start writing. And my application can come in as number six or seven.
We definitely feel more rushed now , if the dates and location are what we are looking for then we apply instantly, then check viability and fine details later.
Thanks for explaining your system Maggie8K. Your observation about the photos is a good one. It would be interesting to hear the results of youf mention about moving on if you don’t hear from the homeowner promptly. I always try to personally respond to each applicant, especially if I have to go ‘to the next round’ and decline some applicants in order to review others. We are quite picky about our sitters, and it usually takes a while for us to find someone. But I still want applicants to know that our process involves studying numerous applications and profiles, and sometimes even video chatting with several people before we make a decision. I don’t see a video chat as an ‘interview’, because sitters are not ‘employees’. But it does give us both an opportunity to see whether we are of like mindsets and a good fit. I think having a bit of prompt communication, even if it is a declination, is only common courtesy. Thanks again for your response!
I don’t think you’re alone there, Colin.
Yup, I don’t mind not being chosen at all. I figure each host should find whom they match with best, for their pets, especially. And of course, no one would want to entrust their home to someone they lack confidence in.
THS is a matching platform and people from all over the world, from different backgrounds and such, also have different timelines, etc. To me, prompt communication helps the entire process. I also get that some folks want to go slower than I do, so it’s best we don’t force things — everyone can always look for a better match.
Technically, the THS team announced that sitters could click on the apply button and then take their time applying. It was originally announced in a post by the product team, if I remember correctly, and it’s been repeated at various times on the forum. That’s why I’ve never felt rushed.
BTW, that thing about hitting the apply button, I used it just two days ago. The listing is in a popular location and it had four applicants by the time I saw it. I applied unhurriedly and the hosts and I are set to video chat.
For context, I look at listings only sporadically. I’m not worried about “missing” sits, because they’re plentiful. Good sits outnumber good sitters.
