I’m a sitter as well as a HO and have said on my listing that I’ll reject all applications in the first 24 hours. I make it clear why I’ve chosen to do this and that I’ll send a note first.
As a sitter, it’s incredibly frustrating to be notified of new dates when all 5 spots are already filled, and I really hate the pressure to rush an application. I’m therefore keen to make the process less frantic and to let overseas sitters apply without requiring that they’re up in the wee small hours to do so!
It could be that I get a perfect application in the first five, or maybe even more than one perfect applicant. Equally, I might get a load of rubbish where no one mentions my pets, or uses my name! That was the case before the 5 app rule and is not especially different now. The big difference now is that it’s much harder to connect with a wider community and to make contact with people. I rather miss the old way.
I, too, like to keep the listing open for 24 hours. I declined the applications one by one, but it would much less work to decline them all in the groups of 5, as you do @Pips and @Marion . Last time we actually ended up confirming the sit with the ones who sent the very last application.
This has been evolving for me, and I’m still not doing it automatically. But it makes sense to keep things open. This is not like someone declining in order to find someone better necessarily. It’s declining technically just to see more possible/suitable people in case something doesn’t work out. And often something doesn’t. It’s also a way to keep things moving quickly.
I think one thing that does happen is that sometimes people say they’ll circle back, when they have no intention of doing so. It’s hard to tell people no politely. As a petparent, I’m trying to improve that by actually giving each person an explanation for why they are being declined if I’m not going to circle back.
I don’t think anyone is arbituarily rejecting great sitters to find even better ones. That doesn’t make sense as a strategy. My strategy has been to lock in a great sitter as quickly as I can. Sometimes it is luck. But I also have a set of criteria that I use to lessen the odds of cancellations, and to make things a little smoother… In a March sit, I had declined three, and picked up the person who met all the criteria in the next three, and she was available immediately for a chat, so the sit was closed within two hours.
“Like many THS members, I do not enjoy the 5-applicant limit. My intention is to keep the listing open for 24 hours to give sitters in other time zones a chance to apply. To make that happen, I will automatically decline all applications with a note, so there’s therefore no need to rush to apply and no need to follow up; I promise to be in touch with you ASAP. :-)”
This really would be optimal. I find that generally, I average going through about 8-15 applications before finding the right HS for a given sit. I’d love to be able to set a limit to 10 or 15. 5 is just way too restrictive imo.
Sounds like a good workaround! It is, of course, ludicrous that these are the lengths we have to go to. I thought I’d escaped the Kafkaesque administrative world when I retired, but maybe not!
If you declined our application then subsequently ‘circled back’, we’d decline to reapply. Our best sits have been when there’s a quick recognition of ‘best-fit’ by both sides.
Your tactics strongly imply that the initial application hasn’t hit the mark, so your then returning to that applicant suggests you either haven’t properly read and considered the sitter’s application and profile or you simply haven’t managed to find a sitter you consider better. In either case, it would be a firm no, from us.
I get what you’re saying. As I’ve said, this is evolving. Here’s the thing though: Think of how it looks from a homeowner’s perspective. Imagine there are two sitters that “hit the mark” out of five. The other three are definite “nopes” – bad reviews, no experience, no notes with applications, something off, etc. But everytime I try for three more, I’m getting more of the same. I’m trying to set up videos or ask some questions to the two great ones, but they aren’t getting back to me. One does, but is putting off the video for two days. If I wait those two days and then that person decides not to accept the sit and I never hear from the other good one, then I’m starting from scratch in two days. If I technically decline the sitter I already have the video appointment with so that I can get some backup applications, what crime have I committed? The sitter with the video is still the sitter most likely to get the sit if they want it even if they’ve been declined.
I think a lot of times HOs are doing the best they can and trying to figure out ways to get the sit booked quickly and communicate honestly, but actions are interpretted by sitters as somehow wasting their time or being inconsiderate. I don’t think that sitters take into consideration that sometimes other sitter’s actions may be slowing things down. For example, I try to do the video sits one at a time so I’m not wasting anyone’s time or turning them into a competition, but this has meant keeping several people on hold, only to have that sitter cancel to take another sit, while others have moved on or won’t respond because they are peeved at not being the first choice.
The reason I have evolved to this point, and I only started blanket declining and circling back this last time is because of a real glut of not so great sitters coming in, and a feeling based on how things went the last couple of times that I might not get the sitter I wanted no matter how quickly I moved. And also a feeling that the 5-application rule is keeping me from seeing a lot of great sitters that I would consider, and causing people to automatically apply even if they really don’t want my sit based on number of pets or other factors.
I sit as well and I’m fine with any communication that is transparent and timely from a petparent. This morning a petparent who only has one application informed me that she’s waiting to “gather more applications.” She didn’t decline mine which in this case I would’ve taken as a “real” decline as she has no other applicants. That’s her perogative. I’m fine with her not goiing, OMIGOD you sound perfect! Let’s chat. She told me it might be a while. That’s her choice. I’m not withdrawing or taking that as a signal to withdraw. But I am still applying other sits and may take one before she gets around to circling back.
I have mixed feelings about being declined so the HO can get more applicants. As a HO, I understand wanting to ensure that the best possible sitter has a chance. As a sitter, it stings a little to essentially be told that I’m on the B list because someone better might apply. It seems that if I was really good enough to be considered, the HO should decline the others, not me.
When this happened recently, I was lucky to get 2 other back-to-back sits in that highly-desirable location. This is relevant to show that if the HO who declined me and put me on the B list had actually contacted me again, I would have been booked. Admittedly, that wouldnt matter to someone in a very popular location who can get new applicants easily.
Sorry @Marion no matter how much you try and rationalise your auto decline strategy, you will ultimately lose the good sitters with this method and be left with the “also rans”.
I’ve heard that from others. They’ve said they get pretty terrible applications due to the speed in which people need to apply. It’s unfortunate that they’ve made this decision and now removed the emails for sitters that show the results of their searches.
They USED TO be the best platform for searching for sits and thus grew to be the biggest platform. However, they’re making their platform harder and harder to use effectively.
@marion-
Re- your auto decline policy to get more apps. If you get a great sitter in the first round just grab them immediately and make contact asap. You may not get a better one!! Decline the rest, ofcourse, to make space for more people to apply- as back ups- incase it doesn’t work out with no.1
But to auto decline everyone automatically and circle back later would be a no go for me as a sitter. If you don’t have a big enough yes for us to immediately make contact we’re not going to hang around! We want to be consciously chosen for a sit and not just the left over/last resort. We know our value and we also know we are not for everyone!
Re- your current application as a sitter. If a host said to us they wanted to wait for more applications- when they already have our fabulous application right in front if them- I would know they don’t have a Yes for us and I would withdraw. In your case- if they don’t even want to chat to you right now- it would seem they are not very interested and are hoping someone better might apply. In your shoes I would feel insulted and turned off and would withdraw right now!
We just had a scenario that we applied for a sit in Spain. We were no.3 and within 20 mins of being posted it was ‘reviewing’ The host read our app within the hour but then did not make contact for 3 days. Only to say ‘You sound fab but we’re already talking to someone and we’ll get back to you for sure if it doesn’t work out’ In other circumstances I would just assume it WILL work out with the no.1 and I’d simply move on. In this case with no other suitable sit opp for those dates we just left it open. 2 days later and still ‘reviewing’ so we sent a friendly follow up re-expressing interest and asking them to let us know either way asap. Read straight away but no response. Next day- declined without a message.
Rude. Time wasters.
Even if they’d offered us the sit after all that procrastination the goodwill and interest would already be long gone.
In contrast late last night we applied for another sit- same dates- but in France. This morning we saw there was a second applicant but once the HO read our app they got in touch immediately to invite us to the sit. We’re having a video call tomorrow (at our request) but they were willing to confirm us instantly. That’s how I prefer to work. Friendly and responsive. This host has had 29 sitters before us and we have 100 sits behind us. We all know what we are doing and what we want. No time wasting.
Mutual respect and efficiency. That’s how it should be.
Personally I don’t see an issue with this… I find it, rather, to be a problematic outcome of a poorly chosen system.
We sitters can apply to lots of places. HOs can only receive 5 applications at a time. And those tend to, therefor, be largely based on “who is fastest”. It limits their options so now - just like sitters have to in their own ways - try to work around the 5 application mess.
We’re all stuck with a “work around the problems caused by this” and none of the solutions are good.
I don’t remember the HO but in their listing they stated, because of THS’s 5 applicant limit, they will decline applications initially until they have more applicants to choose from. The HO stated this upfront in their posting. I would suspect other HO’s are doing the same.
