How are people so fast in applying?

I have just seen a sit disapear with 5 applications within minutes of it being posted. How is this happening? is it botted?
I happened to see the sit as soon as it was posted, but by the time I had written a cover letter, it was already full and I was unable to send it. Are people just sending off their profiles without writing anything extra? and does this not frustrate houseowners who are just getting lower quality applications instead of someone who has spent time reading their requirements and thoughtfully writing some extra information to personalise the application. Itā€™s so frusrating.

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A few options:

  1. have a basic intro letter saved on your device ready to copy/paste (obviously adjusting the pet type/name)

  2. Send a quick holding message, saying that youā€™ll send your full application shortly

  3. Open the application on a separate window (on a computer this is easy), that will ā€˜saveā€™ your spot in the top 5 while you calmly compose your application message

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I do the no. 3 of @Rhe .

Go to the listing and immediately open the tab for sending an application (View date - Apply to sit)


.

You will now have saved a spot and you are able to go back (and forth) to the listing while you write your application - see upper right in photo. . If you are nervous of closing it by accident you can have the tab open and check the listing on another device, but I havenā€™t had issues with going back and forth between listing and application.

You have at least ten minutes (maybe more) to finish your appl.

I and many others have a draft on file that we can copy-paste. Ofc I will adjust it to each sit, but some is the same as I always say something about myself in the listing.

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Considering the number of sitters on the site, it would be easy to see how a listing in a very desirable area could get to 5 applications within minutes, even in cases where everyone was reading the listing very thoroughly and sending a detailed message. But I am sure in many cases, this is not happening and I am sure it is frustrating for hosts.

I have landed a good number of these ā€˜popularā€™ sits and I always read the listing carefully and send a ā€˜normalā€™ message. But my messages are always on the shorter side so it doesnā€™t take me all that long anyway, and at the end I let them know if my message piqued their interest we have a really detailed profile they can check out. This has seemed to work well.

It is my understanding that so long as you have gotten into the application you have secured a spot so long as you donā€™t click away from the THS site. I try to have a relaxed attitude about the process so I am not one to panic about missing out on a good sit and just shoot over some random message to apply for a sit where I barely read the listing.

I work online so am on the computer a lot and I do check the site pretty frequently.

But the last sit I booked a few days agoā€“a cat sit in a very central London locationā€“was just pure serendipity it seems. I had been thinking I would love to go back to London in a really central area and the day this listing went up the power had been out in my location and my phone was on low battery.

So I had only been turning it on intermittently during the day, and I had a nudge to check the site and there it was. I saw it had gone into review just after I submitted my application. So sometimes I think it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

I remember awhile back someone who worked for THS stating somewhere in a thread that this approach has led to more hosts having their sits filled and a greater number of sitters getting selected. This is probably true to some extent. So I canā€™t imagine them changing a policy that has led to more people on both sides getting what they paid for.

Though I wouldnā€™t be surprised that if at some point, they did tweaks with the membership tiers and the highest one included the ability to apply to any sit without being hindered by this limit among other ā€˜privileges.ā€™

I know it can be frustrating but as someone who has landed a lot of these ā€˜desirableā€™ sits, I have seen first hand that it is possible to get them, especially since it is pretty common to see these sorts of listings get posted again numerous times.

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Probably.

There are owners complaining about the same accounts sending another application after they declined and unpaused. To me, that suggests bot behaviour.

I donā€™t think there is a time limit on sending the application.

Our application isnā€™t very lengthy, as we have a highly detailed profile and excellent reviews. I sincerely hope that no one bases their decision to schedule a video chat with us solely on the text of our application. If they do, thatā€™s perfectly fine, it just means theyā€™re not the right fit for us. Weā€™re the type of sitters who want to work with people who genuinely, deeply care about their dog and are very selective about who they trust to care for them. I never take a rejection personally.

Donā€™t write a cover letter. You should have enough on your profile to make it appealing. You can send a brief message that you are working on your application and will have it in 10 minutes so please donā€™t decline immediately. Iā€™ve seen people on forums insist that if you are in the process of starting the application youā€™ll be able to send it and as a host Iā€™ve sometimes gotten up to 7 invitations at a time despite the rule, but Iā€™m not sure Iā€™d rely on that. (I live in a popular destination and usually I reach the max number of application within 4 to 15 minutes. Maybe it depends on time of day but Iā€™m not sure. If I am monitoring it in real time, Iā€™ll often decline people who arenā€™t a good fit right away and unpause to see more applicants so it is worth monitoring to see if the sit gets unpaused and comes out of review again.

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@n3n, incrementally to the great advice by others then Iā€™d offer two incremental explanations.

  • Search notifications. To my knowledge, and may be wrong, THS search notifications are not live but rather sent on periodic basis. I do not know if THS notifications are received simultaneously by all members or at adhoc times (e.g. if hourly then maybe some people receive notifications at 10 past hour and some 15 past hour)
  • Time zones. Applying for housesits in distant timezones has an extra complication. Some listings may be posted and filled while you are sleeping
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Some of the posts that are most admirable for location are always filled within 5-10 min. once launched.
You would need to see the post as soon as itā€™s launched and apply immediately and send.
Not everyone can be on their phone or computer 24 hours per day, therefore you will miss out on many posts. Interestingly enough though, I have literally been on my phone, the banner shows up on my phone, I go to apply immediately and already the listing is ā€œreviewing applicationsā€ and the have very fast internet service.
This leads me to believe that there is a sequence that the THS site launches to the countries. I do not live in the UK where this platform lives. Does this play a role in the timing of launching to countries on a pecking order?

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What might have happened here is that the home owner could have been in discussions with a repeat sitter about a potential sit before any sit was formally listed. Once the sitter had confirmed their willingness to do the sit, the HO would then have listed it in order to invite the sitter. If the sit were in a popular location, then there could have been 5 applications before the HO accepted the application of the repeat sitter.

If you press the apply button you can take as much time as you want as it holds your place. As others say have a short reply ready and send immediately then work on your proper application.

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When I have ā€œFavoritedā€ a sit, I get a notification on my phone when that sit has new dates. I hear the ping on my phone, see the notification, and immediately click apply if the dates are good for me. Having a pre-written application isnā€™t something I have done (I always write a couple brief and specific paragraphs referring to the listing), but I suppose if others are like me and are always available to see those THS notifications for sits they have ā€˜Favoritedā€™, then it would be feasible to write an application letter before that specific sit even had new dates (since HOs very rarely change their listing contents) and just copy-paste-send.

I guess my tip would be to view all of the sits in the areas you like, even if they donā€™t have current dates (THS offers this option) and click the heart on the ones you really like. Then, youā€™ll be one of the first to know when they have dates and maybe can even prepare an application letter now. I hope it works for you!

Unfortunately I had the experience several times that sitters sent an ā€žapplication ā€ž within the seconds after I placed the sit. Most times it was nothing more than ā€ž helloā€œ or ā€žI will contact you again laterā€œ. For me this is only a method to block the sit for other applicants. This is a waste of time for me and as I couldnā€™t see how many more would be interested in the sit in the beginning I was hesitant to reject these sitters. By now I know that my place seems to be very attractive to sitters and so I cancel them directly.

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Hi Tinblitz. You may be missing out on the most suitable applicants via your method. I sometimes apply quickly with a short note to make it into the first five. My intent is not to block other sitters. It is because with the five application rule, I would not be able to read the complete listing, do a preliminary check of airfares for the dates, and write an application that would show Iā€™ve read the application and the reasons why Iā€™d be a great sitter for that sit. I need 10 minutes for that.

If you declined me, Iā€™d probably still send you the other application that I would have been working on, and Iā€™d hope that you would read it. Iā€™m not doing this to waste anyoneā€™s time or to keep you from finding the best sitter.

Iā€™m also a homeowner. I will immediately decline an application that doesnā€™t tell me anything, but if someone asks to give them 10 or 20 minutes to get home because they are out shopping or at work, or they want to compose something coherent, I will give them the time. If they donā€™t work out and itā€™s a desirable sit, it will be easy to get other applicants at any point by declining and unpausing.

As a homeowner in a desirable location, I rule out sitters who get my name wrong, get my pets name wrong, write something generic etc and would prefer someone detail-oriented with good communication skills, even if it takes them a bit longer to reply.

I would also decline a super short application if the person didnā€™t send me more information within a pretty short amount of time or didnā€™t give an explanation and tell me they would write more later: EG: ā€œIā€™m at workā€¦ā€ "Iā€™m out shoppingā€¦ ā€œI havenā€™t had time to fully read the detailsā€¦ā€

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Clearly, these are automated applications, by a ā€œbotā€.

I can understand your point of view @tiniblitz. However, have you considered these sitters may be in a different time zone to you? I have woken in the night, checked listings in the northern hemisphere and twice seen an appropriate one to apply for. Knowing by the morning they could have reached the cut-off 5 applications and disappeared so I would not have known they had been advertised, I have sent a short message saying I would submit a full application first thing in the morning and hope that would be acceptable. And it has been and I have subsequently been offered the sits.

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@tiniblitz I can understand your frustration with receiving a fast batch of short applications but- as others have said- I would not be so fast in declining them all without individual consideration. There can be many reasons for a short (initial)application. If a message just says ā€˜helloā€™ or ā€˜please read my profileā€™ or something equally minimalistic then, yes, decline right away!
My approach, when I spot a listing I donā€™t want to miss out on, or that is already on no.4 app, is to hit ā€˜Applyā€™ instantly, say a friendly hello using their name. Explain quickly how lovely their listing looks and that I want to reserve a space while reviewing the details properly and that Iā€™ll follow up with a full application very shortly. Sometimes i invite them to have a quick look at my profile if they see the first message before getting the main one!
This approach usually gets me a positive response.
I also do the other approach, open the application page to save a space, do my research on another appliance, then apply properly in one go.
It can be highly stressful for sitters who really want a sit where competition is high. Just getting a foot in the door is a challenge!

Unfortunately the 5 App limit has most definitely changed the way sitters approach applying and also ofcourse how HOs respond.
Its not the relaxing and exciting experience it used to be. So everyone has to find their own way of working with, and around, the restrictions.

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You can do all of these things without sending the preliminary message ā€œto hold a spotā€. I know because I do this for all my applications. Go into the listing, press View dates, press the application-button and the application-page comes up.

Now I can read the listing thoroughly via the View the listing-button in upper right corner, I open a new tab and check airfares (could also do that on a different device, I do everything from my phone) and if Iā€™m still interested - copy my draft I have saved in Files (the info on myself is pretty much the same every timeā€¦ :wink: ) and work through my application before I send it. I often go back and forth between listng and application to get everything as I want it.

As you, I need less than ten minutes. But I think it works well also if you need more time.

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Iā€™m pretty sure the alerts are not sent out to coincide with the time the ad is published. I read somewhere that they only alert once every 24 hours so you may be getting a notification a day after it goes online. This allows people who are watching for an ad in a particular area say, to apply in that time.

This is good to know. I donā€™t really trust this to work but I will try it next time. As a host, Iā€™ve gotten up to 7 applications at a time under the 5 rule, but usually they last ones come almost at the same time. I donā€™t think Iā€™ve gotten any that come 10 minutes later, so Iā€™m skeptical.